Review: Spring Awakening

For past and present crumbs

You wouldn’t believe it at first. That the play, written in 1891, could sink into today’s young and old.
But yes, you can.

Spring Awakening reminds us that puberty more than a hundred years ago was exactly the same as it is today. Confusion, rebellion, sexual awakening, questions of identity. But when it came to sexuality, the child grew up in a barrel, and the conservative school system and authoritarian upbringing did not make puberty any easier.

We have come a long way since those days. Now many people experience too much too soon, and I don’t know which is the worse option. The musical’s young cast is full of enthusiasm and sincerity. Petrus Kähkönen as the sensitive Moritz Stifel is harrowing.

“Very touching. I’m definitely going to recommend it to my friends, my mother and my little brother,” said Sara Salmela, 18, after seeing the performance.