“Spring Awakenings”

**** There is nothing like  welcoming a new theater company to our city. I love that young performers come here, seeking the opportunity to act on our stages, and start their own companies to do so. Lazy Susan Theatre Company is just such a company. As an aside, I bet most of you are unaware of what a “lazy Susan” even is. (It was a circular serving piece that spun around so that people could take different menu items from the serving dishes on it.). This company is now doing their first production, “Spring Awakenings” at the Greenhouse Theatre Center in Chicago.

For those of you unfamiliar with “Spring Awakenings” , a play by Frank Wedekind and translated from German by Francis J. Ziegler ,  it is a play about “coming of age”. This production was adapted and directed by Matthew Masino, and is not quite the same as the musical version that many saw at Marriott Lincolnshire several years ago. This particular production is done as if it were a “Chamber musical” as even though it is NOT a musical, it does have music. The biggest problem with the production is that it is two hours with NO intermission. The performance we were at had many young people, who evidently have the ability to go longer without the need of a restroom. Not so , with people over 65.

The story deals with young people “coming of age” and learning more about sex and sexual feelings. Back in the early 1900’s when this was written, people were concerned about laws concerning sex, reproduction and young love. Here we are some 100 plus years later, and it seems that we are still looking at these, or at least the government is. We now can add those who are gay and those that might or are “trans” to the mix, making it even broader than before. While this particular play doesn’t go there, seeing the cast as it is, may just lead you to think ahead to 2025.

The set for this show is quite simple and is not even mentioned in the program, so I am thinking Masino put it all together. The music used for this production is by Michael Van Bodegon-Smith and the musical direction is by Dominic Rincker. While this is not THE musical production, this production is not without music. For the record, the actors in the show who also play music are: Phoebe Westbrooks, Grace Trivax, Pierce Julian Howard and Nicholas Ford Kinney. I think I got them all, and they were wonderful.

The story is about youth, their curiosity, the search for answers about unsaid sex and sexual feelings. These are young people with lots of questions, and no one to give them answers. How can one mature in life when adults fail to take the time to teach them what we call “the facts of life”. The main characters in the story are Melchior (Jake Griffith), Wendla (Isabelle Grima) and Moritz ( an incredible performance by Bryce Lederer). None of these characters can get the answers to the questions that they are facing as they become adults with desires and pangs that they do not understand.

They are not alone. It is the entire group of young people that bring us the story facing these mysteries of life. This cast is superb in making the audience see their hopes, desires and questions. Ryan Vu, Grace Trivax, Quinn Skelly, Hannah Loessberg, Bryce Lederer, Nicholas Ford Kinney, Phoebe Westbrooks, Pierce Julian Howard, Isabelle Grima and Jake Griffith all project teens that are confused and seeking answers. While I know they are all past their teen years, they were able to project the youngsters that are seeking answers easily, and those who also played musical instruments never broke character in doing so.

For a new theater company they did some wonderful work onstage as well as with their  lighting & sound ( Amina Gilbert), costumes ( Elly Burke) and fight/intimacy director ( Kira Nutter).In watching this play, one can only think that over 100 years have passed and some of the same problems still exist, but now with the additional items mentioned earlier. Sex is something that adults never want to discuss. Even though, they at one time had the same questions their children have, they just assume, the questions will disappear. We know they won’t and this play shows that this is true.

“Spring Awakenings will continue thru May 11th  with performances as follows:

Thursdays   8 p.m.

Fridays        8 P.m.

Saturdays    8 p.m.

Sundays      2:30 p.m.

The Greenhouse Theatre Center is located at 2257 ZN. Lincoln Avenue

If you park in the garage, one block north, bring your ticket for discount validation at the theatre.

For tickets ($15-$29, a value when it comes to live theater) www.lazysusantheatreco.com

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Spring Awakenings”.