By Safia Ahmed|March 17, 2022
Oliva Curry, who plays Wendla and (R) Joseph Yanez, who plays Melchior, take center stage as the rest of the cast surrounds them before the intimacy scene during opening night at the El Camino Campus Theater on Friday, March 11. (Sharlisa Shabazz | The Union)
The lights dimmed as actors’ bodies rush onto the theater stage that has been transformed into a playground. The presence of teenage boys and girls begin to fill the Campus Theatre with laughter and energy, and soon they take the stage to start “Spring Awakening”, a 90-minute rock musical about identity, sexuality, abuse and suicide. According to El Camino director Daniel Nakawatase’s note in the Spring Awakening program booklet, there is a profound message of hope for a better and brighter future that is the heart and pulse of Spring Awakening. “Spring Awakening” is a 19th-century rock musical that follows the story of Wendla, played by Olivia Curry, a precocious teenager eager to learn more about her developing body and find answers to what she can not understand. Because the teenagers have never been taught about adolescence, they behave immaturely and silly in their revolt, singing and jumping on chairs with high energy. Wendla and her friends are fascinated by marriage and have a strong desire to know what it is like to feel something because they were born in an uninformed society. Being able to expose their faces and not have to wear masks provided transparency with the actor’s expressions within the musical.
The teenagers attend the same school and eventually develop crushes but are unclear how to act on them. While living uneducated in an ignorant world, teenagers seek to make sense of their impulses and act on them while having no idea what they are doing.
As these new topics are revealed in the story, the light shifts color.
During Act I, Martha, one of Wendla’s best friends, performed by Harmony Ishikawa, begins singing “The Dark I Know Well,” emphasizing her father’s physical and sexual abuse. As she sings, the light gradually dims to an orange color as fog fills the air.
The color of the light impacted the presentation of the show, as orange can depict happiness, but there is a hidden meaning of domination and distrust.
In another scene in Act I, the boys perform “The Mirror Blue Night.” In this scene, the lights change transparent blue, and the color was prominent. In this scene, they sang many verses saying, “nowhere to hide from the ghost in my mind.”
The color blue is personified as purity but can also symbolize alienation and depression.
The stage production team used lighting, sounds, and dramatic components to help emphasize the storyline.
Costumes played an important role in showcasing the spirit of both adolescence and the spring season. At the beginning of the musical, the cast walked on the stage and started taking off their clothes only showing their underclothes.
Throughout the musical, the cast wears old-fashioned clothes, which was significant in setting the time period of the musical during the 19th century.
The musical dealt with topics like puberty in an awkward and humane manner. Wendla’s mother, played by Therese Rico, did an excellent job of portraying a single mother trying to protect her daughter from the perverse acts of men.
In the last scene of Act II, the cast gathers to perform “The Song of Purple Summer” in different clothes. Rather than taking off their clothes this time, they ended the musical by putting their clothes back on, which comprised of brighter colors including white shirts and denim jackets.
The ending scene depicted the changing of seasons from spring to summer and hinted towards their growth and wisdom.
Nakawatase captured the spirit of the musical while staying genuine in enacting uncomfortable scenes that teenagers typically go through.
“Spring Awakening” reminds audience members about the power of education, especially as students. The musical teaches us to take advantage of the knowledge we possess and the lessons that life taught us as teenagers to prepare the next generation in helping them to avoid making rash decisions at a young age.
Editor’s Note: Updated proper byline on March 18, 2022 at 10:42 a.m.
Editor’s Note: Updated to correct Campus Theatre spelling on March 18, 6:40 p.m.
