""You can't leave the same,"" Elizabeth Judd said of the experience that is the Tony Award winning musical ""Spring Awakening."" It is an experience that will challenge you. One that will make you think. One that Judd, who plays the leading role of Wendla, has had first hand, both on and off the stage.
In 2007, ""Spring Awakening"" swept the Tony Awards, winning for eight of 13 nominations. Among these were the awards for best musical, book, score, direction and featured actor. However, long before this success on Broadway, ""Spring Awakening"" was quite a controversial piece of art. Originally a German play written by Frank Wedekind in 1891, ""Spring Awakening"" was the subject of censorship due to its mature and sexual themes. It was often banned, and when the first English performance premiered in New York City in 1917, only one matinee performance was allowed—to a limited audience. In 2006 ""Spring Awakening"" was adapted into a musical, premiering on Broadway that December to rave reviews. Now in its second national tour, the musical will stop in Madison for a three-show run at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
The current adaptation of ""Spring Awakening"" is a high-energy rock musical, having won eight Tony Awards, it's an undeniably phenomenal show. However, the most interesting aspect of the musical is not the award-winning score or choreography, but the controversy that surrounds the story and the social commentary it provides.
The story follows a group of adolescents growing up in the late 19th century. Among these is Wendla Bergmann, played by Judd, who begins the show by asking her mother a question familiar to most mothers: Where do babies come from? However, this is not a question that Wendla's mother or any other adults the teenage group asks are prepared to answer, and this search for answers and denial of guidance is one of the main themes the show explores.
""They're not willing to share these things because it makes them uncomfortable or because it's not the way they were brought up, and so you see the consequences of that,"" Judd said of this interaction between youth and the elders in the play. ""The story is set in 1891, but absolutely, those things happen today all the time.""
As for Judd, these issues are relatable ones. Her personal journey with the show began the first time she saw the musical with her parents prior to auditioning. ""When we left, my dad was crying and my mom was extremely moved,"" she said. ""We all had been so surprised by how moved we were by this one musical. We got to engage in these conversations that we had never had before about certain things. And so after I saw it and saw what happened, what conversations we were having, I was like, ‘I have to be a part of this.'""
The actors playing the roles of the adolescent characters range in age from 18 to 24. This is the first major touring show for many of them, and their excitement is palpable. ""Being so young, everyone is just so excited about this,"" Judd said. ""Every day we always say, ‘How are we doing this, how did we get to do this?'""
The excitement of simply being a part of this experience has translated to excellent onstage performances. ""I think bringing that energy out every night on stage is something really exciting to watch,"" Judd added.
Being that the musical is about a group of adolescents, the growth and self discovery of the role of Wendla is one that Judd can easily identify with. However, this is not to say that the musical is solely for adolescents. People of all ages can relate and interact with the themes that the musical presents. ""Everything [that happens] in this show is something that everyone goes through,"" Judd said. ""Whether you choose to relate or not, it's pretty spot-on no matter what age you are. That's what my parents always say.""
If you enjoy thought-provoking, socially critical or hard-hitting rock musicals, this is a show you might want to check out. As for what to expect when the curtain opens, ""there are times in the show when it's very, very intense, and there are also times in the show where everyone's rocking out and all you want to do is just jump up and sing out and rock out with everyone,"" Judd said.
And for what to expect when the curtain closes once again, ""You can expect to leave completely changed,"" Judd said. ""I left and was totally moved. It's quite a range of emotions.""
""Spring Awakening"" will be performed Saturday, Oct. 23 at 7:00 p.m. and at 11:59 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Memorial Union's Union Theatre. Ticket information is available at www.uniontheater.wisc.edu.
