#and wendla so much

[moritzakgae]

thinking about the importance of class in wedekind’s play and why it is almost entirely absent in the musical

[sofileall]

spring awakening fandom I come to give you a gift.

i'm playing wendla rn and I like to do spotify playlists for each character that I play to get into character, and I found the MOST wendla song( it's NFWMB by hozier bc ofc it's hozier)

like??? no sleep in heaven or bethlehem??? wendla and melchiors first connection being their conversation about charity?

the graves. no comment. we have a thing for thunder in the hayloft scene in my production of spring too..

this is basically a summary of melchior and wendla's relationship in the show. anyways thanks king for this masterpiece

[honkifyourelonely]

rice moritz is a bit of a slay

[hansrilowz]

haven’t really thought about this too much until today but i think it’s SO WILD how the only character in dwsa who interacts with one of the deaf characters voices is hanschen with ernst and his voice 😭 even melchior doesn’t interact with wendla’s voice or moritz’s. anna doesn’t interact with martha’s voice… but hanschen interacts with ernst’s!!!!

the voices are supposed to represent the inner dialogue of the deaf characters. they aren’t really there, they act as a voice for the deaf actors and as a manifestation on stage of those characters’ inner thoughts (sort of like st. jimmy in american idiot or the emcee in cabaret) …. since these voices are just manifestations, no character interacts with them unless it’s the character with the voice. ernst interacts with his voice by hugging him and holding his hand, similar with martha holding her voices hand or moritz passing a cigarette to his voice or taking the gun from him.

the way hanschen interacts with ernst’s voice is doing things like shushing him when he laughs so he can hear ernst properly or just looking at his voice. at the end of the vineyard scene, ernst is hugging his voice goodbye before leaving with hanschen as he waits. i think this is just so interesting!!!!! it says a lot about their relationship and about how they trust each other. this sort of tells us that, unlike melchior and wendla or even melchior and moritz, they do truly trust and know each other, and have faith in both themselves and their relationship. it tells us that this is a kind-hearted and genuine connection, and that ernst can be himself around hanschen. ernst doesn’t need this manifestation of his inner mind to tell us anything that might be under the layers of ernst’s character, and that with hanschen he can just trust him and be himself.

hanschen sees that, and despite any cold or cocky exterior others may think he has, he still loves ernst and wants ernst to trust him and be comfortable around him… which is why i think he does things like shush ernst’s voice so that we know he does care for ernst and wants him to be himself around him… especially with their situation at that time!

this means a lot to me and im sure there’s more to analyze about this (which, if anybody would like to, please add more!!!) .. i think this portrayal of their relationship in this way means so much to me because it shows that, despite the mischaracterization of hanschen, he still has genuine kindhearted intentions, and that their relationship is no longer labeled anything like creepy and predatory. this is genuinely just a healthy showcase of a queer couple in theatre!

[securityholograms]

my favorite bits and pieces from the spring awakening libretto because I've been rewatching and reminiscing

(this aged so well into today's popculture)

literally just described me but ok

these words were not in the bible

(kick my teeth in why don't you)

this hits so much harder with video & live than it does on spotify...

okay falsetto!!

. oh and lauren pritchard is incredible (we knew that)

for how metaphorical most of the lyrics can be .. this hits hard and direct which feels so right for the song!!

STUNT ON THEM HOES

@ the people in the audience for the bootleg who laughed during the word of your body (reprise 2) i am in your fucking walls.

"Poor Wendla."

and once again, the rewatch ended with me crying to those you've known.

[totallytrucked]

ok my rambling thoughts

first of all. moritz was absolutely incredible. he was a FRESHMAN and he was so fucking good i literally cried. his don't do sadness?? AMAZING. He reminded me so much of jgj too i was in love. lets hang out.

melchior was kind of weird, his voice wasn't so strong but he did make some really fun acting choices. i kind of felt like the guy they had playing otto should have played melchior bc his voice was more interesting but idk i did not cast the production.

wendla was awesome! she had some really good moments especially during whispering and when she was talking to melchior. loved her. her voice was also beautiful!

HANSCHEN i loved hanschen sorry the actress redeemed herself she slayed so hard. the vineyard scene was so touching and beautiful and i cried. also hanschen and ernst went off hand in hand during left behind.... nice detaul

martha's voice was absolutely amazing and the dark i know well was awesome. they staged it really well and it ended with this huge sound that was so like dread-inducing.

also getting to see bitch of living and totally fucked live for the first time i almost exploded. i literally almost died. it was so crazy. they all flipped off the teachers during the first blaj blah blah like mY GODDD and the LIGHTING and the SET WAS INCREDIBLEEEEEEE WWEKJFHLKJREHFKEJRHg so yeah.

ok i didn't like the girls costumes very much they were kind of weird and not period accurate AND wendla was not wearing blue which i feel like is kind of a sin but whatever. they wore stuff that i feel like i see people wearing to class but with like a kind of german skirt and i just feel like there was some wasted potential. but that is coming from someone who has designed one million spring awakening costumes.

there was NO GUITAR!!! THEY PLAYED ALL THE GUITAR RIFFS ON THE PIANO???? and my friend was like omg this musical is so rockin and i said wait for the guitar riff in totally fucked its balls crazy and then it was on a PIANO. reprehensible. its a ROCK MUSICAL.

the choreograprhy was kind of weird sometimes, especially during mirror blue night, but i LOVED the end of bitch and touch me. like exactly what i (esteemed theater director gene totallytrucked) would have done.

overall it was literally incredible. i love this musical so much and getting to see it live was amazing and so emotional and so beautiful and moving and exciting and incredible and awesome and im running out of positive words but just know. i loved it so much. i am so happy. i will be listening to nothing but spring awakening for the next year.

i will probs post pictures if i can find some! support college theater <3

[arqueete]

Alright! I saw Spring Awakening last night. I love a take that's fresh and interesting and this one was really fantastic. This production is based on the version Deaf West created, where some of the characters are deaf or hard-of-hearing and ASL or captions are incorporated throughout. (I got to see that one at the Wallis and on Broadway, but I never followed the revival to nearly the same degree as the original, so forgive me if I misremember bits of it.)

Skylight is a professional theater in Milwaukee and this show was supposed to be in their very first season with their new artistic director (but got postponed because that season was... 2020-2021) and I should probably write them some actual, formal review somewhere to show my support for doing something this inspired. But this one is for us nerds.

This is just act one because I literally have more thoughts than can fit in a Tumblr post. Some general thoughts to start off:

Have there been any other stagings of the Deaf West version of Spring Awakening since the Broadway revival closed? There need to be more. That's one of my main takeaways of this experience. This is a version of the show that can and should be iterated on.

Wendla, Moritz, and Frau Bergmann/Frau Gabor are portrayed by deaf actors who have a separate "voice of" actor who always speaks and sings on their behalf (they put these performers in period clothes.) The adult men, Martha, and Ernst, are played by actors who are hard of hearing (so say their bios) and did all their own singing, speaking, and signing (though the adult men rarely actually signs.)

I read an article about this production that talked about trying to scale back how often hearing actors are speaking and signing at the same time, and looking carefully at how speaking and signing are used in-universe. I can't speak to whether they succeeded in their goal of improving the experience for deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members, but simply from a storytelling standpoint, I thought this was one of the smartest and most effective changes they made from the original Deaf West version. Characters are shown having different levels of proficiency and comfort with sign language and it adds depth.

Mama Who Bore Me / Wendla's bedroom / reprise

Wendla's mother is also deaf and has her own "Voice of" actress present in these scenes, which removes some of the interesting dynamics that were there when her mother was hearing, but brings in something new in the connection between these generations.

Classroom scene / All That's Known / Bitch of Living

The teacher's back was turned a lot and we get the idea that Melchior is constantly translating what the teacher is saying to the entire class so that they can keep up, not just for Moritz but for everyone. (Update on a second viewing: really, he's translating for Ernst, as Moritz is asleep and the rest of the boys are hearing in this production.)

When Melchior gets hit by the teacher, the blow is represented by all of the characters on stage clapping in unison. This is used throughout the show when people are getting hit, and I felt like it tied these moments together in a meaningful way.

In Bitch of Living, we start to establish that the hearing characters don't necessarily sign their own solos. Among the boys, Melchior (played by a hearing actor who is a professional interpreter) and especially Ernst (played by a hard-of-hearing actor) tend to sign for them. There is so much of this sort of thing (actors interpreting for each other in both directions) throughout the show that it just becomes a thing you accept about the concept. I have no clue if this is confusing for people who don't know the show as well as I do.

After class, I loved this moment where Georg is saying and signing his line about Fraulein Grossenbustenhalter and when he does her sign name (you know, the boobs) he kind of glances at his hands with this look on his face like... FML.

Hanschen is shown trying his best to sign to Ernst. He struggles to spell Achilles and Patroclus, and Ernst demonstrates for him.

When Melchior and Moritz are alone at the end of this scene, they only sign together and the actor who plays Hanschen speaks on Melchior's behalf just as the Voice of Moritz speaks on Moritz's behalf. The show generally does this whenever Melchior is alone with Moritz or Wendla. As in this production many of the hearing characters don't sign very much at all and we see that signing is forbidden in school, I like how this shows Melchior rebelling in a practical and kind-hearted way.

The teachers in this production never sign, they are only captioned with projections on the wall behind them.

My Junk

When Hanschen speaks to his postcard, the lines are interpreted by Martha's actress acting seductive in a nightgown. When Hanschen responds to his father, the lines are interpreted by Otto's actor.

The production, in general, doesn't really go big for comedic moments except for Fraulein Grossenbustenhalter who I've never seen played so over-the-top (leaning forward over the back of the piano with her cleavage on full display) and given equal attention in the scene. The audience ate it up.

Melchior's study / Touch Me

There's a moment where Melchior goes to hand his mom his copy of Faust and Moritz snatches it right out of his hand like what is wrong with you.

There's a lot I loved about this production but one of its weaker points is probably the choreography and set design, which are just... fine. Adequate. Not a lot of memorable imagery for me.

Word of Your Body

Melchior and Wendla are sitting on a table which feels weird considering they're in a forest under a tree? Doesn't really translate for me.

The Dark I Know Well

Thea (played by a hearing actress in this version) doesn't sign, which I like to imagine is an intentional choice (though it very well may just be a practical one with the casting) saying something about Thea and her relationship to the authority figures in the show. Anna signs, and that actor is often seen interpreting for other characters, and I wonder if that was a deliberate choice in the other direction--Anna is obviously a more open-minded character.

Ilse doesn't do a lot of signing either, though I'm not sure how I relate that to the character.

Beating scene

It went over well here, the audience did not think it was funny. Again, Melchior and Wendla are alone here, so they are only signing, except when Wendla says she's never felt... what? She speaks aloud: "Anything." Melchior's "I'll teach you to say please" seemed not very serious--he's still just, reluctantly, playing along at this point. When he gets to the end of the scene, even though he has only been signing up until now, he shouts the last line instead.

And Then There Were None

There was something in Deaf West's production where the voice of Moritz hands Moritz the gun, wasn't there? Here this is done the same as in the original, he just has the gun in his jacket. In general, I think there were fewer moments in this production where the voices interacted with their counterparts in some striking, symbolic way like that. I didn't find myself missing it all that much, there's already plenty of layers to this concept as it is.

The Mirror-Blue Night / Hayloft / I Believe

So, you know, you can't make the hayloft consensual because the fact that Melchior knows the risks and Wendla does not is obviously key to the entire plot and also the problem with them having sex. (As you get older, do you find that Melchior's dad sounds more and more reasonable in act two...?) With that said, I thought this one was superbly directed. Melchior's back-and-forth with Wendla here felt like he genuinely wanted to hear her explain what she was feeling and have a conversation. Wendla seemed comfortable with Melchior. He undoes her dress, she pulls down his suspenders, he takes off his shirt (leaving an undershirt beneath), and she undoes her slip. There was a warning for nudity but I didn't see anything, really--they weren't making a show of it.

(Updated: Here's my thoughts on act two)

[queenhermionelambert-blog]

1. How were you introduced to the show?

I don't remember, honestly.

2. Seen a production live?

I wish!

3. Dream role/character you relate to most?

Dream role: Fanny Gabor because I would come up with a super cool and bittersweet backstory for her! Character I relate to... maybe Fanny Gabor?

4. Favorite male character?

Moritz! 🤟🏻🥺😭🤧💔🖤🕊🤍 DESERVED BETTER!!!

5. Favorite female character?

Ilse because of her super sweet friendship with Moritz.

6. Deaf West Revival or Original Broadway Cast?

Both for very different reasons, which I can get into.

7. Favorite song?

My top 5 are: Don't Do Sadness/Blue Wind, Touch Me, Left Behind, Those You've Known, and The Dark I Know Well.

8. Least favorite song?

Word of Your Body only because I prefer the reprise.

9. Favorite quote/line?

Moritz's line "I'll be an angel" absolutely broke my heart...

10. Favorite TV performance?

Seth Meyers or Tonys.

11. Favorite cast member(s)?

OBC: Jonathan Groff has had an amazing post Spring Awakening career, as well as everyone else in the cast. DWSA: Daniel Durant is absolutely adorable and one of the most talented actors in the Deaf West production of Spring Awakening, who also has been doing so well these days!

12. Favorite cast member moment?

Any moment with Alex and Daniel! They're both so cute!

13. Do you write fan fiction?

I'm only a part-time fan fiction writer.

14. Do you make fan art?

I can try to if you want.

15. Do you cosplay?

The best I can do is Fanny Gabor before/while she was pregnant with Melchior.

16. Don’t do Sadness or Blue Wind?

Both, but Don't Do Sadness sticks out just a bit more for me.

17. Word of your body or the Reprise?

The Reprise.

18. Touch Me or My Junk?

Touch Me. I love a good male/female cast and ensemble number.

19. Explain the song of purple summer?

The finale of the musical where Melchior reunites with Moritz and Wendla in the ends.

20. Explain the song of purple summer (wrong answers only)?

Teenage ghosts singing about growing up and remembering their childhood.

Shoutout to @winter-asleepening for making this! Much love to all my Spring Awakening fam 🤟🏻💜

[raexoxoxos]

Rating OBC Spring Awakening Songs !!

1. MWBM : 8/10, not my fav but its good!!

2. MWBM REPRISE : 6/10, meh, i think its boring and overrated.

3. ATK : 5/10, i used to love this song but i listened to it sm i got sick of it lol

4. TBOL : 8/10, its really good!! i just wish it the choreography was more tantrum like, like in the DWSA cast.

5. MJ : 9/10, i like it a lot !! i really like the pace, it def shows the difference between how girl crushes and boy crushes are conveyed in media.

6. TM : 10/10, wow, its one of the best Spring Awakening OBC song by far, i love it sm. the choreography is beautiful (esp in DWSA).

7. TWOYB : 1/10, i skip it everytime while listening to the soundtrack, i’d give it a 0 if i could.

8. TDIKW : 9/10, its super good!!! Lauren Pritchard and Lilli Coopers voice go together perfectly.

9. ATTWN : 10/10, i LOVEE this song, i love when otto, hanschen, ernst, georg, and moritz voice go together at the end omg its so good.

10. TMBN : 8/10, used to be my fav i just played it way too much i got sick of it.

11. IB : 9/10, i love this song, just it bores me sometimes.

12 : DDS / BW : 8/10, i like this song just the dialogue really bores me sometimes.

13 : TGO : 10/10, YESSSS, this song is so good?? omg, i love it sm.

14 : LB : 7/10, would get an 8 but groffs falsetto is…

15 : TF : 8/10, its good just the placement is 😭😭..

16 : TWOYB (REPRISE) : 11/10, YESSSSS, I LOVE THIS SONG SM OMG.

17 : WHISPERING : 8/10, its good !! i just wish lea put a little bit more emotion into it but it can be seen as wendla not understanding the severity of what melchi did to her.

18 : TYK : 2/10, no thank you!!!!!!! clouds will drift away is way better.

19 : TSOPS : 10/10, i literally love this song.

[summer-with-another-wind]

Spring Awakening Fandom Tag

(By @winter-asleepening )

1. how were you introduced to the show?

I was home sick and just found a dwsa bootleg, and watched through the entire thing. then i never turned back.

2. Seen a production live?

Sadly, no :( but a community theatre nearby me is planning to do it eventually, so hopefully I'll see it soon!

3. Dream role/character you relate to most

Dream role is Wendla, but character I relate to the most is Moritz

4. Favorite male character

Moritz or Hanschen

5. Favorite female character

Ilse 100%

6. Deaf West Revival or Original Broadway Cast?

I think both are good in their own merit but I like dwsa a bit better

7. Favorite song

Hmm this is tough. Either Don't do Sadness or Touch Me

8. Least favorite song

Word of your Body (I still really like it tho!)

9. Favorite quote/line

Ilse's monologue during dont do sadness if were talking lines. In terms of lines from songs, "The stars too they tell of spring returning, and summer with another wind that no one yet has known" is one of my faves, tho I dont really know why.

10. Favorite TV performance

The one where dwsa did 'touch me'. I watch it too much

11. Favorite cast member(s)

Christy Altomare, Treshelle Edmund, Daniel Durant

12. Favorite cast member moment

really basic but "allllllllll thingsssss"

13. Do you write fan fiction?

not for spring awakening sadly

14. Do you make fan art?

none that i would ever post online. im not the best artist

15. Do you cosplay?

no

16. Don’t do Sadness or Blue Wind?

Don't do Sadness

17. Word of your body or the Reprise?

the reprise

18. Touch Me or My Junk?

Touch Me

19. Explain the song of purple summer

im gonna explain dwsa cause its a bit easier? its definetly implied that theyre all going to "heaven" or "purple summer" at the end, but i also think you can interpret it as them growing up, knowing how to correctly treat the new generation due to the adult's wrongdoings to them. idk i honestly never have coherent thoughts at this part in the show cause im just sobbing

20. Explain the song of purple summer (wrong answers only)

everyones dead now (or maybe theyve been dead...this whole time?!)

[saint-starflicker]

Spring Awakening Fandom Tag

(By @winter-asleepening )

1. How were you introduced to the show?

2007(?) OBC sountrack on compact disk gift from a friend.

2. Seen a production live?

My honest answer is going to get me in trouble around Question 17, isn't it.

3. Dream role/character you relate to most

Ilse Neumann.

4. Favorite male character

Moritz.

5. Favorite female character

Ilse. Is that redundant with Question 3? Martha, then.

6. Deaf West Revival or Original Broadway Cast?

The OBC soundtrack got me through a very rough time in my life, but as far as the cast goes I'm going to say the Deaf West revival cast. I'm glad it was revived, I'm glad that cast is cast in that cast, and I'm glad they're the introduction for a new generation of Guilty Ones.

7. Favorite song

I love them all equally.

8. Least favorite song

...I don't care for Mirror Blue Night.

9. Favorite quote/line

I'm more of a melody person than a lyrics person.

10. Favorite TV performance

Deaf West Touch Me THEY TURNED INTO A BOAT

11. Favorite cast member(s)

I don't really play favorites with cast members, I just try to find what each new actor brings into the role.

12. Favorite cast member moment

I don't really follow the behind the scenes anecdotes either, but Jonathan Groff forgetting the lyrics to Left Behind except for "all things" is as inspirational as it is horrific to imagine going through. If he can get through that and live to tell the tale, then I can get through a bad day.

Also every time Michael Arden says, "All my best ideas come from [ Andy Mientus ]" is like d'aww they're cute together.

13. Do you write fan fiction?

In this fandom, no, I'm more of a reader.

14. Do you make fan art?

I could.

15. Do you cosplay?

Not really...I don't like the late 19th century fashions? I'm more of a Merveilleuse type (no bra no corset just Spirit Halloween chiton).

16. Don’t do Sadness or Blue Wind?

Those are two halves of a whole song!

17. Word of your body or the Reprise?

OBC I did not like the Reprise because even through the Discman (... that's a Walkman for CD's) I had the sense that it was a "comic relief" moment that relied on the existence of gay boys as the joke.

The Deaf West production kept a sense of respite and relief, and some comedy in the relationship dynamic between Ernst and Hanschen rather than playing on preexisting stereotypes...even though it didn't change a word of the script in that scene, which is amazing on a text analysis level like what happened who used the Captain Planet power ring with the power of heart in this scene, what sorcery is this?

So it depends, because the non-reprise Word of Your Body does a narrative job—Melchior haters can feel free to hate, but I can understand what the musical version was trying to go for with his character, and Word of Your Body was part of that.

Groff's Melchior came off more smarter-and-better-than-you but sort of giving up his pretensions in the process of seduction, and I can understand why that aspect might look appealing.

Doyle's Melchior doesn't have that "he's a ruthless boy but maybe i can change him"—I think he plays Melchior as more sad and desperate, and putting that energy into studying is how his Melchior thinks he gets a handle on his own feelings.

McKenzie's Melchior is an oafish, bookish 14-year-old boy trying to act smooth as he condescends to a Deaf girl. He has as much primal sexual energy as a newborn beagle puppy, which to be clear is none at all. I think that can be endearing, that he doesn't really know what he's blathering about in terms of life experience.

Wendla's a consistent constant performance-wise, all three versions I think balance out to a constant average...so it's really the Reprise that determines which one I like better.

OBC Reprise was very much worse than OBC Word of Your Body...but, Deaf West Reprise was a little better than Deaf West Word of Your Body and a lot better than the OBC Reprise. But I like the OBC Word of Your Body better than the Deaf West Reprise, at the same time that I like the Deaf West Word of Your Body an equal amount as the OBC Word of Your Body, contextualized comparatively being different than the chronological context that defines its vibe in an individual show's run time.

18. Touch Me or My Junk?

My Junk as a tune — but the Deaf West Touch Me did turn everybody into a boat, that was kinda cool.

19. Explain the song of purple summer.

Ilse recovered from her trauma and now owns her sexual identity, despite the history of everyone in her home and community doing their worst to her in ways that directly targeted that very intimate part of her. Her story is not the main plot of the show, but the fact that she survived and found personal definition means she now has her own voice on which to carry the wisdom of her life. That will be what heals and inspires others. Red or pink sunsets plus blue evenings make the sky in summer purple. At the end of the day, there still is beauty in living.

20. Explain the song of purple summer (wrong answers only)

Butterflies scatter ergot fungus while they fly around, so everybody thinks that everything looks purple this summer. The sky is purple. The rain is purple. The corn is purple. The horses are purple. The fungus is eating everybody's brains. They're all going to die.

[come-see-our-show]

Into the Woods is clearly a story about growing up, but I want to acknowledge the underlying sexual themes in the story, specifically growing into one’s own sexuality, because there are so many allusions to that and I can't be the only one seeing it.

Fair warning, this analysis is going to be a mess.

CW: Discussions of rape and pedophilia.

(Also, when I refer to "sexuality" and "sexual indentity," I'm not taking about one's sexual orientation, but rather one's interest in sex and relationship to it.)

1. The Witch

I’ve always seen the Witch’s backstory as a metaphor for rape. When she says the Mysterious Man was “Raping [her],” she means that he was stealing from her. However, even since biblical times, gardens have represented temptation, maturation, femininity, and sex. The witch was told from a young age to protect her garden, and when the beans are taken, she feels an intense loss. She is cursed with ugliness because she has been “deflowered.”

This was clearly a traumatic event for her, much like how sexual assault is traumatic for victims. It reminds me of the scene in Maleficent where her wings are taken from her while she’s asleep. There’s something so graphic about it. From a young age, girls are taught to protect our virginities, and if we are too proud of it then it will get taken away from us. We are shamed for being comfortable in our sexual identity, but at the same time we are forced to make it a huge part of our identities. The Witch does not know who she is without her power, and the thing she loved most was taken from her.

2. Baker’s Wife

BW is also shamed by the narrative for having a sexual identity. We can infer that she’s had sex with the Baker because she knows they can’t have children, but the only time she is explicitly shown as a sexual being is when she cheats on him with Cinderella’s prince, which results in her demise. Again, female sexuality is seen as destructive.

3. Cinderella

Cinderella’s character doesn’t have any explicitly sexual themes like the Witch or BW, but I feel like that’s intentional. BW admits to Cinderella that she’s attracted to the Prince. It’s all described in a very tame way, but given the fact that BW has sex with him in Act 2, we know in hindsight that there is some sexual desire there.

Cinderella doesn’t show any desire for the Prince. She talks about how amazing the ball was, but doesn’t talk about the Prince unless BW coaxes it out of her. It’s weird to BW that Cinderella isn’t really excited about him, because shouldn’t all women feel that way?

I don’t think Cinderella is attracted to men at all (I see her as a lesbian or aroace). Her arc ends with her dumping the Prince, thus claiming her independence and rejecting the traditional expectations of female sexuality.

4. Rapunzel

The Witch projects her own trauma onto her “daughter” (bc uhhhh generational trauma 🤪). While she is undoubtedly abusive, you can see why she wants to protect Rapunzel from the world so badly.

Rapunzel’s first introduction to the world is by a man who enters her home and has sex with her after knowing her for maybe a day or two. We don’t know if she was the one who asserted the sex, but given the fact that she lived in a tower all her life and doesn’t know anything about the world, I doubt it.

Despite how dubious the consent is, Rapunzel probably enjoyed it since she was so happy to reunite with her prince after. Sex should be a beautiful and exciting thing, but she pays the price by becoming pregnant, another thing that I highly doubt she was educated on. Imagine how terrifying that must have been, to wonder why your body is changing so durastically, then giving birth to TWINS. Nightmare fuel.

Rapunzel’s storyline reminds me of Wendla’s in Spring Awakening. A sheltered girl is entering womanhood, but because she isn’t taught how to handle these aspects of life, she is sort of taken advantage of by a more experienced partner, and her first time having sex isn’t 100% consensual (even if she enjoyed it), she becomes pregnant, then dies. Rapunzel and Wendla never get full control of their bodies.

So, yeah, teach your children about sex because “children will listen.”

5. Little Red Riding Hood

Most actors portray the Wolf as a lustful character with lots of sexual undertones. The story of Little Red Riding Hood does sound a lot like a story about a little girl getting taken advantage of by a predator. That IS the story, even if it’s about a wolf eating her instead of a pervert molesting her. The lyric “Look at that flesh, pink and plump,” has undeniably sexual undertones. He’s attracted to her youth and purity (cough cough her virginity). He reacts to her the way a pedophile would react to a child. And yes, it’s disgusting.

Many victims of pedophilia don’t see the perpetrator as a threat initially. They’re kind, funny, maybe even give you treats. That was how Red initially saw the Wolf.

Red’s solo, I Know Things Now, is about not trusting strangers. All children are told to not trust strangers. In fairytales, it’s so you don’t get eaten by a seemingly-kind wolf. In real life, it’s so you don’t get kidnapped by a seemingly-kind adult. She acknowledges that “even flowers have their dangers,” again drawing the parallels of nature and sexuality.

Young girls are seen as women once they are objectified by men (hello barbie movie). So, we learn to be wary of men by protecting ourselves with keys or pepper spray. Red begins her introduction into adulthood once she is objectified by a wolf. She learns to be wary by protecting herself with a knife. However, Red reclaims her power by wearing the Wolf as a coat. She's hardened by this experience, which is tragic because she's still a child, but she holds her head up high by wearing her abuser's dead body. She views herself as a survivor. That's a power move.

6. Jack

Jack’s solo also has some sexual undertones, though less obvious than Red’s. The Giant’s Wife “draws [him] close to her giant breasts” and he "come[s] back again, only different than before."

In real life, boys are congratulated for having sex, but girls are shamed. Jack and Red, the two tweens in the show, have the same reactions to their pseudo-sexual experiences. Jack becomes greedy and impulsive, but Red becomes wary and guarded.

While I don't see Jack as a victim of the giant in the same way that Red was a victim of the wolf, his experience also parallels how male victims are treated (if you want to interpret his experience as statutory rape). They are congratulated for being assaulted because boys are expected to always enjoy sex (even though assault/rape are not sex!). Jack's Mother is the only person who acknowledges that he could have been hurt, and that he is "still a little boy." But of course, she gets killed trying to protect her son from that danger.

7. The Princes

I’m lumping the two princes together because they’re very similar. Much like men in real life, they rarely face the consequences of their actions!!! They treat women like prizes (evidence: all of Agony), but soon after, they cheat on the prizes they used to want so desperately. They aren’t satisfied because the patriarchy teaches men to view women as sexual conquests.

Also, it’s notable to me that after CP and BW have their affair, BW has to pay a much bigger price. While CP is dumped by his wife (and tbh he’ll just move onto the next girl), BW is literally KILLED. The Giant is not literally killing her for having sex, but it’s rather coincidental that these two events coincide.

BW and CP’s aftermath is similar to the real life aftermath of sex. If you’re a man, you’re gonna be fine. If you’re a woman, you need to pay a price because you’re a whore. I’m not saying BW should have cheated on her husband, because that’s wrong. But it takes two to tango, so it’s interesting that CP gets out scott-free. On the plus side, CP is still seen as an asshole and BW remembered as a loving person despite her flaws. A slight win despite all of the tragedy.

Anywho, that my spiel. I may edit it in the future, but I was just in a production of Into the Woods and HAD to get my feelings out at once. Toodles.

[yourboywitch]

i had a spring awakening phase when i was 13 and now i’m older and i’m in the show and able to appreciate it so much more. our wendla performs a beautiful rendition of whispering and it made me think about how haunting and well written this simple lyric is.

“ mystery / home alone on a school night”

i forget that she is LITERALLY just a girl.

[blankvort]

ok i know im probably asking too much of you and your abilities but now i want to know your favourite song from spring awakening!!!!

this may have been obvious from my mentioning of it in dms but don't do sadness/blue wind my beloved!! the dark, intense strings that you'd think would be saved for a villain song creating this foreboding feeling. the mutinous punk rock clamour morphing into something that seems both too full to contain and incredibly empty. the way the music after the line with summer wind in it borrows wendla's simple, sinking sound from the start of mama who bore me and probably a bunch of other songs i'm forgetting which again sets up super interesting parallels between melchior's best friend and his love interest. like you can tell Something Bad is going to happen to both but it's during don't do sadness that the discomfort truly boils over into doom and nothing is going to stop moritz from literally blowing his own mind, not even ilse singing the most haunting lyrics in the whole show. she's trying to save him by telling him that blue wind/sadness gets so lost but he's the blue wind! in his mind he's already lost! and then them singing together at the end is so satisfying to listen to which is awful because the song then ends so abruptly and then you see the gun and then asldkjasldjadja. this is less than coherent but in conclusion characters who are active suicide risks <3

[ascendandt]

theres so much media starring 14 year olds and they all have vastly different tones and i often find myself wondering what would happen if say anthy himemiya nadia la arwall and wendla bergmann met.

[themaninyourcomputer]

Ranking every song in Spring Awakening

(Feel free to correct me, I had a hard time choosing favorites.)

1. Don't do sadness/blue wind

My god. I have no words. The way Moritz contains his rage at first, and then finally lets it out during the chorus. Ilse's vocals, the color metaphors. This song is so cathartic, both to listen to and to sing. All of Mortiz's pent up frustration is released, and it's spectacular. I have never related more to a song in my life. (This is actually the song that got me into Spring Awakening, I heard it and was like "who is this man and why does he want to be a little butterfly?")

2. left behind

This is the song that always makes me tear up. Every time without fail. Also the cabaret version where Jonathan Groff starts crying??? I was in shambles, shambles I tell you.

3. Touch me

Such a good song. It's so..wow oh my god?? Everyone sounds so good, and when Otto comes in it's just...wow. Also, so fun to sing.

4. The dark I know well

I mean, what do I even say here? This song is phenomenal. I love how you can feel the anger seething out of every word that Ilse and Marta sing.

5. And then there were none

This is when we really begin to see Moritz unravel, and it's fantastic. You can literally pinpoint the exact moment that Moritz decides to kill himself. ("Another day of utter shit...and then there were none." That's it, that subtle change in tone between the two lines. That little pause: you can hear the resolve settle into his voice. Ouch, man.)

6. The bitch of living

There are only so many ways I can phrase "good song" but yeah, good song. Poor Mortiz.

7. The word of your body (reprise)

Honestly? I prefer the vocals in the reprise over the original version. I adore both though.

8. Mama Who Bore Me (reprise)

Listen to those harmonies, dear lord that's breathtaking. But...why bongos?

9. Those you've known

Heartbreaking. I love how hollow Moritz and Wendla sound, like ghosts. Only shells of the actual characters (which I think is the point).

10. The word of your body

It's good, I love how (and this is the case for a lot of songs in this musical) it is deceptively innocent. It's so pure in its discussion of lust, which is sort of beautiful. This song is haunting and deserves more appreciation.

11. Totally fucked

Overrated, but not awful. The Tony Awards performance where they censor themselves by comically slapping their hands over their mouths makes me giggle.

12. Whispering

This is a hot take, I know. I just feel like this should have been Wendla's moment, you know? It should have been devastating, it should have been emotional! I was, however, not devastated. I was slightly bored, actually. This song could be so much better. I dislike how much the diologue breaks it up. (I know Don't Do Sadness is also mixed with diologue, but unlike in Whispering it makes the song feel more intimate and creates more of an emotional buildup. In Whispering it just kind of...interrupts the song.)

13. The Guilty One's

It's a slow song, sure, but listen to those harmonies bro. I'm ranking it lower on the list because there are better songs but just know that I actually like this one a lot. I love Lea Michele's voice here, it's so soft.

14. The song of purple summer.

It's just okay. I understand its narrative purpose, but honestly there should have been another reprise or just like, a callback to an earlier song at the end. That would have made it feel more cyclical. It's a strong song though, I don't dislike it. (The ending is great, I don't want to be too harsh on Purple Summer. I love the metephors ((blue + red and summer rather than spring)))

15. All that's known

The intro is so good, solid melody. It's just kind of background noise though.

16. The mirror-blue night

I love this song, but the build-up to the good part is so fucking long. Also why is Melchior doing an interpretive dance?? I mean, I guess we all cope in our own ways?

17. Mama who bore me

Perfect for an opening number, it builds anticipation, and it's a great tone setter. It's just kind of boring on its own.

18. My Junk

Stupid lyrics, stupid song (the dialogue is hilarious, but the song itself is not that good)

19. I believe

I am literally so bored. I love the ending, but I always skip it when listening to the album.