“Spring Awakening” ( Milwaukee- Skylight Music Theatre) reviewed by Amy Menzel

***** Despite knowing little about the show, I was very much looking forward to seeing Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Spring Awakening. The promise of a performance accessible to both deaf and hearing audiences through a collaboration between deaf and hearing performers excited me, as did the passion with which the creators spoke about their vision in the press and on social media. I also knew that the show is recommended for audiences 14+. That was the extent of my knowledge walking into the theater Saturday night.

The title did ring a bell, but a very faint one. I didn’t know the rock musical was based on an 1891 German play. I didn’t know the original Broadway production won a Tony Award for Best Musical or that Deaf West Theatre’s 2015 production inspired Skylight’s. Pouring over the insights provided in the audience guide (and, yes, on Wikipedia), I found myself thinking, “Have I been living under a rock?” I guess the answer is yes. And, well, in many ways we are all living under a rock of sorts – our own shelters or barriers that prevent us from knowing, much less understanding, everything. We don’t know what we don’t know. But we can listen and learn. And we should! …which is one of the main messages of this show.

Spring Awakening is a coming-of-age story. It also happens to be a terrific example of how and why it’s weird that we often reserve this term for tales of children and teens. Certainly this show is focused on teenage characters. They’re struggling with the pressures of school, some are experiencing abuse, others are dealing with issues of mental health, and many are reckoning with their emerging sexuality. They’re trying to figure things out. They seek help, they ask questions, and that’s when we see that many adults haven’t figured things out either. They don’t know how to have candid conversations about sexuality, they don’t know how to recognize or support youth struggling with their mental health. Yet, simply due to age and authority – which is to say, by default – the adults’ inability or unwillingness to communicate and connect has profound and sometimes devastating effects.

Loving is listening and learning together.

That’s the message of this show and the epitome of Skylight’s collaborative production. I was mesmerized by the seamless partnership between the deaf actors and their hearing counterparts who amplify their voices. Erin Rosenfeld (Wendla) and Joseph Saraceni (Moritz) both bring incredible emotional depth to their performances, which were echoed in the voices brought by Emma Knott and Edie Flores, respectively. Precise movement and choreography (Reed Luplau) helped draw the audiences’ eye and highlight the beauty of ASL expression throughout the show.

This production is as visually stunning as it is emotionally captivating. I can only hope to be able to recall the final scene in my mind’s eye and feel it in my heart for years to come.

Spring Awakening is a story of young folks learning about the world as it is and dreaming about what the world could be. Skylight’s production is creating the world that should be – and is, on stage, now through March 17.

★★★★★

Spring Awakening plays now through March 17 at Skylight Music Theatre located at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Wednesdays – 7:30 p.m. (2 p.m. performance on March 6)
Thursdays – 7:30 p.m.
Fridays – 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays – 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays – 2 p.m.

Tickets start at $48 and can be purchased online at www.skylightmusictheatre.org or you can call the Box Office at 414-291-7800.