“Spring Awakening,” produced by Sul Ross State University’s theatre and music programs, continues on stage weekends through Sunday, May 1 in the Studio Theatre, Francois Fine Arts Building.
Directed by Dona W. Roman, professor of Theatre, with musical direction by Jeff Meyer, Lana Potts and Karrin Ford, “Spring Awakening” performances begin at 8:15 p.m. Friday-Saturday, April 22-23 and 29-30, and 2 p.m. Sundays, April 24 and May 1. The box office opens 45 minutes prior to curtain. Doors open 30 minutes prior to curtain time. “Spring Awakening” contains adult content. No one under 18 will be admitted without parental consent.
“We had a great opening this weekend, and the audience response was overwhelmingly strong,” Roman said. “The musical connected well with audiences of all ages, and many felt the content was still very timely. Duncan Sheik’s music was a hit with everyone.”
Comments on the Sul Ross Theatre Facebook page praised the performance, including:
*“The Sul Ross State University theatre and music programs ROCKED it today with Spring Awakening! So very well done. Great vocals and instrumentals, plus fine acting – can’t beat that. The adult situations/sexual content was handled very well. Congrats to director Dona Roman and the entire cast and crew.”
*“Opening night of Spring Awakening blew me away.”
*“The best production I’ve seen at Sul Ross, so far.”
With a book by Steven Sater and music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik, the musical changed the genre of American musical theatre dynamically. Based on the Frank Wedekind play, “The Awakening of Spring, A Tragedy of Childhood,” the musical won eight Tony awards including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations.
The New York Times wrote, “Imprinted on the memory is the happy sensation of having witnessed something unusual and aspiring, something vital and new.”
The music in the show is basically indie-rock songs, and the characters flow from the preserved dialogue of the Wedekind play into the indie-rock treatment provided by Duncan Sheik.
Cast members include: The Girls, played by Ashley Jane Page (Alpine, Wendla); Alyssa Longoria (Brownsville, Martha); Callie Jones (Midland, Thea); Gabrielle Rule (Brady, Anna); Elizabeth Watson (Corpus Christi, Ilse); The Boys, Zane Ivey (Alpine, Melchior); Jason Roman (Fort Davis, Moritz); Marcelino Velazquez (El Paso, Hanschen); Fernando Powers (Fort Stockton, Ernst); Josh Martinez (El Paso, Otto); Westin Huffman (Fort Davis, Georg); Eddie Molinar (Alpine, Rupert); Collyn Glaspie (San Angelo, Reinhold); Michael Amerson (Missouri City, Dieter); Chinasa Okorocha, Pflugerville, Ulbrecht); The Adult Women, Amanda Almaraz (San Antonio, Frau Bergman); Aliyah Sabour (Wilmer, Fraulein Knuppeldick); Malyssa Reed (Katy, Fraulein Grossebubustenhalter, Frau Bessell); Lizzie Simpson (Marfa, Frau Gabor); The Adult Men, Jonathan Fields (Venus, Herr Sonnenstich, Herr Gabor); George Garcia (Kerrville, Herr Rilow, Schmidt); Amerson (Headmaster Knochenbruch); Molinar (Herr Neumann, Father Kaulbach); Glaspie (Herr Stiefel); Okorocha (Dr. Von Brausepulver).
For advanced tickets, please go to www.sulross.edu/theatre or call (432) 837-8218.
(From left) Marcelino Velazquez, Zane Ivey, Jason Roman, Westin Huffman, Josh Martinez and Fernando Powers perform a number from the musical, “Spring Awakening.” The Tony Award-winning production continues on the Sul Ross State University stage on weekends through Sunday, May 1. (Photo by Dona Roman)
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
