A Letter to the Folks Behind Spring Awakening- Page 2

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:13am

It's so easy to put down others' achievements to mask your own insecurities, isn't it?

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:13am

I agree that it's not the most revolutionary musical ever. Nuff said.

however, the play was written in 1890, and girls probably didn't know that sex caused pregnancy because it wasn't talked about. We now live in 2007. It's common knowledge, but many schools still want only abstinence taught in sex ed. Shows how far we haven't come. That's all. I think it does a good job of drawing parallels between its setting and out present time.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:14am

I don't mind introspection and experimenting with theater. Yes, musical theatre is heavenly at it's best in the book form or the more Sondheim/Prince form, but it's still theater and needs to go through experiments to find new ground to break.

What annoyed me with Spring Awakening was that I didn't see anything new in it at all. I guess it was all the self-gratification that the creators were getting off on that really was a turn-off. It's nothing more than a mediocre show with laughable music that came off as Degrassi.

[harris007]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:15am

here's a question for you haters, if spring was about gay couples, would you all still be up in arms if it won,

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:15am

It's so easy to put down others' achievements to mask your own insecurities, isn't it?

Oh, and you never critiqued anything in your life?

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:16am

Not with such baseless blanket hatred simply as a result of bitterness.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:22am

Not with such baseless blanket hatred simply as a result of bitterness.

But isn't bitterness a trait that is in a good chunk of theater fans? :p

I see some of the anger can be seen as baseless and blanket, but for me, their acceptance speeches really were self-important tripe that turned me, and the people I was watching the Tonys with, off. The constant talking about how important and ground-breaking and rockin' their musical was made me want to gag.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:26am

I think SA is better than Rent. The winners last night may have been a bit full of themselves, but I didn't feel they were disrespectful (tho I do prefer for winners to acknowledge the fellow nominees.)

I may have felt more offended if I hadnt wanted them to win in the first place.

I wonder what everyone thought about that Mary Louise Wilson line about deserving her award...wasnt that nastier? No SA winner said something so disrespectful of their fellow nominees.

(I mention her to make a point...of course I'm thrilled she won.)

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:29am

Wanna Be A foster-That dig made me laugh especially after all the bitching etc you do on here haha

as for the absurd statement about "if spring was about gay couples, would you all still be up in arms if it won"

what the hell does that have to do with anything?? if it was the same book and music but with all gay characters it would still be an average show.

The show is fun and entertaining and kept my attention , but it's been treated like its the second coming.This show didn't say anything new, it presented no new ideas and i didn't leave thinking WOW that was something what people will talk about for decades to come like i did with Hair or Rent.

The performances were pretty average in the acting dept as were the book what didnt really seem to do much in the way of characterization(we are supposed to care about these people right?)

The score is good (few duff songs but hey what show doesn't?) and made me want to buy the Cast Recording, but did it deserve all those Tonys ? in my opinion NO.

[Anakela]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:32am

You know, I actually enjoy Spring Awakening- have since I first saw it down at Atlantic, have tix to see it again in August. I don't see myself as a 'hater,' and I have no issues with most (not all) of the awards that it won last night.

What I did have issue with was the "worship us and bow down, as we are God's gift to theatre, and there was never any producer or writer willing to take a risk onstage before we came along, and we have now changed this business for-evah, mwah hah hah" *attitude* that most (not all) of the winners onstage were presenting and projecting last night- that just bugged.

[raphael06]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:32am

I thought it was funny how a thousand producers were on stage to accept the award. My friends and I were talking about we are going to become "Tony Crashers" vs. Wedding Crashers. Every year when they announce Best Musical and a bunch of people go on stage to accept the award, we are are going to go with them and blend in... right behind the speaker and nod and smile and cry. Sounds fun right?

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:33am

"I wonder what everyone thought about that Mary Louise Wilson line about deserving her award...wasnt that nastier? No SA winner said something so disrespectful of their fellow nominees."

IMO, tell me if I wrong here, but if you reach a certain point in your carrer, you can say what you want to say. It is not disrespectful, because there is a long track record standing behind you.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:34am

I'm not against introspective songs, but the fact that they're only remotedly and distantly related to the particular scene in question bothers me immensely. I just realized that Spring Awakening isn't even new with that: just go to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert. Only, of course, they don't call themselves musical theatre.

Edit: I realized that I'm coming off as though as I'm only against the form of the show. So, to clarify: I think that the score is mediocre at best and the lyrics are downright awful.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 11:34 AM

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:34am

"I wonder what everyone thought about that Mary Louise Wilson line about deserving her award...wasnt that nastier? No SA winner said something so disrespectful of their fellow nominees."

Mary Louise agknowledged the other nominees, remember that. However, after years of being in the community, being nominated, and loosing, I feel she deserved that line. She didn't say she was the greatest actress that ever lived. Spring Awakening's team made it seem like they were more revolutionary than Oklahoma!.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 11:34 AM

[ActualReality2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:35am

Wanna Be A Foster...

Word.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:39am

"(I mention her to make a point...of course I'm thrilled she won.)"
Like I said, I know that MLW deserved her award, and I was not offended by her comment, and I know she didnt mean it that way...I just think a double standard is being used here.

Perhaps the SA team were a bit heady and arent used to winning awards...and are new to the theater community. I didnt really hear anything that was meant to offend.

AND I said that I might feel differently if I didnt want Sheik to win his award. I'd talk back to the screen and call him a jerkface too...sour grapes, methinks.

[Born To Reign]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:42am

exactly. As has been mentioned elsewhere, I have my own sour grapes about DHP winning over Raul. I think we all need to learn to control our flames (myself included!)

[hiltyfied]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:42am

jv, your letter is amazing. Spring Awakening takes itself way too seriously. It's really not that revolutionary. Songanddance is right... if you want revolutionary, look back a bit to musicals like Hair.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:43am

[broadwayjim42]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:51am

I thought John Gallagher and Duncan Sheik handled things really well and Michael Mayer got some valid points across, but as I've posted elsewhere, Steven Sater REALLY grated on me. I found him incredibly pretentious and his high-strung personality just made it creepier.

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:54am

Whoever does the "Little Edie dances for ___________" videos on youtube, should do one for the Spring Awakening team.

[unckristen]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:57am

Good point -- we're lumping everyone with Spring Awakening together and that's not appropriate. Many of them were very classy and delightful -- only some were arrogant and ridiculous.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 11:58am

Gallager Jr. was nice. I didn't mention him in my letter. I was honestly happy for him. My favorite was John Cullum, particularly because I think he's a fine actor who deserves every award he can get, but I didn't mind him winning.

Mayer seemed happy, but even he went on a little bit. Sheik came off like a complete prick. The producers were ridiculous. And Sater...Jesus Christ. I don't think I need to explain myself.

[LostLeander]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:11pm

I should clarify, I absolutely thought Gallagher deserved to win. And I really liked, and continue to like Spring Awakening. I think it's an extremely flawed show, that had a clever production that FAR surpassed the material.

I think, hands down, Grey Gardens was the better writ (and performed, for that matter) musical. And I wish the voters didn't get swept up in the New! Young! Pop! "Innovative!" aspect of the show.

I really had trouble getting through Sater's innate dribbling.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:12pm

If they want to improve the show, pick winners who will give good speeches. Doug Wright would have give a speech lightyears ahead of Sater's.