A Letter to the Folks Behind Spring Awakening- Page 3

[WestVillage]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:13pm

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

What a ludicrous statment. I don't care if SA were about Jesus and Mary, its still a stinky show, one of the worst shows I have ever experienced in over 30 years of theatre going.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:15pm

If Spring Awakeing had a completely different plot involving The Edies I still would have disliked it. It's not the story, it's the writing. I'm not a Grey Gardens documentary fan. I liked the film. It's the writing (and the performances) that impressed me so much. Spring Awakeing did not have impressive writing,

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:23pm

Is some young girl supposed to learn that have sex with a boy leads to pregnancy, and probably death from an abortion gone wrong? What is so groundbreaking about the subject matter?

I think many of you just missed the point of Spring Awakening completely. It is about the consequences of living in a puritanical, over-censored society, which if I'm not mistaken we find ourselves in today. The show is about repression, which made the performance all the more funny and ironic when they were forced to cover their mouths every time they said F*CK. Today's society just like in the 1891 setting promotes the notion that the human body is something dirty and sex education and promotion of safe sex promotes sexual promisucity. When there are still religious groups protesting sexualized entertainment and school systems debating whether or not to keep sex education in the classroom, how can you say that the show is not a relevant piece of art. It shows the consequences of trying to supress something as natural as human sexual awakening. THAT is what the intentionally unintegrated score represents. It serves to show the chaos going on inside these hopelessly confused young people who don't even understand the changes they are undergoing, because they have no guidance. They think that the natural feelings and urges they are experiencing are evil and immoral, because that is what society is telling them. That isn't still happening to an extent today? There are still young gay kids committing suicide because they think there is something wrong with them and that society won't accept them.

What show this season was MORE relevant? Grey Gardens? I'm sorry, but I think the Tony's got it right this year.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:23 PM

[gymdudeva]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:24pm

Discussion of the "writing" of SA is problematic, because it was written in the 1890s. If the writing in the original play is so bad, then the show should not have been done at all. I think that in the cotext of keeping much of the original Brechtian (or expressionistic or whatever) text and plot and layering the modern stuff onto it, it worked great. But I don't think anyone really wrote a new play here....which is why I don' think it should have taken the Book award.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:27pm

"What show this season was MORE relevant? Grey Gardens? I'm sorry, but I think the Tony's got it right this year."

Was Jersey Boys relevent last year? Was Spamalot relevent the year before? For God's sake, was a singing governness, nuns, kids and Nazis relevant in 1960!? No. Relevency does not matter. What matters if the craft. Spring Awakeing is not well crafted at all.
Oh, and I'm not saying Jersey Boys and Spamalot should have won. Just wanted to get that in.
Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:27 PM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:30pm

The book of Grey Gardens was not well crafter either. The last statement had nothing to do with relevancy. I thought Jersey Boys and Spamalot's wins were bull****. I was merely saying that in my opinion the Tony's rewarded the most deserving show this year. Spring Awakening was not perfect by any means, but for me it was the most inventive and exhilerating piece of musical theater that I watched this year.

ETA: For the record, I would have given the Best Book award to Curtains. As a whole though, Spring Awakening was the biggest theatrical thrill of the season for me.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:30 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:31pm

TheActr97J- its not about missing the point, i got the point it, the show to me just wasn't saying anything new and it wasn't saying the anything new in a new way(did that just make sense lol)

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:31pm

JV92, you forgot to mention Bill T. Jones and his arrogance.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:33pm

Nobody can ever be happy for a show winning Best Musical. I think Spring Awakening deserved every award it got, except the book. People are acting like the show winning is surprise.

Now we are talking about speeches and how bad some of them were for Spring Awakening? Oh God, that is when people are just picking on the show because they can. I didn't hear anything offensive in Spring Awakening's speeches.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:34pm

"The book of Grey Gardens was not well crafter either."

It's crafted. We all make typos though.

Doug Wright's book for Grey Gardens is one of the best I've seen performed in a long time. Don't tell me it isn't well crafted. You're a Spring Awakening fan. That's fine with me. Like it. It's alright. I'm just displeased with the prentious speeches from the creators of the show, besides the fact that it beat my favorite show of the year, Grey Gardens.

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:36pm

The book of Grey Gardens was not well crafter either.

- What are you talking about? Doug Wright had the most difficult task of the nominees. He had to create a first act to show the family when they were American royalty and eventually show their downfall. Also in the second act Doug had the tough task of adapting many great moments from the documentary but also creating a plot to the second act. And the last scene with Big Edie is one of the most frightening, shocking, and touching moments seen in a Broadway musical in decades.

THAT is a well crafted book.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:36 PM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:36pm

Becoz i knew you- you think it deserved choreography ? are you drunk lol

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:37pm

Oh, I forgot about the choreography, I am still questioning whether it should have gotten it. Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:37 PM

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:38pm

Didn't see SA, but I loved seeing Tom Hulce on stage. He'll always be Wolfie to me.

[curly120]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:38pm

What bothered me about their whole presentation of their show to the world last night was that they chose to present it as this hip, cool, fun, rock, crazy thing. That's not at all what I took away from the show. Yes, the material isn't new. But it was still important...kids do commit suicide because they think their parents aren't proud of them, parents sexually abuse their children. And SA shows the emotions these kids feel...putting a face to a general idea. But last night, during the speeches and the performance, they didn't show the audience anything deep. To anyone watching the Tonys who hasn't seen the show yet, it just looks like a show about a bunch of ridiculous kids acting out for no reason.

And I agree about the speeches. I saw many shows this year on Broadway, and SA was the highlight for me. But last night, almost everyone left me with a sour taste in my mouth regarding the show. They need to grow up and acknowledge that in that room, they were surrounded by so many wonderful, talented, and gracious individuals.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:40pm

songanddance- I didn't say YOU specifically missed the point. Read the quote at the beginning of my post and tell me THAT person didn't miss the point.

The book of the show wasn't trying to say anything in a new way. That is where the score comes in. It is the combination of old and new that I thought was so cool. The show intentionally stays closely to the original hundred year old play (which admittedly causes some structure issues) to show that in a hundred years, much is still the same in society with regards to the general attitude about sex.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:48pm

I love how everyone is suddenly an expert on "crafting" the book of a musical.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:49pm

I don't know why everyone is finding every little thing to pick at for Spring Awakening. The speeches weren't that bad.
HERE

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:49pm

You're a Spring Awakening fan. That's fine with me.

I'd prefer not to think of myself THAT way. Too many negative conotations that go along with that! I think there should be some kind of support group for some of those people.

I'm just someone who enjoyed Spring Awakening and thought it was the best show of the season. Grey Gardens had a lot of great moments in the book, but as a whole it did not work for me. Doug Wright DID have a difficult task but I don't think he exectuted it well. There was a huge gaping void between act one and act two that for me needed explanation. It was an ingenious concept and was certainly different than any musical I've ever seen on Broadway, but I just don't think the show works as a cohesive piece. As I said before, not only did I feel that Grey Gardens didn't deserve the Best Book prize, I didn't think Spring Awakening deserved it either (in fact, I thought that was rather ridiculous).

ETA- Mister Matt, I never claimed to be, and I'm sorry that being in the Grey Gardens "camp" makes YOU one.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:49 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:54pm

Doug Wright DID have a difficult task but I don't think he exectuted it well. There was a huge gaping void between act one and act two that for me needed explanation.

- I've said it before. This is the SAME criticism Sunday In The Park With George received over 20 years ago. And we know now that SUNDAY is one of the greatest achievements of the post Golden Age musicals. I am confident GG will be seen in the same light years from now.

[jg4892]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:54pm

JV- you are obviously upset that GG lost. you KNOW that if Grey Gardens won and they came off as TOTAL asses, you'd be praising them anyway like there's no tomorrow. Get over yourself.

[Tom1071]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:57pm

Well I see it's the annual Bitter Betty thread that always emerges on this board after The Tony's. Some things never change. Erase the hate, people.

[jv92]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 12:58pm

"JV- you are obviously upset that GG lost. you KNOW that if Grey Gardens won and they came off as TOTAL asses, you'd be praising them anyway like there's no tomorrow. Get over yourself."

Bug off.

"Well I see it's the annual Bitter Betty thread that always emerges on this board after The Tony's. Some things never change. Erase the hate, people."

The world isn't sunshine and lollypops.

" I've said it before. This is the SAME criticism Sunday In The Park With George received over 20 years ago. And we know now that SUNDAY is one of the greatest achievements of the post Golden Age musicals. I am confident GG will be seen in the same light years from now."

Ditto.

Updated On: 6/11/07 at 12:58 PM

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:01pm

ljay- Strange, I've never had that problem with Sunday. I have no doubt that Grey Gardens will be regarded as an important milestone in musical theater history. I just won't ever be able to call it a great musical.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 6/11/07 at 1:14pm

Jg, I totally agree.