The rock ‘n’ roll, coming-of-age musical “Spring Awakening” will be presented Thursday, April 10, through Wednesday, April 16, in the Black Box Theater of the Robinson Hall for the Performing Arts. All performances of this Theatre Department production will be at 7:30 p.m., except Sunday, April 13, which will be a 2 p.m. matinee.
Based on a controversial 19th-century play by German playwright Frank Wedekind, “Spring Awakening” opened on Broadway in 2006; it subsequently won eight Tony Awards, four Drama Desk Awards and a Grammy award for the soundtrack album.
Wedekind wrote “Spring Awakening” in 1891, during an era (called the late Victorian period in England and fin de siècle throughout Europe) characterized by a dichotomy between respectability and neurosis, outward conformity and inner rebellion. His characters are young teenagers overwhelmed by their sexual yearnings and frustrated by the adult world’s refusal to acknowledge or explain them. The play addresses taboo topics, such as abortion, homosexuality and suicide, and it was censored throughout the 20th century, receiving only rare performances.
By contrast, the musical, with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, has enjoyed tremendous success.
“This brave new musical, haunting and electrifying by turns, restores the mystery, the thrill and quite a bit of the terror to that shattering transformation that stirs in all our souls sometime around the age of 13,” wrote Charles Isherwood in a review published in the New York Times.
James Vesce, chair of the Theatre Department, is director for this production, which runs seven straight days. Tickets are $14 for general admission, $9 for seniors and UNC Charlotte faculty and staff and $6 for all students; they an be purchased at the Robinson Hall Box Office at 704-687-1849 or online.