Spring Awakening
Misc: So the wife is a big fan of musical theater, and since I'm a big fan of the wife, I became a fan of singing and dancing on stage by default. Truth be told, I had seen a few musicals here and there, but only on TV or cable... never in real life. Since we've been together, I think I've been to the theater more often than I would have ever imagined, but this is a good thing.
So, getting to the point, Spring Awakening is in Seattle right now, playing at the Paramount. It's been regarded by some as the new Rent, and it won all sorts of awards, etc. etc. Besides knowing that it was about kids at some German school and that pop artist Duncan Sheik wrote the music, I didn't know squat about it before we got there.
Basically: not impressed.
The music was indeed very well done, I give it that. Sheik did a great job with some very evocative songs, and I think the music on its own would be a great concept album on the theme of adolescence, or teen angst. It's almost as if each piece touches on a different aspect of the trauma we all go through making the transition from youth to adulthood; frustration, sexual desire, love, and so on.
As for the other stuff... ugh.
The story has the potential to be a very moving tale, but it just misses the mark on every level. In stark contrast to the moody songs, the acting portion was played almost at a slapstick level, complete with goofy voices and hammy gestures. It was impossible to take any of it seriously, and the direction absolutely undercut Sheik's work. The dancing was atrocious, the last act rushed through a series of events that really needed a little bit of time to build up, and the end was just sort of a non-ending. I've never been to Broadway and I don't really know what makes a great Broadway show, but what I do know is that Spring Awakening doesn't cut it in Seattle.
I think there's a very good chance that I'll pop in the soundtrack at some point, but I'll never pony up for tickets to see the show again.
Rent, it aint.
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Heh.