Deaf West's Spring Awakening Broadway Previews

I'm still wishing for a longer run. "It's Only a Play" got to transfer to a different theatre and stay open a little longer last season. I got to see this amazing revival in Beverly Hills earlier this year. I can't be more happy that basically 98% of the cast is going to be on that stage. Hope you guys love it as much as I did.

I was thinking about that the other day, and I'm not totally sure. Having just a cast recording kind of misses the point of the production, no? Ideally, it would be preserved in video format with closed captioning.

Closed captioning in a traditional sense would also kind of miss the point -- the show is already designed to be able to watched simultaneously by deaf and hearing audiences.

Call_me_jorge said: "What are the chances of this having a cast recording?"

What do you have against half the cast?

JoseLee_ said: "I'm still wishing for a longer run. "It's Only a Play" got to transfer to a different theatre and stay open a little longer last season."

Well, that would mean selling out every show in its current run, to compare it to It's Only A Play, no? This show is already offering discounts, which I don't think ever happened in the original It's Only run.

As for hearing the music from this show, wouldn't the OBC Spring Awakening recording be the same thing, just with a different cast, as far as audio?

I will be there on Tuesay and will report back :)

Not to ask a bitchy question, but can anyone explain to me what makes this particular production so great?

RippedMan said: "Not to ask a bitchy question, but can anyone explain to me what makes this particular production so great? "

It extends the theme of the Broadway show, where rock music was the way they felt they could express their feelings internally in a way they couldn't in their actual story, and overlays that same powerful narrative onto a deaf experience. So, their frustrations now are compounded by their inability to verbalize them, and the other actors are able to express more of the vibrancy and music that they feel just as strongly but are less able to share otherwise.

I didn't see this version yet, but that is my understanding of why this works well with this show in particular.

Hooray! I have tickets but not until two weeks from now. I guess I'll keep myself from reading this thread until then. :)

Ripped, if you didn't love the original, there are better than even odds you will not like this version. But I can't understand how you can have no idea what to expect, unless you have been willfully avoiding the extensive press, social media and youtube coverage of the show (not to mention the lovely description haterobics went to the trouble to provide you in this thread).

Invited dress was absolutely remarkable. I don't think it hyperbole to say that this production is absolutely superior to the original. It is new, it is fresh. The ASL illuminates the show in absolutely remarkable ways. I wept. Several moments left me gasping. The cast is astonishing, including the new company members... I simply can't say enough now, but look forward to a dialogue here during previews.

I actually think that if you did not care for the original, you might still really damn well enjoy this one.

Michael Arden just earned a spot as an in demand director... And a soon to be Tony nominated one, if not Tony winning.

My hands honestly hurt from applauding the curtain call. And yes, Cameron Manheim returned to the stage in her unitard / undergarments due to the audience just refusing to leave until the cast returned.

Several of the kids on this show will be back on Broadway very soon I suspect and hope.

Without giving much away... The representation of dying / death in this production is startling and gripping. The use of spoken / sung word, ASL, supertitles, silence and surprising spoken word is beyond perfect. It gives such rich depth to this show and to this world. The use of speaking actors alongside a deaf character was remarkable in what Arden did with it... See it and you will get what I mean.

Austin McKenzie just kickstarted a career. Rodriguez makes a strong return to the stage. Mientus is rich. Page and Manheim were far more successful than their predecessors on Broadway EVER were. I wish. I could offer more names, but alas, no Playbills for dress.

The final moments of the show will take your breath away. The ovations before and after Purple Summer were absolutely heartfelt and genuine and in no way "just industry folk cheering."

Actually yeah, I have gone to great lengths to avoid all the social media. Same with Hamilton. If i'm going to see a show I want to see it without preconceived notions. I plan on going to this. I didn't hate the original, I just didn't think it was the best thing ever like most teens at the time thought. I like a musical with more depth - Caroline, or Change, Fun Home. This just seems kind of eh. But who knows, maybe this production will bowl me over.