Review: 'Spring Awakening' by Get Up Stage Company [UPDATED]

New Britain, CT - Get Up Stage Company works with talented teens every summer. This year director Lindsey DePietro chose an especially challenging musical for her young performers, SPRING AWAKENING and the teens most assuredly rose to the challenge.

SPRING AWAKENING has a book and lyrics written by Steven Sater and music by alt rocker Duncan Sheik and Mr. Sater won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for the show. It is a rock musical that is set in the late 19th-century Germany and tells the story of teenagers discovering the challenges of teenage sexuality. The score might be described as rock-infused with some alternative rock and is far from easy to perform.

All of the teen actors grabbed onto these meaty roles and gave impressive performances, with some of the teens taking on the roles of the adults. Ms. DiPietro always manages to make her cast members look and sound their best and this year’s offering was no exception. Marissa Levy was the music director and conducted the magnificent orchestra. Belle Pons did some amazing work with her choreography and was also the production assistant. Charlie Shapland was the production stage manager. Joe Marturano was the sound designer and along with the director designed the most effective lighting. Ms. DiPietro also designed the period-appropriate costumes, which were provided by “Get to Give” through the Newington Savers store on the Berlin Turnpike. Scenic design by Chad Emerson and the director was just enough. Lea McCabe did very well with the design of the show and was also the creative assistant.

The director painted such beautiful stage pictures for all of the musical numbers, but I really appreciated “I Believe” with the boys and girls, “The Guilty Ones,” and of course, the final “The Song of Purple Summer” with Ilse and the company. Wooden cubes transformed to whatever was required and worked very well in front of the rows of string of lights.

The talented beyond her years Kennedy Morris took on the role of Wendla and sang beautifully as she always does as the naive teenaged girl. The role was played by Glee’s Lea Michele in the original Broadway cast and Christy Altomore played Wendla in original national tour. Galvin Brayton also sang very well as Ilse, an almost symbolic but crucial role.

Ariana LoCascio displayed her wonderful singing voice in the role of Martha. Sarah Ford played Wendla’s best friend Thea and Ally Engengro played the innocent Anna.

Jordan Cyr (AIDA with GUSCO, A CHORUS LINE with Landmark) gave a heartfelt performance as the intelligent and rebellious student Melchior. Raul Calderon broke our hearts as the student Moritz, who struggles in school.

Kevin Michaud played the roles of Hanschen and Herr Stiefiel. Noah LePlante took on three roles: Ernst, a priest and Reinhold and did well with all of them. Alonzo Santiago played the roles of Georg and the older Herr Gabor. Ryan Vaitkus (AIDA) played Otto and Ulbrecht.

Nicholas Giantonio played both Hanschen’s Father and Rupert, while Ben Marcil played the school headmaster Herr Knochenbruch and reformatory school boy Dieter.

Morgan Greger did very well in the role of Frau Bergmann, Wendla’s misguided mother, and Olivia Testa played Schmidt. Ame Duval played the doctor who comes to see Wendla and Miranda Matos was Fraulein Knuppledick. Samantha Dorsi played Frau Gabor and Kristi Yurko was Fraulein Grossenbustenhalter.

Dancing by choreographer the Dance Corp included the lovely Grace Altenburger, who is fresh from serving as stage manager for MARY POPPINS with Blessed Sacrament Children’s Theatre, Caitlin Hildebrand, Samantha Plourd, Leah Gaffney and Claire Palin.

I was impressed by the performance of the small orchestra that sat onstage behind the action. Nick Stanford played keyboard beautifully, Amanda Gooch played violin, Timothy Sterbenz covered the important cello line, Marissa Levy played guitar and Daniel Kraszewski played bass.

Be forewarned that this piece is not a happy one and deals frankly with teenage sexual awakening with some strong language. I was lucky to see the Broadway revival that included both hearing and deaf actors and included Marlee Matlin, Camryn Manheim and Ali Stroker.

There was a large crowd that came out to support the teens for the Friday opening night performance; I got to to see Miss Altenburger’s always busy father and community theatre actor Stephen Michelsson during intermission.

SPRING AWAKENING is presented with one intermission and refreshments are available in the lovely rotunda of the theatre. Remaining performances are Saturday Aug. 10 at 7:30pm and Sunday at 5:00pm on the stage at Trinity-on-Main in New Britain and tickets are available. Parking is available in the garage next to the police station across the street. www.getupstagecompany.com

Nancy Sasso Janis, writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, posts well over 100 reviews each year. In 2016, her membership in the Connecticut Critics Circle began and her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted not only in the Naugatuck Patch but also on the Patch sites closest to the venue. Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.

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