As I sit on my bed and sing along to Mama Who Bore Me, I look back at my adolescence and remember the angsty phase where I wanted to know everything about life, sex and drugs and rock and roll and explore who I really was. Those glory days are over for me, sadly, when the adult world was all new, but Spring Awakening is a musical about teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. It is being put up this weekend at the Power Centre by MUSKET, the University of Michigan’s student-run Musical Theatre organization.
Founded in 1908 as the Michigan Union Opera Company, MUSKET was once a small, all-male theatre troupe that specialized in presenting works written by University of Michigan students. Later realizing the irreverent nature of their gender limitations, the organization shifted its focus in 1956 to include students of all genders and changed their name to “Michigan Union Shows, Ko-Eds, Too”, or MUSKET for short. With this shift also came a change in the organization’s content – instead of producing student written operettas MUSKET began presenting Broadway-style musicals, a tradition that has lasted over 50 years. Spring Awakening is part of the commemoration of MUSKET’s 60th Performance Season. Each year, MUSKET presents two musical productions: one in the fall semester and one in the winter semester.
As described by director Wonza Johnson, Spring awakening is the “the Winner of 8 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, told through “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade” (Entertainment Weekly) – SPRING AWAKENING explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood with poignancy and passion that is illuminating and unforgettable.”
With just 2 days to go, the musical theatre geek in me already has Spring Awakening on my Spotify playlist. I Believe is literally my anthem for this month through midterms and musical season.
WARNING: THIS PLAY CAN BE A TRIGGER AS IT PORTRAYS
-References to past rape/child sexual abuse
-Explicit (consensual) sex
-Suicide and references to suicide
– Items used to commit suicide like guns, razors, etc.
-Death
