Spring Awakening
★★★☆☆ Ambitious
Bedlam Theatre: Wed 12 – Sat 15 Mar 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Spring Awakening, from Theatre Paradok at the Bedlam, is an earnest and ambitious production that does not always succeed despite some accomplished performances.
The 2006 musical – book and lyrics by Steven Sater, music by Duncan Sheik – is based on Franz Wedekind’s 1891 play about a group of adolescents who are failed by the adults in their lives, whether parents or teachers.
These adults are either abusive, or fail to give them the education and support they need to deal with the issues that arise during puberty – sexuality, mental health problems, or even simple knowledge about reproduction. The results are inevitably messy.
A scene from Spring Awakening. Pic Beau Wolton.
The musical is an odd mixture, with its early 21st-century soundtrack, mixing alternative rock with acoustic ballads, already seeming more dated than that of many older works and not always sitting too comfortably with the original play.
The end result can appear melodramatic; the many successful productions have tended to focus on the feverish energy of the piece. Despite intelligent direction by Jane Morgan and Rue Richardson, that necessary energy is not always in evidence here, and the end result can be a trifle overwrought and less than credible.
quality on display
There is certainly a great deal of quality on display; Hattie Summers is exceptionally impressive as the naive Wendla. The opening number Mama Who Bore Me is particularly strong, but throughout Summers proves adept at acting through song. The choral reprise of the song showcases the other performers playing the girls – Tilda Dyer, Darcey Chong and Avina Shah and the excellent Gemima Iseka-Bekano – to good effect.
A scene from Spring Awakening . Pic Beau Wolton.
It is particularly noteworthy that they all know when to be restrained. The same can not always be said for the actors playing the teenage boys, some of whom believe that extreme emotion can only be conveyed by extremes of volume.
Nevertheless, Daniel Fischer is convincing as the rebellious Melchior, with Shaun Hamilton suitably downcast as the troubled Moritz. Max Middleton, Michael Butler, Emmett Smith and Leon Blake are accomplished and well drilled in support.
As usual, the various adults are all played by the same performers, in this case Sophie Davis and Ben Urbach. There is some initial difficulty in differentiating the various characters, but they both prove capable, with Davis in particular being remarkably versatile.
not ideal
The production suffers from technical problems; some can be put down to first-night glitches, but others are more serious. The Bedlam is not an ideal space acoustically for a ‘rock musical’; the band, under musical directors Nonny Jones and Ruaraidh Nicholson, do their best, but the sound is often less than ideal.
The plaintive, folky numbers come off better, with the more energetic songs coming over as muddy and lumpy rather than scuzzy and visceral. Feedback, crackling, some problems with mics and, most of all, the sound balance are also issues; too often, the lyrics are simply inaudible.
A scene from Spring Awakening . Pic Beau Wolton.
Some of the staging is also compromised by its own ambition. The choreography (by Františka Vosátková and Richardson) is occasionally extremely involved. It is discharged with real care and delicacy, but at times it becomes the focal point and overshadows the music.
Throughout the production, the chorus are constantly entering and leaving in various different points in the auditorium. This becomes wearing; it might be better either to have them onstage throughout, or simply have them enter from backstage. In particular, the use of a fire exit is a serious misstep, especially when having that door open makes the Bedlam, already as chilly as always, even more exposed to the night air.
detracts
Further distractions are caused by Tommy Webster’s projections. Much of the time, they are of the onstage action, but a combination of gloomy lighting leads to a series of spectral images. When the images are clear, the backdrop to the stage (a clever confection of gauzes and stitched-together clothing) causes them to appear twice, and framed by details of the equipment’s technical specifications. While all of this is surely intentional, it detracts from what is happening on stage rather than adding to it.
All of which tends to work against the undoubted vitality of the performances and staging. Nevertheless, the conviction on display gives the end result considerable appeal.
Running time 2 hours 20 minutes including one interval
Bedlam Theatre, 11b Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ
Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 March 2025
Daily at 7.30 pm
Details and tickets: Book here.
Paradok instagram: @theatreparadok
Facebook: @theatreparadok
A scene from Spring Awakening . Pic Beau Wolton.
ENDS
