Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening has always been both controversial and titillating. Written more than 100 years ago, the play was condemned to long bouts of censorship thanks to taboo themes including sexual abuse and abortion, but because of these the story can still shock.

Written by Frank Wedekind, it follows a group of German teenagers as they wrestle with both their budding sexuality and scholarly success. This version, a co-production between the Traverse and Grid Iron, is written by Douglas Maxwell. The script is shortened (in both cast and in story), but it maintains the essentials of Wedekind’s original.

And there is much to admire. The production is quick-footed and razor sharp, especially in its depiction of teenage life, and the staging is consistently clever. The production doesn’t shy away from potentially shocking moments, including the beating of a willing character and numerous moments where characters masturbate. The design concept is much more interesting than it first appears and the cast are uniformly excellent in their portrayals.

But all is not great. Ben Harrison’s direction is quite effective, but there are times where caricaturing trumps believability. Maxwell’s script is also a bit odd, mostly because it fails to commit. This new version is supposed to be set in Scotland, but contains only a sprinkling of Scottish words and references.

Also, at 80 minutes, the play is more of a dramatic sprint, discarding character development for brevity. In the few moments where scenes unfold at a slower pace and the characters are allowed to blossom, the play works magnificently. Unfortunately, these scenes are rare.

This is a good production, but it's a bit ironic that, as it’s a play about teenagers struggling with maturity, it is the play’s lack of maturity that prevents it from being the crowning success it could be.