meg o’connor

But Go See Spring Awakening! Rush seats are $50, and they are worth it. I was in the upper balcony, but that show is so big, so alive, that no matter where you sit, you are in this show. It lives up to all the hype.

The music surprised me, since the show takes place in, what I assume, is mid-19th century, early 20th. And the costuming is all period, so when these teenagers from long ago start belting out rock-pop ballads and jams, it catches you off guard, but it worked so perfectly. You see these kids in school, with their family, with each other, and they are so quiet, or polite, or nervous, but the mind of an adolescent is in such a hectic frenzy that this music is like a window into the teenage psyche. Fast, loud, angry, sad- I had always liked that one song by Duncan Sheik, but I love this entire soundtrack. If you can’t come see the show, I suggest taking a listen.

I thought all the acting was great. There was camp and there was subtlety, and there was the kind of acting you find in most good musicals- a little bit exaggerated, but with heart. I couldn’t find one actor I thought was miscast or over-acting. 

The choreography was interesting, and I generally liked it, though there was a bit they did with the arms, and sometimes it made me wonder ‘why are they touching themselves like that during this song?’ But the show in its entirety is truly a show to go see. It is beautiful, and sad, and hilarious, and relevant.

There is a good story line, but what I think the show is really about is that you can’t stop humans from being human. There are these teenagers who are trying to figure things out and have very few people to talk to. Wendla, the female lead, was dying for her mother to explain how babies are made, and the mother couldn’t do it. Moritz, the tragic character in the show, doesn’t know how to cope with his vivid sexual dreams, and it drives him mad. It shows the audience that with or without help, teenagers will become sexual beings, and in this case, the less they knew, the more it hurt them. There is unwanted pregnancy, death, sexual abuse, and the parents can’t seem to find why their children are acting out, behaving this way. They just didn’t know any better. (I think those who believe in Abstinence-Only Education should see this show…the less people know, the more pain it can cause.)

Well, now I guess the cat is out of the bag…I’m liberal (go figure, a girl living in the Bay Area), and don’t get me started on the election, but PLEASE learn everything you can about the opponent’s issues, figure out what you want, and make an educated vote this November. Don’t vote for the candidate your parents are voting for, don’t vote for the candidate who seems like the cool candidate to vote for, but vote for the candidate who you think will make the world the kind of place you want to live in. 

Back to work.