Although having never seen it live, I'm a big fan of the musical Spring Awakening. I've watched a few bootlegs (including the OBC and OLC) so I was pleased to finally see a live version performed by third year musical theatre students from Wolverhampton University. From the opening number of 'Mama Who Bore Me' (sung by Lauren Goodhand who played Wendla) I was really impressed by the singing, with the chorus numbers being really strong vocally. I really enjoyed the choreography too- it was clear that some of the cast are natural dancers (Joash Musundi sticks in my memory) and it kept the group numbers really lively.
The London production only ran for a few months in 2009 and I'd put this down to the themes of the show- teenage sexuality, abuse and abortion. I guess people see it as controversial but to me a musical should push boundaries and make people question their way of thinking and I definitely think that this production did that. I was sat on the side balcony so I had a good view of both audience and stage and at times I noticed the audience looking a bit shocked- exactly as it should be I think! The Arena theatre was the perfect choice of venue for the show though because an intimate setting really gave it a bigger impact. Following my favourite musical number of the show 'Totally Fucked' the audience erupted in applause so I was really pleased that it went down well.
Unfortunately you're not able to see it as it only played a couple of performances but I wish all the (former!) students luck in the future!
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