I’ve already set a “date” with a couple of friends and have been trying to convince others to join us. I realized, however, that besides trying to convince a few non-theater-inclined people that this one deserves a viewing, I was also compelled to justify the theme of the play. More on that later.

I cannot decide if I love the upbeat score (by Duncan Shiek) or the profound lyrics (by Steven Sater) more. The music is heavily infused with alternative/folk rock variations and I just love the string and percussion work in the original cast recording. The lyrics, on the other hand, is something I am particularly fond of.
Some examples of lines from the play:

Flip on a switch and everything’s fine
No more lips, no more tongue, no more ears, no more eyes
The naked blue angel, who peers through the blinds
Disappears in the gloom of the mirror-blue night [Mirror Blue Night]

So maybe
I should be some kind of laundry line.
Hang their things on me
And I will swing ‘em dry.
You’re just wavin’ the sun
Through the afternoon
And then see
They come to set you free
Beneath the rising moon [Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind]

Let me teach you how to handle
All the sadness in your soul
Oh, we’ll work that silver magic
Then we’ll aim it at the wall”
She said: “Love may make you blind kid-
But I wouldn’t mind at all.”  [The Bitch of Living]

Now about the theme: In an interview with lyricist Steven Sater, he said that “There was grave concern it would push the mainstream audience out of their seats.” Simply put, the play is about the discovery of teenage sexuality. Conservative viewers may be offended (or, at the very least, shocked) by some scenes/songs, but I say don’t see it for the shock factor. I’m not sure about the age restrictions that will be imposed but I would guess that this is something older audiences will appreciate more just because it will bring them back to that time in their lives when rage (yes, raging hormones, too), impulsiveness, confusion, and self-loathing are rampant. Watch it for the raw emotions translated into songs. Watch it for the art, no matter how cliche that last pitch sounds.Similar Posts:

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It doesn’t take a genius to realize that although age harbors wisdom, youth is the height of beauty. A relatively new Broadway musical called Spring Awakening is being hailed as the new Rent owing to its portrayal of the exuberance (together with the struggles, angst, and self-discoveries) that is associated with being young and its being categorized as a rock musical, as its predecessor. Duncan Sheik wrote the music. Steven Sater is the lyricist.

Despite the quite grim and gloomy theme of the play, one of the final songs, The Song of Purple Summer, talks of hope:

And all shall fade
The flowers of spring
The world and all the sorrow
At the heart of everything

But still it stays
The butterfly sings
And opens purple summer
With a flutter of its wings

Apparently, “spring” here represents being a teenager, whereas “summer” represents adulthood. As everyone of us who is past that stage knows, those were hard times. Not that adulthood offers more thrills in exchange for the “wisdom” gained through experience. But there is magic to transformation – sometimes how people change can be a real cause of surprise. Its being a good or bad surprise counts for something, too. We can never bring back the times that passed. The time will come when we’ll need to move away from its shadow and take delight in the present.

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