Spring Awakening (Broadway: Deaf West) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (1,429)
See it if you are passionate about accessibility and gorgeous stage pictures
Don't see it if you prioritize musical theatre singing above all else - the singing is much softer and folk-y than the original
See it if you want to see revivals redefined. Such an original interpretation of this material by Arden's team, with brilliant incorporation of ASL.
Don't see it if you're looking for a family show, or classic tunes. This is a heavy, hard-hitting show.
See it if You want a unique, amazing, wonderful experience unlike ever seen on Broadway before.
Don't see it if you don't want to broaden your horizons.
See it if You love exciting, engaging theatre that explores important issues in thrilling new ways; you want to see a diverse young cast
Don't see it if you have no heart or soul
See it if This is by far my favorite stage production of this show.Absolutely gorgeous and so beautiful.
Don't see it if Must see!
See it if You love a romantic and powerful story. The acting, music and singing was amazing. Loved everything.
Don't see it if You don't want to see a very heartfelt story. Not for little kids.
See it if my beloved version
Don't see it if you are not a fan of excellance
See it if you want to promote accessibility in theatre. The production beautifully and seamlessly incorporates ASL. The show critiques society.
Don't see it if you aren't a fan of diverse musical stylings or do not like shows with "adult themes."
Critic Reviews (61)
"This moving revival seals a pact with an audience in a gentler manner than the more scaldingly assertive original production...Signing has been integrated here so deftly that you feel the language’s fluidity has a natural place in musical theater...The show’s depiction of teenagers with a need to unyoke themselves from adult control remains vibrantly intact...The rock-infused energy lifts up the entire enterprise. Cue the sign again, for heaven."
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"It works better than you might expect and it’s a treat to see Camryn Manheim juggle a couple of parts and give voice to Marlee Matlin, sadly underused. But this slick 'Spring Awakening' also snuffs out any emotional rawness. The kids are meant to be a mess of confusion and frustrated horniness, but here they’re so wholesome, you can almost picture them polishing their application to Juilliard...Admiring this revival’s feat is one thing. Feeling for it - that’s something else."
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"It’s been twelve years since Deaf West mounted a Broadway production—let’s hope we don’t have to wait that long for another. Same goes for the immensely talented first time director Arden, who saw the amazing potential of Duncan Sheik’s gorgeous music and knew just what to do to wake up Broadway with it once again. Hopefully there is far more to come from this pairing."
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"An inspired and innovative revival that incorporates American Sign Language...Although it's hard to shake off memories of the brilliant original production, Arden's revival is visually stunning, emotionally poignant and thoroughly exciting in its own right."
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"The students and grownups speak a different language, and the use of American Sign Language provides a metaphorical layer to the generational divide. Conceptually, it is an inspired touch, but Michael Arden’s meticulous direction adds the poetry and emotion that gives this version its resonance...It is all intricately woven, featuring deaf and hearing actors who both sign and sing...The staging, graced with beautifully evocative choreography and design elements, make for a moving experience."
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"A thrilling new look at a musical that still bears hidden treasures nine years after its debut...Everything benefits from director Michael Arden's muscular approach. Arden brings instruments into the mise-en-scène in a manner reminiscent of John Doyle. Arden's Brechtian embrace of theatricality proves to be vital to the epic theater of adolescence...This revival is that rare reimagining that furthers the themes of the original work, rather than plastering over them with an auteur's vision."
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"'Spring Awakening' is just not a good musical...A smarmy evening that, as writing, satisfies on no theatrical level...You are not supposed to think about any of this. That's why Arden and Deaf West are making something akin to magic here: Their application of their issues guides us to 'Spring Awakening' on their terms, which are vastly more compelling than the show's. I cared about the struggle of the deaf children in an uncaring, hearing world. They convinced me of the virtues of silence."
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"This unique packaging of a more than hundred-year-old play as a rock popera has returned to Broadway, proving once again that if the music is appealing enough and the story's themes enduring, directorial brilliance and originality can strike more than once...This cast of mostly unknowns couldn't be better...Deaf West's translation adds a subtle artistic layer that actually deepens and enriches the story telling."
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