"This brave new musical, haunting and electrifying by turns, restores the mystery, the thrill to that shattering transformation that stirs in all our souls."-Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
"The staggering purity of this show will touch all open heartsIn its refined, imaginative simplicity, it daringly reverses all the conventional rules by returning the American musical to an original state of innocence."-John Heilpern, The New York Observer
"An unexpected jolt of sudden genius, edgy in its brutally honest, unromanticized depiction of human sexuality."-New York Post
Spring Awakening is an extraordinary new rock musical with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and music by Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Duncan Sheik. Inspired by Frank Wedekind's controversial 1891 play about teenage sexuality and society's efforts to control it, the piece seamlessly merges past and present, underscoring the timelessness of adolescent angst and the universality of human passion.
Steven Sater's plays include the long-running Carbondale Dreams, Perfect for You, Doll (Rosenthal Prize/Cincinnati Playhouse), Umbrage (Steppenwolf New Play Prize), and a reconceived version of Shakespeare's Tempest, which played in London.
Duncan Sheik is a singer/songwriter who also collaborated with Sater on the musical The Nightingale. He has composed original music for The Gold Rooms of Nero and for The Public Theater's Twelfth Night in Central Park.
Spring Awakening Book Excellent book. EXACTLY line for line from the musical. I highly suggest reading "Spring's Awakening" along with this. It is the original version of this play that the musical is based off of.
Great! This is worth it if you are a Spring Awakening fan. I saw it on Broadway a month ago and absolutely fell in love with it.
Love It! I couldn't put it down when I first recieved it. Spring Awakening, is an amazing adapation of Wedekind's, Spring's Awakening first written in 1899. I own the original by Wedekind, and really appreciated how Steven Sater was able to maintain the integrity of the original while adapting it to a new libretto. When I read the lyrics of the songs in context to the story, I am nothin short of amazed. My recommendation is to read the script, and utilize the soundtrack at the appropriate times. It really enhances the experience. This book and play alone is magnificent, but coupled with the music of Duncan Shiek it is a masterpiece.
Perfect Not only was it delivered ahead of schedule, but it was in perfect condition. I almost didn't want to take it out of the wrapping!
Gotta Love That German Teen Angst Steven Sater's new approach to "Spring Awakening" was suprisingly refreshing. The text was much easier to follow compared to the original version of the play.
But when I first picked it up I thought: How in the world do you make a musical out of this? But I have got to admit his post-modern twist on the play using the music to enchance the inner workings of the characters and not the story really worked!
The play ,although written quite awhile ago, still has issues and characters that audiences today can relate to. It's a great play that any reader will finish off quickly. Trust me; you're not going to want to put it down.