If you asked me when I was younger how you experience music, I would, of course, tell you that a person should listen, but after seeing Deaf West’s Spring Awakening, I can now tell you for sure that it is possible to see music; and, see it done beautifully. The cast of Spring Awakening at the Brooks Atkins Theater has a cast of both hearing and deaf actors working together to put on what I can call one of the most life changing shows I have seen to date (and let me tell you, I have seen a lot of shows).
The story of Spring Awakening explains how teenagers in 19th century Germany lived, struggled, and connected with one another. Deaf West’s version shows the same story of that the original Broadway production put on in 2006, but now there is an added element of the use of American Sign Language (ASL). The Broadway Revival explains the same story, but in this case, it opens it up to a whole word of how deaf culture was dealt with in that time period. For example, the character Mortiz (played by Daniel Durant) struggles in school as he did in the original Broadway production, but now you can see that it is not because he is dumb or lazy, but because the school does not allow for sign language to be used in class. The sign language acts as a vital part to explain character development, family relations, and much more.
For this production, every character will either sign their lines in addition to speaking them or, for the deaf actors, have an actor as their “voice” singing and speaking for them. While one might see this as a distraction, it is quite the opposite. When watching the show, the voice actors play their inner thoughts in a way and help guide their deaf characters through difficult situations.
Though the Broadway run ends on January 24th, there is still a chance you can you can get to experience Spring Awakening. After finishing its run, the show plans on starting their National Tour in 2017. Dates have not been set yet for the tour, but the show WILL be going on.
