Spring Awakening
★★★★☆ Bittersweet
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53): Mon 24 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Review by Shuang Ning Tan
Kingston Grammar School Theatre Company presents the folk-rock cult hit musical Spring Awakening at Surgeons’ Hall, following a group of teenagers as they discover their emerging sexualities in 19th-century Germany.
Based on Frank Wedekind’s banned play of the same name, this coming-of-age musical tells the tale of Melchior (a radical atheistic student), Wendla (Melchior’s childhood friend) and Moritz (Melchior’s best friend) – they are part of a (sexually frustrated) younger generation that suffers under the strait-laced authority of their parents/teachers.
Melchior and other students. Pic KGSTC.
Melody Moppett’s Wendla is our first introduction to the Spring Awakening world. Moppett manages to express complex emotions in a split-second, embodying the character with compelling vulnerability and youthful innocence. And while a couple of Wendla’s songs are cut from this production, Moppett sings beautifully when given the chance.
The main character Melchior, meanwhile, has grown beyond childhood naivete and struggles to be treated as a man. Jasper Simmons exudes confidence in the role. He brilliantly portrays various aspects of Melchior’s character: his frustration with narrow-minded adults, his grief in the graveyard, and his longing for a better future. It also helps that his chemistry with Moppett’s Wendla and Cameron’s Moritz is excellent, largely smoothing over any pacing issues in regard to Melchior’s relationships.
Unlike Melchior, Moritz cannot see a way out of their oppressive system. Greg Cameron gives a passionate performance, depicting Moritz’s repressed sexuality and growing despair. While his voice breaks occasionally, the audience is so swept up in his powerful performance that we barely notice. His rendition of Don’t Do Sadness is absolutely heartrending.
standout
Minna Williams also gives a standout performance as Ilse, a teenage runaway who managed to escape her abusive home. Her time onstage is short yet impactful. One of the highlights of the show is her emotional song The Dark I Know Well, which she sings alongside Allegra Kelly’s Martha.
The remaining cast is a mixed bag of talent, decent at their worst. Alice Davidson and Rufus Pilcher are entertaining and suitably condescending, both playing multiple roles as Adult Man and Adult Woman. Joe Ridley does a wonderful job as the gay student Ernst and as one of the guitarists. Other cast members take more time to shake off initial stiffness; nonetheless, by the time the ending number begins, their performances are near-perfect.
Wendla and the other girls Pic KGSTC.
Although Meg Christmas’ direction is generally satisfactory, she takes liberties with the narrative. It is understandable that more sexually explicit scenes are removed, out of consideration for the young performers, yet it is a decision which diminishes the show’s theme of adolescent sexuality. We never get to hear Wendla or Melchior’s thoughts on their time together, and they are subsequently punished for something which happened offstage.
Certain songs (Touch Me and The Guilty Ones) are ignored entirely; The Word of Your Body is not included in the production, but its reprise is. Suffice to say, the narrative pacing suffers. There is no breathing space between certain scenes, which results in jarring tonal shifts: right when a sexual act is implied to occur, Moritz abruptly appears onstage with severe depression and a sorrowful song.
poignant
Despite these narrative hiccups, this amateur production of Spring Awakening is a poignant portrait of youth, with a gifted group of performers. It is also as family-friendly as Spring Awakening gets, so feel free to watch this production with your friends and family (as long as they’re over fourteen).
Running time: One hour and 30 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Grand Theatre), Surgeons’ Quarter, Nicolson Street EH8 9DW (Venue 53)
Monday 24 – Saturday 29 August 2026.
Daily: 10am.
Tickets and details: Book here at EdFringe.com.
Tickets direct from venue: Book here.
Instagram: @kgs1561
ENDS
