“Spring Awakening,” the award-winning musical about 19th century students discovering their sexuality and morality through teenage exploits and into rock ‘n’ roll songs will come to the Christopher Cohan Performing Arts Center (PAC) on Sunday, Jan. 30.
The original play was written in 1891 by German playwright Frank Wedekind, adapted into a rock musical — during which the character monologues were replaced with musical numbers — by Duncan Sheik, who wrote the music, and Steven Sater, who wrote the book and lyrics, in 2006.
Even though the performance is a musical, the content of the newer adaptation is just as scandalous as the original play, music professor Alyson McLamore said.
“Even though this play is 100 years old, it still challenges our morals and our values,” McLamore said.
Set in late 19th century Germany, the play follows the lives of young students in an oppressive school system, who are just starting to discover and understand the changes that take place during the their teenage years, with no guidance from the adults. It tackles topics such as child abuse, masturbation, homosexuality, teenage sexuality, teenage pregnancy, abortion, rape and suicide.
One of the main issues addressed in the play, McLamore said, is education about mature topics, without pretending they don’t exist.
“There’s a lot of debate what should be taught and what should not be addressed with kids,” McLamore said. “But if parents don’t do it, then (their kids) can be alienated and left behind without even realizing it, which explodes sometimes with a lot of powerful emotions and sometimes not really clear judgment.”
While the idea of the musical has been around, the big push for the creators to bring it to the stage was the Columbine High School shooting. This can ring home for some audience members because of the more recent Tuscon shooting, in which the suspect Jared Lee Loughner reportedly had behavioral problems in school.
“They felt that this concern with teenage angst and uncertainty, doubt, confusion would make us confront the fact that we can’t ignore these problems,” McLamore said.
The show was booked by Cal Poly Arts Director Steve Lerian, who first saw it in Orange County, Calif., where he said the “voices were fabulous, music was compelling, very interesting visually.
“I was struck by the fact there were so many multi-generational attendees,” he said.
Lerian said he hopes the same case can be expected at the PAC.
While Lerian said he does agree the show is controversial, and the audience should be prepared for things such as brief nudity, he believes is tastefully done.
“It’s a fascinating topic, a conversation starter, lots of fodder for discussion,” he said.
Environmental engineering sophomore Sam Dennis also saw the play in Orange County, and the show has a good message.
“One of the things I found is that most of their bad decisions are steered by the parents who are kind of making bad decisions on their part,” he said.
Sarah Kleeman, who plays the adult women characters, graduated from San Luis Obispo High School in 1996. Kleeman was very active in local musical theater, including San Luis Obispo’s Little Theatre and high school productions, as well as being in the school choir.
“My dream was to be on Broadway,” Kleeman said.
Kleeman said she is very excited to return home and be in a Broadway play. She said San Luis Obispo is “pretty forward thinking” and will “embrace it wholeheartedly.”
Everyone will relate to the show somehow, Kleeman said.
McLamore will hold a free pre-show lecture at 6 p.m. in the PAC’s Philips Recital Hall to discuss the musical and, in addition to the adult themes already mentioned, the strong language and adult situations.
“I recommended people try to familiarize themselves with the premise before going in so they aren’t doomed to disappointment,” McLamore said. “Because they can’t change what the show is — but they can change their reaction to it depending on their expectations.”
Tickets are on sale now ranging from $24 to $68 and can be purchased at the PAC Ticket Office, over the phone or online. The show starts at 7 p.m.