On “Spring Awakening”

Ken AshfordPopular CultureLeave a Comment

RspringawakeningThere was a good mainstream media write-up yesterday about Spring Awakening, for those (like me) into that sort of thing:

Teenage sex scenes showing a naked breast, masturbation and sadomasochism aren’t the usual Broadway fare, but "Spring Awakening" has become the surprise hit musical of the season while being hailed as tastefully erotic.

Adapted from German playwright Frank Wedekind’s then-scandalous 1891 play, "Spring Awakening" looks at the angst of high school students and their sexual awakening in repressed 19th-century Germany.

With song titles such as "The Bitch of Living" and "Touch Me," the show opened on Broadway last month to glowing reviews that compared its contemporary rock song score to that of the prize-winning "Rent." Its run was recently extended.

When considering a Broadway musical, "probably nobody thinks: pure sex. That might just change," said New York Times critic Charles Isherwood, calling the show "a straight shot of eroticism" as it tastefully deals with provocative topics such as abortion, homosexuality and abuse.

"’Spring Awakening’ makes sex strange again, no mean feat, in our mechanically prurient age," Isherwood said.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:  The nominees for the annual Razzie Awards (the unofficial "WORST OF" in films) were announced today.