Photo by Joan Marcus
As we all know, this time of year sees many Broadway shows sadly closing their doors on the Great White Way and ascend to theatrical heaven. This week's #SOTW is no exception. After initially extending its limited engagement, Deat West Theatre's revival of Spring Awakening will play its final performance at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 24 January 2016.
Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater's Tony Award-winning best musical has been re-imagined beautifully on stage with the inclusion of American Sign Language, alongside spoken English, and a talented cast of both hearing and deaf actors. Deaf West employs a variety of methods to combine the two languages, sometimes having two actors (one deaf and one hearing) playing the same part, sometimes using projected subtitles and perhaps most effectively using ASL as effortless choreography during the musical numbers. As I watched the show I found myself searching around the stage for the actual voice of the particular characters for the first ten minutes or so, however, after this I adapted and became oblivious to where the voices were coming from and merely concentrated on the performer, regardless of whether he or she was deaf or not. What a refreshingly unique theatrical experience.
During the interval I witnessed various members of the audience signing in conversation with each other and I was struck by the fact that theatre can often be a rather exclusive experience and I am proud of Deaf West for striving to be so inclusive.
There are some terrific performances from both Broadway veterans such as Patrick Page and a plethora of young actors making their Broadway debuts. "Smash" alums Andy Mientus and Krysta Rodriguez, who also performed in the original mounting of Spring Awakening on Broadway, provide a couple of familiar faces.
The musical's source - Frank Wedekind's 1890 play - is astonishingly as relevant today as it was back in the late 19th century. The coming of age themes - teenage sex, abortion, homosexuality, bondage, as well as the sexual education of our youths - are so timeless that the narrative never feels dated and Sheik's rocking score also appeals unashamedly to the younger generation of theatregoers.
Deaf West's last Broadway outing was their acclaimed interpretation of Big River in 2003 and it has been twelve years since their current return to the Great White Way. Therefore, I urge you all to check out their wonderfully inventive and inclusive craft this week, as who knows when they will be back. Hopefully sooner rather than later. And if you don't get to see it, well then you're "Totally F**ked!"
Click here for tickets to Spring Awakening, which is booking through to 24 January 2016 at Broadway's Brooks Atkinson Theatre.
Photo by Joan Marcus Treshelle Edmond, Alexandra Winter, Ali Stroker, Krysta Rodriguez, Amelia Hensley, Kathryn Gallagher & Lauren Luiz in Spring Awakening More production photosOriginally published on