Theater Review: "Spring Awakening" at The Brookfield Theatre

By Nancy Sasso Janis

The Brookfield Theatre for the Arts, Inc. is presenting their first musical of the 2023 season, the poignant coming of age rock musical “Spring Awakening” with music/orchestrations by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. The Brookfield production is very effectively directed by Beth Bonnabeau, with musical direction by the talented David Anctil.

The director calls “Spring Awakening” “an emotional rollercoaster.” She directed last season’s memorable “Tick, Tick….Boom!” which starred Anctil in the role of Jonathan. This summer, Anctil will direct the Brookfield production of “Urinetown.”

The musical is based on the 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind. Set in late 19th-century Germany, “Spring Awakening” tells the story of teenagers discovering their adolescent sexuality.

This is a strong production of the often heartbreaking musical, with a strong cast and excellent onstage orchestra.

The musical numbers are most impressive, especially when the young performers sing in excellent harmony. The young performers aptly become an oak tree for “The Word of the Body” and ride the rollercoaster between the high-energy alternative rock numbers and the more pensive pieces. There is also just enough choreography by Josephine Harding that is strongly performed by the actors.

Kennedy Morris, as the naïve Wendla Bergmann, opens the performance with the haunting “Mama Who Bore Me.” Morris is a magnificent singer who performs the role of Wendla perfectly, just as she did in the 2019 production of “Spring Awakening” by GetUp Stage Company. She is an incredibly talented young actor who performs with various bands, plays piano, bass, guitar and ukulele and has choreographed several shows.

The rest of the young women give their all to the roles they play. The actors include Katelyn McGuire as Martha Bessell in her third appearance on this stage and Jocelyn Titus as Ilse Neumann in her seventh show at this theater. Daisy Scott is performing in this musical for a second time as Anna, and Eliana Russotti appears as Thea.

Zachary Geiger leads the students in the role of the highly intelligent and rebellious Melchior Gabor and gives a heartfelt performance in his acting debut at Brookfield Theatre. Bowie Perlman portrays Otto/Ulbrecht, Noah Leibowitz is Georg/Dieter, Ethan Valencia plays Hanschen Rilow/Rupert, Dance Captain Jordan Toribio covers Ernst Robel/Reinhold in his Brookfield debut. Dylan Ryan, who was a magnificent Jean Valjean in Landmark’s “Les Miserables,” masters every move of Moritz Stiefel in his Brookfield debut.

Alicia Dempster, a local theater artist who has directed, produced and acted in many productions, makes it look easy to switch characters as she covers all of the adult women in the script. Marlee Matlin and Camryn Manheim shared this role in the Broadway revival that I saw. Eli Patton covers all of the adult men in the lives of the students.

Anctil conducts the onstage musicians from behind his keyboard. Naugatuck Valley Community College graduate Josh Rodis is amazing on his guitars, Charles Carimiro covers the bass line, Chris Babcock plays percussion, with Danielle Browning on violin, WestConn graduate Em Squatrito on viola, and Samantha Marcial on cello.

The stark set by Anctil works perfectly for this piece, for the production is all about the strong cast and pit musicians. A long riser at the back of the stage that is lit with tiny lights that run along the edges adds another level to the ensemble pieces. The hayloft that is important in the first act is a wooden slab suspended with four strong cords. I wrongly worried that it would not be able to support the actors, although there was some definite swinging of this piece at the senior preview performance. Costumes by Kate DeAngeles are a bit more contemporary for the students than I have seen.

Be forewarned that this piece is not a happy one and deals frankly with teenage sexual awakening with some strong language and is not appropriate for young children.

“Spring Awakening” is presented with one intermission and continues at Brookfield Theatre for the Arts through March 4.

Nancy Sasso Janis of Naugatuck is a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle (ctcritics.org).