'Spring Awakening' shows at IU Auditorium

At some point or another most young people wonder where babies come from and what is happening to their bodies.

These questions were asked and answered the hard way at Tuesday’s performance of “Spring Awakening” at the IU auditorium.

The musical was only here for one night and was performed for a nearly sold-out house.

“Spring Awakening” is based on the play of the same title, which was written by German playwright Frank Wedekind between 1890 and 1891. The play was first performed in 1906 in Germany. After the first performance, the play was deemed too controversial, as it dealt with sex, abortion, homosexuality and suicide, and was often banned from theaters.

These themes are still relevant today, IU Auditorium Events Manager Maria K. Talbert said.

“That tension between what parents want to say to their children and how honest they are still exists today,” Talbert said.

The original play had performances in New York in 1917 and the 1950s, but those performances were censored. In 2006 musician Duncan Sheik and lyricist Steven Sater united to write the music and lyrics to “Spring Awakening: A New Musical.”
The musical won eight Tony awards in 2007, including best musical, best book and best score.

The musical is structured differently than other musicals as it uses the music as inner monologues to tell the stories of the characters.

“A big part of this musical is the music,” senior Chika Ike said. “We as young people can relate to this music and the story. Although I love Sondheim, this is the music of our generation, and we relate because we went through similar things.”

The setting of the musicians is non-traditional. All musicians are on set and are a part of the loud world in the characters’ heads.

The set is also different. The setting has a variety of neon lights, along with bright, hanging light bulbs that illuminate the stage. There is also a giant brick wall with symbols of spring and flowers symbolizing the innocence and ignorance of virginity.

On the set are two different rows of chairs with students sitting on both sides of the stage. The costumes brought the modern day and the original 19th century play together as the main characters wore period pieces, while the watching students wore modern clothing.

As the auditorium lights dimmed, the bright neon lights lit the simple stage. The music broke the silence through the auditorium, as the audience was brought back to a time in their lives where everything was confusing and dark.

“What happens in this show still goes on today,” senior Caty Natt said. “Knowing and talking about sex still isn’t done as often as it should be today.”