Spring Awakenings -- The Musical

I've seen Spring Awakenings twice. The first time I saw it I went with two of my friends, and we ended up being late for the show because I took the jammed pack tunnel into New York. We missed the first four songs. I was disappointed, but I did not let that delay hinder me from trying to enjoy the show. I walked away liking, but not loving it. My two friends and I sat around after the show criticizing and praising the parts we didn't and did enjoy, respectively. There were parts where we felt that they were throwing in issues that had no backing or follow-up. It felt almost random. We couldn't understand why the playwright and director would put in some of these extraneous issues. My friend, Melodic Fairy (MF), and I were annoyed by the infusion of so many issues. We just couldn't understand the flow! Even more so, we didn't understand how this subpar musical won a Tony!

A couple of days after the show, I bought the CD to Spring Awakenings. I had the opportunity to listen to the CD a number of times with MF on a roadtrip we had. We fell in love! With the music. From Spring Awakenings. It grew on us. We wanted to see the show again. Unfortunately, she, like all fairies, vanished before my eyes, and I went to see the show a second time with a whole new group of friends.

The second time I saw Spring Awakenings, I was blown away. I loved it. I still had issues with some of the choices, but not as many as when I saw it the first time. I didn't feel lost as I did the first time. I understand much more of the director's choices and the playwright's script. It was wonderful, and I highly recommend it. Go see it. But this essay is more than just a recommendation. It's prescriptive. What contributed towards my varied opinions?

Firstly, to their credit, the actors had incredible energy last night. They were on. They were in the zone. That in and of itself will change the production from night to night. But there were other factors that contributed to my differing opinions.

As I stated earlier, I missed the first four songs on my initial viewing of Spring Awakenings. This was crucial!! So much information was delivered in that early part. Also, I was familiar with the music, the second time around. Finally, I realized that even if I didn't agree with the director or playwright's choices, it was now in context of the play's entirety, not just my limited perspective.

What a lesson on life itself! How many times do we pick up a book, or an album, or have a first impression about a person, or feel a briskness with a waiter/waitress, and we sum up that book, music, or person with our limited knowledge? I've done this, and continue to do this, but my drive is to do this less. This is not to say that one should not be critical; rather, we should have more of a learned scrutiny.

I try to do this. I am not always successful, but cutting off knowledge, before knowledge presents itself, is not wisdom, but ignorance. Apply this concept to anything and it is a challenge. It's easier when dealing with books, music, movies, or plays, but try it out with people. By no means am I trivializing the weight of this approach. It is not simple, but if we are able to change, to understand, to properly put into place a person's history, and not just what appears to be "random" behavior, we will do what is best for our world, ourselves.