Spring Awakening
is a Tony Award-winning rock musical adaptation of the controversial 1891 German play of the same title by Frank Wedekind. It features music by Duncan Sheik and a book and lyrics by Steven Sater. Set in late-nineteenth century Germany, it concerns teenagers who are discovering the inner and outer tumult of sexuality. The original play was banned in Germany due to its portrayal of masturbation, abortion, rape, child abuse and suicide. In the musical, alternative rock is employed as part of the folk-infused rock score.
After a number of workshops, concerts and rewrites over a seven-year period, Spring Awakening
premiered Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theatre Company on May 19, 2006 and ran through August 17, 2006. The show then opened on Broadway at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on December 10, 2006 and received favorable reviews. [1]Spring Awakening
received eleven 2007 Tony Award nominations, winning eight, including Tonys for best musical, direction, book, score and featured actor. The show also won four Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical. The production is directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Bill T. Jones.
Decca Broadway released the original cast recording on December 12, 2006, which won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2008. [2] The guitar Sheik used to compose songs for Spring Awakening is on display at the New York Library For The Performing Arts. [3]
Spring Awakening
closed on Broadway on January 18, 2009, after 888 performances (859 on Broadway, 29 previews). [4]
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Synopsis
;Act I
Wendla Bergmann, an
adolescent in late-nineteenth century
Germany, laments that her mother gave her “no way to handle things” and has not taught her the lessons she needs to learn (“Mama Who Bore Me”). She tells her mother that it is time she learned from where
babies come, considering that she is about to be an aunt for the second time, but her mother cannot bring herself to explain the facts about conception clearly to Wendla. Instead, she simply tells Wendla that to conceive a child a woman must love her husband with all of her heart. The other young girls in town appear to be similarly innocent and are upset about the lack of knowledge presented to them (“Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)”).
At school, some teenage boys are studying
Virgil in
Latin class. When Moritz Stiefel, a very nervous and intense young man, sleepily misquotes a line, the teacher chastises him harshly. Moritz’s classmate, the rebellious and intelligent Melchior Gabor, tries to defend him, but the teacher will have none of it, and hits Melchior with a stick. Melchior reflects on the shallow narrow-mindedness of school and society and expresses his intent to change things (“All That’s Known”).
Moritz describes a dream that has been keeping him up at night, and Melchior realizes that Moritz has been having
dreams of an erotic nature. To comfort the panicked Moritz, Melchior, who has learned sexual information from books, tells Moritz that all of the boys at their age get the dreams. The burned-out boys tell about their own frustrating thoughts and desires (“The Bitch of Living”). Moritz, who is not comfortable talking about the subject with Melchior, insists that he give him the information in the form of an
essay, complete with illustrations.
Some girls are gathered together after school and tease each other as they fantasize about marrying the boys in the town. At the top of the list is the radical, intelligent, and good-looking Melchior. Meanwhile, Hanschen
masturbates as he looks at an erotic
postcard, and the
piano student Georg indulges in some lively fantasies about his well-endowed female piano teacher (“My Junk”). Moritz has eagerly digested the essay that Melchior prepared for him, but complains that his new knowledge has only made his dreams even more vivid and torturous. Melchior tries to calm and comfort his friend, but Moritz runs off in frustration. All of the boys and girls express their desires for physical
intimacy (“Touch Me”).
Wendla stumbles upon Melchior while walking through the woods. The two share a moment while sitting together in front of a tree. Each of them considers what it would be like to give in to their physical desires, but they do not do so (“The Word of Your Body”). Meanwhile, at school, Moritz is thrilled to learn that he has passed his midterm
examinations, but the teacher and schoolmaster cannot pass everyone, so they decide to fail Moritz.
Martha, one of the teenage girls, accidentally admits to her friends that her father abuses her physically (including
sexual abuse) and that her mother is either oblivious or uncaring. The other girls are horrified to hear this, but Martha makes them promise not to tell anyone, lest she end up like Ilse, a friend from childhood who now wanders homeless and aimless because her parents kicked her out of the house.(“The Dark I Know Well”). Later, Wendla finds Melchior again at his spot in the woods and tells him that her father regularly abuses one of her friends. Melchior is appalled to hear this, but Wendla convinces him to hit her with a switch, so that she can understand her friend’s pain. Melchior reluctantly complies but is carried away and throws her to the ground. He then runs off, disgusted with himself, as she weeps curled up on the ground. Alone, Wendla finds that Melchior has left his journal on the ground. She picks it up and takes it with her.
Moritz has failed his final examination, and his father reacts with disdain and contempt when Moritz tells him that he will not progress in school. Moritz writes to Melchior’s mother, his only adult friend, for money to flee to
America; she tenderly but firmly denies his request but promises to write his parents to discourage them from being too hard on him (“And Then There Were None”).
In a stuffy hayloft during a storm, Melchior considers his own frustration at being caught between childhood and adulthood (“The Mirror-Blue Night”). Wendla finds him once again, telling him she wants to return his journal, and each awkwardly apologizes for what happened the last time they met. Before long, they begin to kiss; Wendla resists his advances at first. Although she seems uncertain about how far she wants to take their physical relationship, they begin to have
sex as the lights go down. (“I Believe”).
;Act II
Wendla and Melchior are finishing their moment of intimacy in the hayloft; they reflect on and discuss what has just happened (“The Guilty Ones”). Moritz, having been thrown out of his home, wanders the town at dusk, carrying a
pistol (“Don’t Do Sadness”). He happens upon free-spirited Ilse, who has found refuge at an Artists' colony, she invites him to join her in sharing some childhood memories, and perhaps something more, but Moritz refuses (“Blue Wind”). After she has left, he calls after her, but it is too late; she is gone. Regretting his lost opportunity to follow Ilse, and believing that he has nowhere to turn, Moritz shoots himself.
At Moritz’s
funeral, each of his friends drops a flower into his grave, and Melchior chastises Moritz’s father for being so cruel to his friend, as the other students look at Moritz’s father with disgust for pushing Moritz too hard when he was alive (“Left Behind”). Back at school, the schoolmaster and teacher inform Melchior that Moritz’s parents found the sex essay he had written for him. They lay the blame on Melchior for his friend’s suicide, and although Melchior knows that he is not to blame, he knows there is nothing he can do to fight them, and he is expelled (“Totally Fucked”). Elsewhere that night, Hanschen meets up with his shy and delicate classmate Ernst. In a
comedy-relief scene, Hanschen shares his pragmatic outlook on life with his classmate before seducing him. It is Ernst’s first sexual experience, and he tells Hanschen that he loves him as the two share a passionate kiss (“The Word of Your Body (Reprise)”).
Wendla has become ill, and her mother takes her to visit a doctor. He gives her some medication and assures them both that Wendla is suffering from
anemia and will be fine, but he takes Wendla’s mother aside and tells her that Wendla is
pregnant. When her mother confronts her with this information, Wendla is completely shocked, not understanding how this could have happened. She realizes that her mother lied to her about how babies are made. Although she berates her mother for leaving her ignorant, her mother rejects the guilt and insists Wendla tell her who the father is. Wendla reluctantly surrenders a passionate note Melchior sent her after they consummated their relationship. Wendla reflects somberly on her current condition and the circumstances that led her to this difficult position but ends with optimism about her future child (“Whispering”). Meanwhile, Melchior’s parents argue about their son’s fate; his mother does not believe that the essay he wrote for Moritz is sufficient reason to send him away to
reform school. When Melchior’s father tells his wife about Wendla’s pregnancy, however, she agrees that they must send Melchior away, which they do without telling him that Wendla is pregnant.
At the reform school, Melchior gets into a fight with some boys who grab a letter he has just received from Wendla and use it in a
masturbation game. As one of the boys reads from the letter, Melchior finally learns about Wendla and their child, and he escapes from the institution to find her. He does not know that Wendla’s mother has already taken her to an underground practitioner to have an
abortion. When Melchior reaches town, he sends a message to Wendla’s friends to have her meet him at the cemetery at midnight. There, he stumbles across Moritz’s grave, and swears to himself that he and Wendla will raise their child in a compassionate and open environment. Spotting her freshly dug grave, Melchior discovers that Wendla has died from her abortion. Overwhelmed by shock and grief, he takes out a
razor with the intention of killing himself. Moritz’s and Wendla’s spirits rise from their graves to offer him their strength. They persuade him to journey on, and he resolves to live and to carry their memories with him forever (“Those You’ve Known”).
Led by Ilse, everyone assembles onstage to sing “The Song of Purple Summer” about life and hope.
Characters
- Melchior, a headstrong, handsome and smart boy who knows more than the others because of what he reads in books. An athiest.
- Moritz, Melchior's insecure best friend whose dreams of women haunt him to failure.
- Wendla, a childhood friend of the boys who falls for Melchior.
- Ilse, another childhood friend who runs away from a broken home to become a Bohemian; Mortiz's last offer of hope.
- Hanschen, a classmate of the boys who easily seduces Ernst.
- Ernst, a naive classmate of the boys who falls for Hanschen's seduction.
- Georg, another classmate who lusts after his older, busty piano teacher.
- Martha, one of Wendla's friends who is sexually abused by her father.
- Otto, another classmate who dreamt of his mother.
- Thea, Wendla's best friend, a girl who tries to brush her feelings of sexual desire under the carpet to please adults.
- Anna, Martha's best friend, who cannot wrap her head around Martha's trials.
- Fanny, Melchior's mother. Very open to the idea of her son understanding his body and desires.
- Herr Gabor, Melchior's father. He allows Fanny to dictate the way their son lives his life, but ultimately is the one to send him away.
- Herr Stiefl, Mortiz's father. He has high standards for his son and is furious when Moritz's fails, but mourns his death later, realising it is his fault.
- The Teachers, who favour Melchior in the beginning and who dislike Moritz and make him fail.
Musical numbers
;Act I
- “Mama Who Bore Me” – Wendla
- “Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)” – Wendla and Girls
- “All That's Known” – Melchior
- “The Bitch of Living” – Moritz, Melchior and Boys
- “My Junk” – Girls and Boys
- “Touch Me” – Boys and Girls
- “The Word of Your Body” – Wendla and Melchior
- “The Dark I Know Well” – Martha, Ilse and Boys
- "The Word of Your Body (Boys' Reprise)" - Otto and Georg
- “And Then There Were None” – Moritz and Boys
- “The Mirror-Blue Night” – Melchior and Boys
- “I Believe” – Boys and Girls
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;Act II
- “The Guilty Ones” – Wendla, Melchior, Boys and Girls
- “Don’t Do Sadness” – Moritz
- “Blue Wind” – Ilse
- “Don’t Do Sadness/Blue Wind” – Moritz and Ilse
- “Left Behind” – Melchior, Boys and Girls
- “Totally Fucked” – Melchior and Full Company (except Moritz)
- “The Word of Your Body (Reprise)” – Hanschen, Ernst, Boys and Girls
- “Whispering” – Wendla
- “Those You’ve Known” – Moritz, Wendla and Melchior
- “The Song of Purple Summer” – Ilse and Full Company
++Note
: “The Guilty Ones” replaced off-Broadway version’s Act II opening, “There Once Was A Pirate”; the latter is available as a bonus track sung by composer Duncan Sheik on the original cast recording.
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Original Concept
Before opening the show
off-Broadway,
Duncan Sheik had composed an arrangement of song demos for the original concept of Spring Awakening. The plot followed more closely to the
original play's plot.
- Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik had originally intended for Wendla to actually be raped by Melchior at the end of "I Believe", but decided to change that plot because he wanted the scene to be more loving between the two characters, and "I Believe" didn't give off a "raping" kind of feeling.
- "All That's Known" replaced a song titled "All Numb". Both songs had the same theme, but because the directors had to reduce time for the show, "All Numb" was cut and replaced with "All That's Known".
- A song called "A Comet On Its Way" was replaced by "The Bitch of Living", both songs followed the same basic theme. Though, Sheik thought that "The Bitch of Living", being more upbeat, fit the show better.
- "Those You've Known" replaced a song called "The Clouds Will Drift Away", which was cut because Sheik wanted the song between the three main characters to stay close to the "All That's Known" theme.
- "Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)" was originally intended to be performed after "Touch Me".
- Another song, entitled "Great Sex" (which was intended to be performed after "Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise)"), was also cut from the show because the directors thought the song pointed out the theme of the show too vaguely.
- Finally, songs such as "Touch Me" and "The Mirror-Blue Night" each had a reprise, and "Mama Who Bore Me" had a second reprise. Even "There Once Was A Pirate", which was cut, also had a reprise.
Themes
The play's major theme is sex and the discovery of it. The play contrasts two conflicting views of sex: Melchior's flippant, hedonistic, purely physical view and the older generation's oppressive prudish view. In Act 1, the play would seem to be promoting Melchior's view, but at the play's closure, the message is given that neither Melchior's view of sex nor that of the older generation is the right view to have, as both views led to pain and confusion.
A main idea is that, while none of the deaths in the play would have occurred without sex, we couldn't have life in general without sex as well.
Broadway Roles and Cast Information
;Original Broadway cast
[5]
- Melchior – Jonathan Groff
- Wendla – Lea Michele
- Moritz – John Gallagher Jr.
- Adult Men – Stephen Spinella
- Adult Women – Christine Estabrook
- Ilse – Lauren Pritchard
- Georg/Dieter – Skylar Astin
- Martha – Lilli Cooper
- Ernst/Reinhold – Gideon Glick
- Otto/Ulbrecht – Brian Charles Johnson
- Anna – Phoebe Strole
- Hanschen/Rupert – Jonathan B. Wright
- Thea – Remy Zaken
- Ensemble - Gerard Canonico, Robert Hager, Jennifer Damiano, Krysta Rodriguez
- Swings - Frances Mercanti-Anthony, Rob Devaney
Final Broadway Cast:
- Melchior;- Hunter Parrish
- Wendla – Alexandra Socha
- Moritz – Gerard Canonico
- Adult Men – Glenn Fleshler
- Adult Women – Christine Estabrook
- Ilse – Emma Hunton
- Georg/Dieter – Andrew Durand
- Martha – Amanda Castaños
- Ernst/Reinhold – Blake Daniel
- Otto/Ulbrecht – Gabriel Violett
- Anna – Emily Kinney
- Hanschen/Rupert – Matt Doyle
- Thea – Caitlin Kinnunen
- Ensemble - Morgan Karr, Alice Lee, Eryn Murman, Zach Reiner-Harris
- Swings - Tony Carlin, Frances Mercanti-Anthony, Jesse Swenson, Jenna Ushkowitz
Notable Broadway Replacements:
- Melchior – Kyle Riabko;
- Moritz – Blake Bashoff;
- Adult Women – Kate Burton
Touring Roles and Cast Information
Original Touring Cast
- Melchior - Kyle Riabko
- Wendla – Christy Altomare
- Moritz – Blake Bashoff
- Adult Men – Henry Stram; U/S Todd Cerveris
- Adult Women – Angela Reed; U/S Kate Fuglei
- Ilse – Steffi D
- Georg/Dieter – Matt Shingledecker
- Martha – Sarah Hunt
- Ernst/Reinhold – Ben Moss
- Otto/Ulbrecht – Anthony Lee Medina
- Anna – Gabrielle Garza
- Hanschen/Rupert – Andy Mientus
- Thea – Kimiko Glenn
- Ensemble - Julie Benko, Perry Sherman, Claire Sparks, Lucas A. Wells
- Swings - Krystina Alabado, Chase Davidson
Notable Tour Replacements:
- Kate Hampton
replaced Kate Fuglei
as Adult Women Understudy
- Matt Doyle
temporarily replaced Kyle Riabko
as Melchior
- Kyle Riabko
returned to the role of Melchior
- Jake Epstein
replaced Kyle Riabko
as Melchior
- Krystina Alabado
replaced Claire Sparks
as Ensemble
- Krista Pioppi
replaced Krystina Alabado
as Swing
- Claire Sparks
temporarily replacedKimiko Glenn
as Thea
- Taylor Trensch
replaced Blake Bashoff
as Moritz
- Ben Fankhauser
replaced Ben Moss
as Ernst/Reinhold
- Kayla Foster
replaced Julie Benko
as Ensemble
- Justin Scott Brown
replaced Perry Sherman
as Ensemble
- John Wojda
replaced Henry Stram
as Adult Men
- Kimiko Glenn
returned to the role of Thea
Current Touring Cast
- Melchior - Jake Epstein
- Wendla – Christy Altomare
- Moritz – Taylor Trensch
- Adult Men – John Wojda; U/S Todd Cerveris
- Adult Women – Angela Reed; U/S Kate Hampton
- Ilse – Steffi D
- Georg/Dieter – Matt Shingledecker
- Martha – Sarah Hunt
- Ernst/Reinhold – Ben Fankhauser
- Otto/Ulbrecht – Anthony Lee Medina
- Anna – Gabrielle Garza
- Hanschen/Rupert – Andy Mientus
- Thea – Kimiko Glenn
- Ensemble - Kayla Foster, Justin Scott Brown, Krystina Alabado, Lucas A. Wells
- Swings - Krista Pioppi, Chase Davidson
London Roles and Cast Information
Original London Cast:
- Melchior – Aneurin Barnard
- Wendla – Charlotte Wakefield
- Moritz – Iwan Rheon
- Ilse – Lucy Barker
- Martha – Hayley Gallivan
- Thea – Evelyn Hoskins
- Anna – Natasha Barnes
- Hanschen – Jamie Blackley
- Ernst – Harry McEntire
- Georg – Jos Slovick
- Otto – Edd Judge
- Male Swing – Chris Barton
- Male Swing – Jamie Muscato
- Male Swing – Richard Southgate
- Female Swing – Natalie Garner
- Female Swing – Mona Godwin
- Female Swing – Gemma O'Duffy
- Adult Woman – Sian Thomas (1st Understudy Yvonne O’Grady, 2nd Understudy Connie Walker)
- Adult Man – Richard Cordery (1st Understudy Andrew McDonald, 2nd Understudy Geoffrey Towers)
Tokyo Roles and Cast Information
Current Tokyo Cast:
- Melchior – ????(Hayato Kakizawa),????(Kazuya Kawakami)
- Wendla – ???(Kasumi Hayasi),?????(Akari Taniguchi)
- Moritz – ???(Hajime Mikumo),????(Tokiya Ganbara)
- Ilse – ????(Maya Kanehira),????(Satoko Isiduka)
- Martha – ????(Hitomi Musa),????(Chiaki Katsuma)
- Thea – ?????(Mikiko Arimura),????(Tae Urakabe),????(Mika Kishimoto)
- Anna – ????(Yuko Matta),?????(Madoka Tamaishi)
- Hanschen – ????(Yosuke Ichiwa),???(Akito Minami)
- Ernst – ????(Kazuki Takeuchi),????(Ryosuke Ito)
- Georg – ????(Hidenori Shirase)
- Otto – ???(Susumu Kato),????(Haruaki Tamai)
- Adult Woman – ?????(Kyoko Nakano),?????(Kayoko Tuduki)
- Adult Man – ???(Kaname Simura),????(Takahide Tashiro)
Other productions
A U.S. national tour (with one stop in Toronto, Canada) opened August 15, 2008 at The Balboa Theatre in
San Diego, California. Tour dates have been announced through to May 2010.
[6]
The European premiere took place on
August 30,
2008, at Värmlandsoperan in
Karlstad,
Sweden. The production is directed by Per Eltvik and choreographed by Åsa Thegerström. The Swedish text is by Fredrik Fischer and Linnea Sjunnesson. It stars Joán Alderman (Melchior), Mari Haugen Smistad (Wendla) and Ole Aleksander Bang (Moritz). This production closed in March 2009.
thumb
The London production began 23 January 2009 at the
Lyric Hammersmith and transferred to the
Novello Theatre on March 21 2009.
[7] It closed on May 30, 2009.
[8]
An English-language production will open in Valletta, Malta at the St. James Cavalier Theatre on 17 April, 2009. This production will be directed by Wesley Ellul, choreographed by Fiona Barthet, Renzo Spiteri will be the musical director, and Alex Vella Gregory will be the vocal coach. This will be produced by the MADC. See
The Hungarian-language (first non-replica) production premiered on 7 February 2009 in
Budapest at Budapest Operetta and Musical Theatre. It is often praised for its use of eccentric interpretive dance and disco cubes.
[9]
The second Swedish-language production opened in Helsingborg, Sweden on 20 March 2009.
[10]
There is a third Swedish production planned, as well as three productions in Norway.
The South Korean production will open in Seoul in 2009.
[11]
The Philippine production will open in Manila, on the 25th of September for a short run till the 17th of October 2009. It will be in English and is directed by Chari Arespachochaga. It will show in the Carlos P. Roumolo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza
The German-language premiere opened in Vienna, Austria in a limited run at the Ronacher Theatre on March 21, 2009, and closed on May 30, 2009.
[12] A live cast recording was released.
The Finnish production opened in Helsinki in February 2009.
[13]
The Japanese-language production opened in Tokyo at the Shiki Theatre Jiyu May 2, 2009.
Sydney Theatre Company has announced they will stage the first Australian production, a non-replica production, in February 2010. A national tour is possible, but not confirmed.
The Brazilian Non-Replica Production in Rio de Janeiro is now running.
Awards and nominations
Tony Awards
- Win
/Best Musical
- Win
/Best Book of a Musical (Steven Sater)
- Win
/Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre (Music: Duncan Sheik; Lyrics: Steven Sater)
- Nomination/Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Jonathan Groff)
- Win
/Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (John Gallagher Jr.)
- Win
/Best Direction of a Musical (Michael Mayer)
- Win
/Best Choreography (Bill T. Jones)
- Win
/Best Orchestrations (Duncan Sheik)
- Nomination/Best Scenic Design of a Musical (Christine Jones)
- Nomination/Best Costume Design of a Musical (Susan Hilferty)
- Win
/Best Lighting Design of a Musical (Kevin Adams)
Outer Critics Circle Awards
- Win
/Outstanding New Broadway Musical
- Win
/Outstanding New Score (Broadway or Off-Broadway)
- Win
/Outstanding Director of a Musical (Michael Mayer)
New York Drama Critics Circle Award
2008 Grammy Awards
- Win
/Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album
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Drama Desk Awards
- Win
/Outstanding Musical
- Nomination/Outstanding Actor in a Musical (John Gallagher Jr.)
- Nomination/Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Jonathan Groff)
- Nomination/Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Lea Michele)
- Win
/Outstanding Director of a Musical (Michael Mayer)
- Nomination/Outstanding Choreography (Bill T. Jones)
- Win
/Outstanding Music (Duncan Sheik)
- Win
/Outstanding Lyrics (Steven Sater)
- Nomination/Outstanding Book of a Musical (Steven Sater)
- Nomination/Outstanding Orchestrations (Duncan Sheik)
Drama League Awards
- Win
/Distinguished Production of a Musical
- Nomination/Distinguished Performance (John Gallagher Jr.)
- Nomination/Distinguished Performance (Jonathan Groff)
Lucille Lortel Awards
- Win
/Outstanding Musical (tied with In the Heights
)
- Nomination/Outstanding Director (Michael Mayer)
- Nomination/Outstanding Choreographer (Bill T. Jones)
- Nomination/Outstanding Costume Design (Susan Hilferty)
- Win
/Outstanding Lighting Design (Kevin Adams)
- Nomination/Outstanding Sound Design (Brian Ronan)
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Film Adaptation
Warner Brothers has announced consideration of making a movie adaptation of
Spring Awakening
.
McG is announced as being attached to direct.
[14]
References
- "Spring Awakening Review Roundup" (BroadwayWorld.com)
- Information about 2008 Grammy Awards
- www.broadway.tv "Broadway’s Hidden Treasures Revealed"
- Spring Awakening to Close January 18
- http://www.springawakening.com/cast_alumni.php
- Gans, Andrew and Hetrick, Adam."Spring Awakening Begins Pre-Tour Engagement in San Diego Aug. 15",playbill.com, August 2008
- Shenton, Mark."Spring Awakening Will Make U.K. Premiere in 2009 at Lyric Hammersmith" Playbill.com, May 19, 2008]
- Hetrick, Adam and Shenton, Mark.[1]
- http://www.operett.hu/operett.php?pid=show&rId=61&mId=2907&evad=4
- http://www.malmoopera.se/d/1/3114
- http://www.springawakening.co.kr
- http://www.musicalvienna.at/
- http://www.springawakening.fi
- http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i89d7632ddc985bd12f9141028a416f81