Spring Awakening- Slow Burn's Latest Success

By now, a review saying that a Slow Burn Theatre Company show is a success is akin to somebody saying the Rockettes dance- it’s a fact that Patrick Fitzwater, Slow Burn’s artistic director, knows how to put on a damn good show. Spring Awakening, now in its second weekend at Slow Burn’s new Broadway Center for the Performing Arts home, follows in the large footprints of Fitzwater’s resume with a new rendition of this modern rock classic, punctuated with impeccable vocal layering, powerful new leads, and a staging that takes the two Broadway performances in a new direction.

The promotional art for Slow Burn’s production.

Spring Awakening is Duncan Sheik’s 2006 adaptation of Frank Wedekind’s 1896 German play, one that handles the miscommunication of parents to their children regarding sex, and the consequences these omissions bring. At center stage is Melchior Gabor, as played by a beautiful Bobby Cassell, his best friend Moritz Stiefel (a manic and concerning, in the best way, Cameron Jordan), and his childhood interest, Wendla Bergmann (a charming Stephanny Noria).

What ties this show together better than any Slow Burn show before it is the simple chemistry between each performer. This is not to say that prior shows lacked- anybody who saw Avenue Q, Next to Normal, or RENT with Slow Burn can testify. But Fitzwater took his production in the route of the 2015 Deaf West revival, while keeping true to the 2006’s characters, in turn making an ensemble show. What more, many of the cast are new to Slow Burn. The show’s opening, a solo number from Stephanny, is surrounded by the longing eyes of her cast. Each scene feels ready to explode with the energy and ferocity Fitzwater’s characters harbor.

Each show is a rock concert in and of itself.

When you pair this tension with the performances, you get a powder keg of a concert. Cassell’s collected tenor, coming out from his sly smile, match the collected and reasonable Melchior. When put against Noria’s rustic and slightly accented Wendla, you feel as if two separate worlds are coming together- the pure emotion and naiveté of nature into the world of logic, reason, and philosophy. Their duets are a quiet demonstration of worlds colliding in a beautiful harmony, their chemistry feels real and sincere, and the truth of their love gives incredible depth to their presence on-stage.

In this ensemble-focused Awakening, we are given the chance to appreciate each of the other characters- unlike the original cast, we are given reason and purpose to actually learning the names and faces of the other characters. Eytan Deray, as the affable Georg, shocks the audience with his jazzy riffs in Touch Me, a truly astonishing number he dominates in the final bars.

The girls are another strong indicator of this notion, most especially Jessica Brooke Sanford and Cristina Flores. Fitzwater carefully transformed The Dark I Know Well from its haunting origins as a tale that empowers and strengthens the damaged women into a strong of vulnerable struggle, in which the pain of the actresses washes over the audience and gives fear for what is to come. By changing this performance, it almost weakens the audiences’ defenses from the emotional turns forthcoming, with Sanford and Flores’ final hug a symbol that sticks in the mind.

From left to right: Bobby Cassell, Kaitlyn O’Neill, Eytan Deray.

The power carries down to the ‘smallest’ performers, the Adults. Spring Awakening is typically home to two ‘adult’ actors and actresses who embody the various adult figures in the show. Each of the performers in this production, Matthew Korinko and Kaitlyn O’Neill, both Slow Burn regulars, do their various performances in fascinating turns. Korinko’s short stint as Moritz father was haunting, giving rise to many sobs. O’Neill was adept at changing both physicality and accent at the drop of a pin, switching back and forth in ways to properly convey the half a dozen characters she had to develop.

To mention the vocals is redundant- there are little to no flaws, the harmonies are spine-tingling, the solos are worthy of a hundred standing ovations. Each lead is a show in their own right (particularly Noria, I have to throw out another recommendation for Whispering). Another tweak made was a delightful, yet chilling, a-capella reprise of Mama Who Bore Me late in the second act. Patrick Fitzwater will settle for nothing less than perfrection. What’s more is Slow Burn’s tech, always on another level, continues to please.

Sean McClelland’s phenomenal set with Montero’s lighting.  Expect nothing less from Slow Burn’s tech team (shout out to Britni Serrano!)

Sean McClelland, Slow Burn’s resident set designer, has taken inspiration from the 2015 revival and taken it up a notch. Slight stars illuminate the top of the stage, as branches crawl into the barn’s rafters and towards the graves on lower stage left. The nature blends with the man-made wood design, perfectly illustrating the show’s naturalistic message.

Rebecca Montero’s lighting is a spectacle in itself. The show’s hues are barely noticeable, but make all the difference. The high reds of The Dark I Know Well bring the violence and vulnerability into the seats, the blues and purples throughout give rise to the key choruses, and the high energy numbers wouldn’t be so perfect without her.

You’ve got one more weekend to support Slow Burn’s explosive show.

Analytically speaking, this run of Spring Awakening is a marvel. The show was written to detail consequences, to illustrate what actions lead to- it feels as though Fitzwater gets this completely and wants the audience to feel in the regrets. We are given highlights, visually and vocally, of the backside of the action- the funeral, Wendla’s regret, Melchior’s horrified pain, Moritz’s loss, Ilse’s rejection, and more. In having so much ensemble presence, we begin to connect and understand through them- especially when they feel pain. Fitzwater knew how to bring a new element to a show that has seen so much analysis and focus in the last decade. The new element is guilt, empathy, and pain. Not just for the leads, or for the ensemble- but in allowing his audience to feel it.

I cannot recommend this show enough. As an avid audience member to the vast performance history Slow Burn is incurring, we are nearing the final run of one of its best. A blind man would enjoy this show, with the vocal energy so high, the performances so varied and unique, and the songs so infective. Try to catch the rebellious show this weekend, or the next, for the final shows of what I am confident is one of the most enjoyable shows in South Florida, from the company that consistently puts on nothing but the best- keep the flame high, Slow Burn.