Spring Awakening Not-Love- Page 4

[fachedaluna]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 1:32pm

I haven't seen the show (and probably won't) ...but tell me, how can the topic of masturbation be done with any class (or in good taste?...pardon the pun.) Porn, even soft porn, shouldn't be something that the populace thinks is entertaining.

My thought process may be Victorian, but there is something to be said for descression and moral standards.

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 1:38pm

CapnHook, beautifully said!

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 1:44pm

Capn, i disagree with everything you said.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 1:59pm

fachedaluna....It is not soft porn. The show depicts things that practically every teen goes through during puberty and some things that we hope nobody, teen or otherwise, would have to go through. It kills me that there are so many people that can't handle seeing things in this show. Are we that "PC" that we can't handle real life?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:03pm

I didn't think the masturbation was inappropriate or disgusting, but I found it unnecessary and distracting. Not the inclusion of the topic, but the fact that they had him jerking off while a bunch of people danced around him.

I just thought it was awful.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:07pm

I don't even remember the masterbation. Which number did it take place?

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:09pm

munk - that's why art is subjective. :)

But tell me, why don't you agree with this statement:

"Performances don't HAVE to be memorable. That's just a bonus. The STORY is what has to be memorable."

[Smartful Dodger]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:48pm

The alchemy between story, character, and performance is just that -- magic. There is no formula one can calculate, no potion or elixir one can swallow to get there. That's what makes it so wonderful when art emerges from a perfect complement among these AND a relationship with the audience, individually and collectively.

Cherry Jones has spoken at length about the reltionships she develops with different audiences while performing DOUBT. While that play is constructed around a particular ambiguity in the story, make no mistake that the audience brings a tremendous amount of baggage and personal perspective to the interpretation. In that sense, why can't different folks experience different strokes (no pun intended given the whole masturbation red herring here) with SPRING AWAKENING?

[gustof777]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:49pm

I'm with you on this one Captain but I think that there are some VERY memorable performances on that stage. I really wish I could see what people don't like about Lea Michele because every time I've seen the show she just continues to amaze me. She also has gotten so much better from even a month ago. I personally thought the My Junk jerk off was hilarious and made the scene

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 2:53pm

I think he jerks off during "My Junk." If you don't remember that spectacle, then, I really find it hard to listen to anything you have to say about the show.

I disagree with that statement because you're saying "This HAS to be this, but that DOESN'T have to be that." There's no formula, there's no musts. You don't make sense.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:05pm

I think everyone already knows my thoughts on this show...so I won't repeat them again. Thanks for starting this thread though, YankeeFan. You and I attended the same performance - the matinee on Novemeber 18th, remember?

[Lavieboheme3090]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:09pm

The reason I can't remember most of the show is because it all looked the same, and not in a stylized way, but as in everything was blocked and chorographed the same way.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:15pm

Without a story, Munk, what good is a performance? The direction, design, and acting all support the script. The script is the foundation of theatre.

[purpleprince101]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 3:56pm

It was not my favorite show at all. It was somewhere towards the end. I understand how others would love it, but it just wasn't for me. For everyone who did, i am glad you did. You spent money on something you thoroughly enjoyed. As long as you liked it, that is all that matters.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 4:40pm

WoT - Yes, I do. I still think it's funny when I run into people from the board.

Okay, that said, Emcee hit it right on the money.

She said:
"I'd assume this thread was probably created with tongue-in-cheek intentions."

That couldn't be more true. I created this thread for humorous purposes - not to criticize the show, not to bash the show, but to make light of all the "love threads" we have on the board. So many love threads, no "not-love (or hate)" threads. It simply got out of hand towards the beginning, but then as the actual discussion started (and the "OMG you're so immature for posting this" stopped, it became substancial. We don't need to rehash what has already been hashed, but if it makes good discussion, who cares? It's better to have an intelligent discussion about a throught provoking topic than another thread about stage doors, why shows flop, or why certain shows didn't have records made.

Look at my initial post and you'll see when I said "the show needs to be seen" that no malice was intended. Spring Awakening was simply the first show I thought of....could do it with any show, really. Would it elicit the same response? Who knows.

Updated On: 2/21/07 at 04:40 PM

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 5:42pm

i can't believe there is an SA bashing thread merely because someone was bored. this is pathetic. i am ashamed of some of you. really.

and

" Folks, it was shallow. It was outlandish. People jerking off (pardon the bluntness) onstage. Haven't we moved forward from Hair? I'm not saying a show about sex is a bad idea, but it would have been a lot more clever had it played out like a softcore porn. The performances weren't all that memorable. The staging was fairly original, but this is from the man who directed the blando Thorougly Moddern Millie. The music was a little better than Rent's, but it didn't hold a candle to Guettel or Frankel or LaChuisa. Grey Gardens was superior in every single way. "

i don't think i could disagree more. it isn't 'that show with the sex in it' as people may think. it is art. it is real. and i hate using that arguement, but to be quite frank it is the truth. i highly doubt people in the audience are comparing the beauty of this show to 'softcore porn,' and if that's the way you think, maybe the theatre isn't the place for you. you've got to keep an open mind and accept what you're watching. it was raw and real, not sugar coated or done-up to seem to be something else. it is real life, and things like that actually happen. not to that extent for everyone, but to some degree, teens live out and see and hear issues like these everyday. and for them, it is a real connection. it was for me. i'll give you the benefit of the doubt in saying that this show is not for everyone, by no means; however, it is hard to believe that everyone who has seen it hasn't felt something afterwards. you'd have to have a heart of stone to walk away from spring awakening not feeling somewhat liberated or touched. this particular style of music isn't everyone's cup of tea, i can accept that, but it is hard not to feel it inside of you and in your bones. but hey, that's just me.

but personally, i don't think it is right to start a thread dedicated to show bashing, especially when it's a show that has meant so much to so many.

[uncageg]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 6:23pm

Amen

[Marlene]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 6:39pm

"i can't believe there is an SA bashing thread merely because someone was bored. this is pathetic. i am ashamed of some of you. really."

A. This is BWW. We're snarky, we're mean, if you haven't noticed already people on other message boards don't like us. And frankly people here don't like each other half the time.
B. However, I don't think Yankeefan intended for this to be a bashing thread at all, it's not like the first post defamed all the cast members and aspects of the show.

Whether you love it or hate it, as long as there is intelligent discussion then it's all good. Isn't that the purpose of a message board. Or do we all want a litany of yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes in regards to what we personally believe.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 6:46pm

Marlene rocks!

[AC126748]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 6:52pm

I really didn't care for it. I'm very familiar with Wedekind's original play (read it in German and have translated it for a school project), and I find it reprehensible that Steven Sater credits himself with a "book" when most of the book dialogue comes from Eric Bentley's standard translation of the play. The music is uninspired and full of anachronisms (intentional, I know), near-rhymes, and trite cliches. The cast (with the exception of John Gallagher and Lauren Pritchard) is forgettable. The music is nice, but not overly theatrical.

Save yourself the price of a ticket and stay home with a copy of Ted Hughes' translation of the original play.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 6:58pm

Thank you, Marlene.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 7:02pm

you know, i get the fact that this wasn't supposed to be a bashing thread, but you know when you posted it that was what was going to happen, there's no way you posted this with the simple thought of it being innocent, come come now.

certain people on this board are the same people who give us theatre kids a bad name. slack off, will ya?
i like being obnoxious and opinionated just as much as the next person, but you have to know when to draw the line between contructive critism and insensitve and rude comments.

[keely2]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 7:47pm

What, and it's not possible to make a point in a joking tone of voice (which was what Yankee did by starting the thread)?

Dramaqueen2, you're being ridiculous. Yankee has not been obnoxious or opinionated this entire thread, so lay off, okay?

She was basically prompting a thoughtful discussion--at least, that's what I got out of her posts: she's been saying that, although she thinks the show is certainly worthwhile and that it deserves its success, it's not particularly her thing. She has, in fact, said several times that she very much respects the show.

[fairygodmother]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 8:04pm

ah yes - but what you're forgetting, dear readers, is that people love to jump on the bandwagon round here, especially overzealous teenagers.
i think yankee's original post was just fine - i don't agree with a lot of the points, but I understand where she's coming from. I thought she worded it quite tactfully and respectfully for the show.

and yes, this is a discussion forum so things should be discussed. whether you agree with them or not.

for me - i'm in the uk so i'm going from the recording, reading as many synopses of the play and show as i can, and the various info i can get, but I love the show so far. whether i'd still love it after watching remains to be seen - someone sub me money for a flight and i'll give you my review

as in all arguments, people on both sides need to be careful about a. sounding know it all. b. going over the top in their love or hate expressions for fear of sounding waaaay too keen c. making absolute statements like this was wrong. this sucks. this is juvenile etc.

oh yeah, and stop threadjacking about disney.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/21/07 at 8:09pm

Since we all have our own memories, I find it pointless to discuss what is/isn't memorable. It's subjective.