Deaf West Spring Awakening combines ASL with spoken English language to convey many levels of a sad tale about adolescence and misunderstandings. Now needs our help to make it to the Tony Awards, they started a Kickstarter earlier this week and every already raise a lot of money $64,562 please help this visually stunning show make it to the Tony Awards click here to donate. From the first bars of “Mama Who Bore Me” to the last notes of “Song of Purple Summer” the new Broadway production enthralls its audiences and takes them on a roller coaster of laughs, tears, and hopeful beginnings.
Read part of Mary’s review here:
- The entire story of Spring Awakening centers on communication or lack thereof. The parents not trusting their kids or allowing them to think for themselves also ties in with this theme. The great thing about this production is that they take this idea of communication to a whole new level. By having deaf actors be part of the cast, Spring Awakening shows that there are many different ways that people can communicate or even lack in communication and be left in the dark. This theme of communication is what makes this show so universally relatable. There isn’t a single person in the world who hasn’t felt like their parent or mentor or teacher miscommunicated with them when they were children/teenagers. It’s a coming of age story that can be felt by all, which makes this production of it that much more magical. By bringing together two groups of people who normally don’t come together in the theatre world, Spring Awakening is opening up new ways of communication
- The movement and choreography of this show is very strong and unified. Despite half the cast being deaf or hard of hearing the actors are able to move in sync in a way that truly mesmerizes the audience. They even become one at various times in the show in order to represent things like stars and a tree. It truly something to be amazed by. Another thing that is unified in this show is the band/music. The speaking voices for all of the deaf actors (Alex Boniello, Katie Boeck, Daniel David Stewart, Sean Grandillo, Kathryn Gallagher, and Alexandra Winter) all play an instrument that makes up the band. This is something unique because it makes the band a part of the show instead of being a separate entity. click here for the rest.