Spring Awakening Enlightened Me... That Way

Okay, that was weird. I was planning on posting something about how amazing the lighting in Spring Awakening is (because I saw it AGAIN on Saturday, and since I've already raptured lovely on the rest of the musical, including cast and music, I thought I would show my enthusiasm for the lighting and choreography this time since I don't think people realise how AMAZING it is within an amazing show).

Then I came across this media presentation by Kevin Adams, who lighted Spring Awakening, but also Some Men which opened last night at the Second City Theatre Off-Broadway in New York. It's a short interesting piece of his lighting techniques, and again, from Spring Awakening alone, I'm sold (plus he did Take Me Out which I remembered looked quite amazing, especially for a play about baseball) on this guy.

I knew it was beautiful before but Kevin Adams' work really adds some extra level to the musical, and how often can one say that about what the lighting has done that to a piece of theatrical work? I really wanted to see Some Men but alas, my trip was cut short again, and I didn't make it out to the other shows on my list (alas, I'll just HAVE to go back... hehe). Considering the simplicity of the stage as well as the staging, Adams does wonders to convey the multitudes of moods the music and book enthrusts upon the characters (and by extension, us the viewers), but also sets the time and place, which is amazing since the biggest set change is 4 ropes and a few chairs. (I wish there were some better photos to give you an idea of the beautiful lighting but these were all I could find on the net from various sources that I essentially stole from).

As for the choreography in Spring Awakening by Bill T. Jones, it was weird the first time around but now I can't see it any other way. I LOVE when Jonathan Groff (as Melchior) does those feeling-up hand movements in "The Mirror Blue-Night" and when it's repeated in "Totally Fucked". The jerky movements and awkward contortions the characters pull are pretty much exactly what I felt (in physical equation) as a confused horny teenager (or, uh, even now!).