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Wilbury’s Spring Awakening Is Unforgettable Nineteenth century German Lutheran adolescents singing rock music might sound like an off-kilter premise for a musical, but throw in clever staging and universal, timeless themes, and Spring Awakening’s massive success since its opening on Broadway a decade ago is no wonder. Based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind, the edginess that contributed to its success also makes it a perfect fit for the Wilbury Theatre Group as their season closer. Spring Awakening follows a group of adolescents as they discover their sexualities and identities within the confines of a conservative, religious, authoritarian community. We first see naive and curious Wendla Bergmann (Katrina Z. Pavao) lament that her mother (Jennifer Pierel) has left her ill-prepared to handle growing up, illustrated in a conversation between the two in which Wendla asks her mother where babies come from, and her mother fails to tell her all of the facts, instead claiming that a child is conceived when a woman loves her husband with all her heart. Wendla’s friends, Martha (Jennifer Pierel), Anna (Daraja Hinds) and Thea (Maggie Papa), are equally uninformed, but nonetheless develop crushes on their male peers — most notably, the rebellious and charismatic Melchior Gabor (Diego Guevara), who ends up returning Wendla’s affections, and the two explore their sexualities in an ultimately doomed relationship. Melchior stands up for his anxious friend, Moritz (Bradley Wilson) against their strict teachers and teaches him about sex in a detailed essay complete with illustrations. Rounding out their class are Hanschen (Gunar Manchester) and Ernst (Aaron Blanck), who are each other’s love interests; Georg (Matthew Gorgone), who lusts after his older and busty piano teacher; and Otto (Nigel Richrds). Moritz experiences extreme pressure from his parents to succeed in school, but his teachers seem hell bent against letting him progress. Meanwhile, Martha admits to her friends that she faces physical and sexual abuse at the hands of her father, but is discouraged from reporting it for fear of ending up homeless like their childhood friend, Ilse (Jessie March). This show is decidedly not for the faint of heart, with heavy references to sex, sexual assault, abuse and suicide. But for those who can stomach it, Spring Awakening is an amazing piece of theater, and this production does it every bit of justice. Though their space is somewhat small, Wilbury makes excellent use of it. One of the most notable aspects of the staging is in the portrayal of the adults, who are always elevated (sometimes on stilts) and lit from below, so the audience sees them from a child’s perspective as big and scary entities, plotting the demise of the main cast. Along with real instruments, including a violin and guitars played by members of the cast, they also use typewriters, classroom instruments and parts of the set as additional instruments to further fill out the sound. This accentuates the clash of childlike innocence with the adult nature of the subject matter, much in the same way this clash occurs within each of the characters. Perhaps the most viscerally intense moment comes at the end of act one when Wendla and Melchior first have sex. Wendla stands in the stationary middle of the main platform while the cast spins the rest of the platform. The audience is forced to feel the same way Wendla does in that moment: disoriented and overwhelmed. It is an absolutely stunning effect that had me reeling right into the intermission. The cast is filled with excellent performances — all the more impressive considering the young cast, with some even still in high school — from funny to tragic, innocent to risque. The vocals are strong all around, though often drowned out by the instrumentation. Pavao, Guevara and Wilson in particular stand out with their earnest and brilliant portrayals of their conflicted young characters. Of the musical numbers, “Totally Fucked” is perhaps the most entertaining. It is a fun, energetic number that comes between some of the darkest moments of the musical. The children all rock out while mocking the adults (“Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah”). The finale, “Song of Purple Summer,” is gorgeous and highlights the camaraderie of the cast. Despite the tragedies that plague the lives of the characters, especially throughout the second act, it truly does end on a high note. Spring Awakening relays the disastrous consequences that come from fearing the truth. To make something taboo is not to stop it from existing and having an impact; it just leaves its victims unprepared and ignorant. As Melchior’s mother notes, “Are we so afraid of the truth we will join the ranks of fools and cowards?” This production is beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching and intense; one that will not be easily forgotten by audiences. The Wilbury Group’s Spring Awakening runs through June 4 at the Trinity Square Theater, 393 Broad St. in Providence. For more information or tickets, visit thewilburygroup.org or call the box office at 401-400-7100. Riverdance Comes to PPAC “Come and meet those dancing feet. On the avenue we’re taking you to.” – old Weybosset St. No, not THOSE feet. These feet are the thunderous, stage-vibrating, Irish step-dancing feet that belong to the large cast of Riverdance, The Show, the sensation taking over the stage at Providence Performing Arts Center June 2 through 4. Years back, they said it was over, but apparently not. Here they are on their 20th Anniversary tour. A whole new generation of fans is just now beginning to enjoy, appreciate and emulate this phenomenon. The Riverdance humble beginnings started in 1994 in Dublin, Ireland, as an interval filler in between judging during the Eurovision Song Contest. It was broadcast by, heard and seen on Irish public radio and TV. Produced originally by Moya Doherty, the segment was artistically based on the life of an Irish river, starting as a stream and finally submitting itself to the sea. The cast featured two American-born traditional Irish dancers, Michael Flatley and Jean Butler, a choir and a slew of step dancers. With haunting music specially composed by Bill Whelan, this number, aptly called, “Riverdance,” became wildly popular. So much so that it was expanded to become a full stage show that opened in Dublin in 1995 before heading to London. That show was taped and broadcast here in North America by PBS stations and used during their donation pledge performances. Its popularity garnered generous donations for public television. Another broadcast version of the show was performed and filmed at New York at Radio City Music Hall in 1996. This one was headlined by Jean Butler with Colin Dunne, a more traditional Irish dancer taking the role created by the bombastic Michael Flatley. Flatley was an exciting performer, extremely fleet afoot, but rather egotistical leaning toward the more “Vegas-like” performance rather than true traditional Irish dance and music. Flatley was fired for artistic differences, but soon created his own successful productions, the dramatic Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames, both of which were performed in his flashier style. These PBS showings created throngs of young, dance-class students (predominately little girls) pleading – and succeeding – with their parents to spend a great deal of money on beautifully embroidered dresses and hard black shoes. And then there are those banana-curly hairpieces, often painfully attached to their own tresses, which bob up and down in unison as they dance. At touring performances, you can almost be assured there will be a number of dance-class members in attendance. The dance form itself is similar to clogging, with the exception of the stiffly erect stature and (mostly) lack of movement of the upper body and arms. The performers are often shoulder to shoulder in a straight line or circle. It’s amusing that the Irish embraced the show so lovingly. Pre-PBS, in the “old country,” many children (boys and girls) were forced to dance and hated to dance. Then all of the sudden it became cool. The show’s dancing was lovingly ridiculed and comedians imitated the form, thus only adding to its appeal. The true intention of Riverdance, the Show, is to showcase the Irish history and culture, and journey to other worlds by dance. Excellence in performance is key — bios in the program show that many of the dancers are champions. The music accompanying the large cast of beautiful people is contagious. The instruments, which include a fiery fiddle, the strange Uillean Pipe and the feet stomping, tapping percussive rhythms, are contagious. It’s hard to sit still watching these amazing dances. In addition to the Irish spectacles, there are dazzling flamenco, urban and Russian numbers depicting the mingling of cultures. The finale of the show is thunderous with most of the entire troupe participating. Irish music and dance is alive, well and living comfortably in RI. Whether with live instrumental accompaniment or taped music, dancers are still jigging and the curls are still bouncing. Nick Albanese To Take Last Sicilian to New York Playwright Nick Albanese has high hopes for his hit one-man show, The Last Sicilian. Albanese intends to perform the show in New York next January, and he launched an online funding campaign (gofundme.com/thelastsicilian) to allow him to bring the project to the 13th Street Repertory Theatre Company for a tw0-week run. Albanese took questions from the audience at a recent performance at the Granite Theatre in Westerly. “It’s about coming to America and about family,” Albanese said, noting The Last Sicilian is “a story of everybody.” In his show, Albanese takes audiences on a trip back in time to when he grew up above his father’s bakery in Providence.

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