REVIEW: Spring Awakening (Monumental Theatre Company)
Preview: Ah yes, Spring Awakening, a show as beloved as it is divisive. “Provocative”, perhaps as it is best described - certainly by Monumental Theatre Company, whose production of it currently runs on the campus of Episcopal High School in Alexandria. Despite it having a pretty healthy production history and critically-acclaimed score, I personally never saw the appeal. The premise seemed weird when I first learned about it, and then my first go-around with Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s rock score simply wasn’t doing it for me (I also didn’t like RENT, for what it’s worth). I definitely wasn’t alone in this take - take a look at UnProfessional Opinion’s review - which made me all the more intrigued when they became one of multiple people to emphasize that I should go see this. Being the DC theater messenger I have become, dignity required I give Awakening a fresh look.
Acting: Every now and again a show will appear and place leads right in your face, but then distract you by placing amazing talent on their flanks like they’re not just as, if not more, compelling. Here we are today. Annie Graninger, whose angelic voice far outsizes her humble stature, is awkward and naive as Wendla, but yet steadfast underneath the uncertainty. As good as she is, which is quite, her co-leads of Aidan Joyce (Melchior) and Trenton Beavers (Moritz) deliver equally measurable emotion and ability. Joyce riles up the production with intelligent angst, and Beavers stole the show with solo numbers that surprised me with vocal complexity and drama (Side note: I think the latter would make a terrific Aaron Burr someday, if any Hamilton casting people are reading this). Beyond our leads, the remaining cast coalesces beautifully with saturated harmonies and youthful acting, and even the stalwart adult characters (Ryan Sellers and Molly Rumberger) are deft with charm and command, if not same-y across the handful of named roles they occupy. Ultimately, this production felt like a peek into the future of DC performance. The cast can feel pretty green at times, but it’s not enough to curdle the production. They have an onstage vibe that feels like the first tides of an oncoming wave of Zoomer performance art, which, as one myself, is very exciting. I can’t wait to see this group of actors evolve and grow within our region’s theatre industry. 8/10
Production: The sole setting for director Megan Bunn to work with is Laura Valenti’s wood and ivy set, designed to look like a gothic hayloft. I was pleased by its versatility, serving as both a platform for timing divisions as well as for choreography (Ahmad Maaty), which was exciting and vivid. Perhaps to a fault, as the seats are quite close to the action (it is a black box, after all) and I felt like I was going to get hit with a kick or two being front row. My favorite technical element was Doug DelPizzo’s animated lighting, which was varied and lush. DelPizzo painted each scene with tons of emotive hue, and it made the most of the otherwise immobile set. 7/10
Book/Music: My biggest gripe with Spring Awakening, and the element I was most eager to revisit, was Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s score. It’s known for its rock numbers, but I was pleased to be reminded that the whole of it is actually a mix of different rock genres, like folk and even emo. In fact, hindsight provides more clarity into its extended popularity: in how RENT struck a nerve with its grunginess in the mid-late 90’s, thus did Awakening in its mid-2000s era of pop-punk, emo, and the then-burgeoning scene subculture. Lyrically, it’s poignant, driving home the complicated feelings of wanting to be considered mature yet also still an adolescent (“Totally Fucked”? Straight to the point!). I do get the appeal now, but I still wouldn’t consider it a classic. The plot also evolved beyond “weird” as I mentioned earlier, containing more nuance and believable drama (especially in a post-Roe world) than just listening to the score would lead one to expect. It’s overall very melancholic, dramatic, and angsty, but never leaves you bored. This being said, it also remains rather predictable. 5/10
VisDev: Very solid marketing effort from such a small company, I will say - my only real complaint is not including enough information on it (printing is expensive, sure). Primary wordmark, used on the program, the website, and other promotional material is a rough, streaky graffito that lends itself well to different palettes. It’s not the most unique typeface I’ve ever seen but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The show is about upheaval and defeating the status quo, and this font checks the box with minimal effort. Particularly, the chaotic nature of it compliments the program cover itself exceptionally well: a gloomy photo of the cast in a field, laying down in-costume, delicately atop each other in a triangle of yearnful pensiveness. Triangles, common in art to represent stability, poses an interesting irony given the events of the show but still underlines the importance of unity and communication, which would have led to drastically different fates for a few characters. For a production of this budget and comparatively recent history, it’s yet another example of Monumental punching far above their weight within DC theatre - perhaps some other local companies could learn a thing or two about how to inform audiences ahead of time. 9/10
