Spring Awakening

Ah, Spring Awakening! One of my all-time favourites, a show rarely performed and one that left me with a lump in my throat! Performing a musical in a studio theatre is not easy. It takes a lot of thought, a confident cast and creative team. Scarlett Musical Theatre, delivered what has to be one of the best debut NODA musicals I have seen. The small intimate theatre, left this cast with nowhere to hide but this suits this musical so well. The small band led by Bridget Radford was placed behind the audience and although I personally felt that the music was a little over powering at times, this was probably where I was sitting rather than the overall balance, which was generally very good. The cast did not have mics on, and I did struggle in some sections to hear some lib and lyrics

From the first note of the song ‘Mama Who Bore Me’, I knew this would be an authentic yet original take on the Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik musical. It is one of the most brilliant openings to a musical, immediately engaging and revealing, yet also an accessible and understandable introduction to some of the major themes of the show and especially the main motivations and characteristics of one of the main characters. While Spring Awakening deals with the comedic side of puberty and adolescent discovery, the cast and crew worked hard to treat heavy topics such as suicide and sexual assault with care and they did this effectively.

This musical is very much a company piece but I must mention Ashton Williams who choreographed and played Moritz Steifel. He was captivating! His portrayal was just wonderful and when you add in great choreography as well, this young man has stood out. Melchior played by Christopher Dix, was another standout performer. His stage presence was excellent, his use of the stage direction by Gareth Evans was very effective. It is so hard to produce a musical in the (almost) round and I must commend Gareth for his hard work on this. For future reference, consider playing to the side audiences more and push some of the scene work back, as the side audiences wouldn’t have seen some of the magic I did. It doesn’t all have to be played to front in that setting. The cast in general were excellent and I didn’t feel they had a weak link. Finn Radford stands out on any stage and this production was no exception. The female cast were all perfect and really stepped up in their female numbers, giving an excellent vocal and acting performance, I do feel that given the company feel of this show, I must congratulate you all as a company for your debut musical. It is hard to pick out more individual performances as I didn't feel there was a weak link.

To hear you are taking on Sunset Boulevard, in this theatre is very exciting and I look forward to seeing the end result.

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