Review: Spring Awakening
Spring awakening in a new guise
The almost 120-year-old controversial play now appeals to emotions as a musical
The Helsinki City Theatre has long been the leading musical theatre in Finland. However, it is unlikely that it has had four musicals in its repertoire in the same season as it does now. In the autumn, High School Musical first attracted large crowds, and then came Rebecca, which entertained the masses as a movie. Now it’s time for the new Spring Awakening , a controversial play from more than a century ago, and in May, it’s time for the fresh second part of High School Musical .
If anything, this proves that musical theatre is going through a strong phase in Finland. Another decisive factor is that the country has a high-quality and extensive team of musical theatre professionals. It is not for nothing that it has been said that at least the best musical theatre in the Nordic countries is currently being made here.
Unorthodox combination
The German Frank Wedekind wrote the play Spring Awakening (Frühlings Erwachsen), which is the basis for Spring Awakening, as early as the end of the 19th century and printed it at his own expense in 1891. This was a sensation of the time, as it was not staged until 1906. The awakening of spring was forbidden for a long time and only came to life in the 1970s.
The play, as well as the musical, is a downright harrowing depiction of adolescents who are searching for themselves. The body has become an adult, but the psyche is still detached from the childhood stage and the surrounding society, not even the home, provides support, not to mention information.
The fervor for life therefore leads uncontrollably to tragic fates. Such provocation did not please the moralists of the Victorian era.
As a musical, Spring Awakening is far from the traditional Broadway standard. The Atlantic Theater Company brought Steven Säter and Duncan Sheik’s Spring Awakening to Broadway in 2006. It won eight Tony Awards and was chosen as the best musical of 2007. It is not for nothing that the Helsinki City Theatre markets it with a theme, only “once in a generation”.
HKT showed quite a bit of courage by bringing this musical to Helsinki after just over a couple of years. The premiere convinced me that it was worth it. Especially the decisions and fates of Wendla and Melchior, but also Moritz and Ilse, still speak to me. In a musical, this works even better than in a play, when the mental and physical environment of the previous century and the contemporary music built into the play are combined. The contrast between music and text works.
Sara Melleri Wendla and Jarkko Tamminen as Melchior took the roles and songs with sensitivity and skill. Petrus Kähkönen Moritz’s pain was also felt on the side of the stands and Mariko Pajalahti’s Ilse’s performance culminated towards the end. The entire stage worked, including the orchestra.
Neil Hardwick as director, Lasse Hirvi as conductor, Harri Kuorelahti as choreographer and Mika Turunen as vocal coach had got the young actors in good shape. The attitude has certainly been right on both sides. The joy of success glowed from the stage after the show all the way to the back row of the balcony.
The music ranges from ballads to heavy rock. In addition, the message of the text speaks to young people, regardless of the era.
Spring Awekning also makes thinking parents think. As a pupil of the Boys’ Lyceum in the 1960s, Jari Pehkonen’s principal Knochenbruch reminded me of my school, Topi.