August 12, Matinee
2nd Time seeing the show
1st time in Stage Seats
Full CastA Bit of History: I’d only seen the show once prior to today. It was my first show ever on Broadway, I saw it from front row center, and I was at the absolute pinnacle of my Spring Awakening mania. To say that it was a big moment on my first trip to New York City would be an understatement. It was a big moment in my life. To see Gob further fanboy over the semi-OBC circa April 2008, I’ll direct you here:
http://forum.theguiltyones.org/index.php/topic,7100.0.htmlNaturally, I was skeptical about how I’d feel about the touring cast for a treasure trove of reasons, and ultimately I found them to be a bit of a mixed bag. However, even though I’m not as head over heels for the show as I once was, it was really a treat just to see the production again. I’d forgotten how haunting the choreography is, how gorgeous the lighting design is, and how truly stunning the music in the show really is. So it was a nice bit of closure in a way, and I really enjoyed the production. And I loved stage seating!
Now onto that mixed bag of a cast! IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE!
Christy Altomare was absolutely fantastic as Wendla and was, by far, the best of the girls in this cast. She had a really nice mixture of defiantly inquisitive qualities and naiveté. She really gave Wendla a strong inner life, and gave a lot in the way of subtle nuance. Her voice has the soothing lullaby tone to it (not unlike Phoebe Strole, which is a definite compliment coming from me). Not to mention, she and Jake made a lovely team, but I’ll get to him later.
Angela Reed…. Well, frankly any Adult Woman was going to stand in the shadow of Christine Estabrook, who I personally believe is a genius. From an objective view though, I felt that Angela had moments that were really over-the-top, but she managed to differentiate the roles well.
Sarah Hunt really impressed me by making her Martha vastly different from the OBC model of the character. Lilli’s Martha (which I absolutely loved) had a seemingly stoic facade, but with a strong sense of inner sadness. Sarah’s, however, is much more girlish and jovial for the most part, which made the revelations in “The Dark I Know Well” all the more shocking. It was a brilliant twist on the character.
Steffi D was hit-or-miss overall. I love that she is so energetic and intense, particularly during “Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)” when I was afraid she was going to stomp on me. And though her voice is not my favorite, I enjoyed that she was one of the few in the cast with a really quirky, folk voice. However, her actual delivery of dialogue often fell somewhat flat to me, and I did not feel nearly as much sympathy for her Ilse as I should have.
Gabrielle Garza came to work on time, and doesn’t she deserve props for that? That was mean, but she’s just sort of… there. Her Anna didn’t have much personality but she looked like Lawrence Olivier next to…
Claire Sparks… Claire, Claire, Claire. This girl inspired me to play a game called, “When Will Claire Sparks Have a Facial Expression?” I never won that game. “Bland” would be a kind way to describe her Thea.
Henry Stram was actually really strong as the Adult Men. His Moritz’s Father, in particular, was really amazing in the scene where he finds out Moritz failed (especially because I was behind Moritz, so I felt like I was getting yelled at)… Shame he has to do that cheesy crying during the funeral. No Adult Man is ever going to pull that off.
Anthony Lee Medina was really fun to watch, despite being in a smaller role. Otto is not a role I’ve ever found particularly interesting, but Anthony had a lovely voice and boundless energy.
Andy Mientus as Hanschen felt like a really grainy photocopy of Jonathan B. Wright as Hanschen. The difference being that when Jonathan played Hanschen, he felt like a genuine person. Andy’s Hanschen feels like a cartoon. He’s making the moves and the sounds Hanschen should make, and yet it always feels devoid of any humanity. Not a fan.
Ben Moss as Ernst kinda settles into the Gabby Garza pile for me. He was just kinda… around. He sang nicely when he needed to and that’s mostly what I got out of his performance.
Matt Shingledecker felt miscast for Georg. His singing and acting is pretty solid overall, but his voice lacks the soulfulness needed for Georg’s big solo in “Touch Me.” Additionally, I feel that he looks a little too old for the show now.
Blake Bashoff is the only person I’ve seen in the show both times, and I feel the exact same way about him as I did on Broadway. Most of his acting in Act One is over-the-top and borderline cartoonish, but his acting in the more somber parts of the show (“Don’t Do Sadness,” in particular) is stupendous. I’m still at kind of a loss as to how I feel about his Moritz, because he impresses me sometimes and disappoints me other… I do still think his voice is perfect for the role though. He sounds so much like an angst-ridden teenage boy wailing rock songs in his garage, and it gives his character the genuine factor that’s sometimes missing in his characterization.
Jake Epstein was wonderful as Melchior. I really did not know what to expect from him, but he was really great. He gave Melchior a sort of Jonathan Groffian earnest quality that really makes you pull for a character who is really a bit of a pretentious know-it-all. Additionally, his Melchior had some subtly timid moments, such as in the Classroom scene, that helped amp up the sympathy factor. The occasional hesitancy also served to make him seem younger than Jake initially looks, which was a perk.
