Huda AlBaqali

For a band of passionate musical theatre lovers and enthusiasts, the members of Queen’s Musical Theatre Society left the audience mesmerised with their amateur production of Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater’s Spring Awakening. The coming-of-age rock musical is based on the 1891 German play of the same name by Frank Wedekind— a play which has been banned or heavily censured for the controversial topics (at the time) that were explored within the play.

Spring Awakening is set in late 19th century Germany, an era not exactly known for being particularly liberal or progressive. The musical takes you through the journey of teenagers rebelling against the norms and discovering the trials and tribulations of exploring their own sexual desires and sexuality, both within themselves and in a society that is conservative and protected. This leads to a slightly comedic, but mostly tragic course of events that leave you, the audience, sympathising with the characters, hoping for a happy ending that won’t come.

The story itself is about the strength of friendship, the price of love and sexuality, about the consequences of caring about society’s criticism and its dangers, and about hope— hope that one day it won’t have to be like this. There are multiple sensitive topics explored in the musical— including suicide, rape, and back-alley-abortions. The production team warned the audience about these before and after the show, giving a list of helplines within the programme should an audience member need support after being faced by any triggering scenes. It was a kind gesture, and I was quite appreciative of the efforts by the society to care for the wellbeing of the show-goers. It shows that this isn’t just an empty effort by them, but that they care about what they do and the impact that they have.

This production of the musical was an entirely amateur run production and is Conor Anderson’s first experience as the director of a musical. The cast, however, was made up of members of the Queen’s Musical Theatre Society, all from various difference backgrounds (from drama students to engineers) and experience (some performing for the first time and some who are experts in the craft). The cast themselves were fantastic; within a span of a few months they were able to deliver a performance that was awe-inspiring, despite all the hurdles of preparing for a show in a post-COVID world. I had to stop myself from laughing out loud during many scenes, and I nearly teared up at Moritz’s tragic monologue. I truly felt captured by their performance.

It was privilege to watch such talented and passionate actors deliver such a captivating performances, including Moritz’s (played by Luke Allen) slightly comedic exploration of his newly budding sexuality and his tragic end, the heart-breaking love story of Wendla (played by Neve Wilkinson) and Melchior (played by Adam Madine), the pains and difficulties Martha (played by Serena Smart) and Ilse (played by Aine McConvey) experience from an abusive father, and the funny anecdotes provided by Hanschen (played by Jude Nicholl), and Georg (played by Shane Ferris). I was hooked.

Some of my favourite songs from their production of Spring Awakening included “Bitch of Living” and “Totally Fucked” which may or may not have made their way into my Spotify. Overall, I fell in love with the musical. I may be biased, but this was one of the best performances I’ve seen).

After witnessing such a wonderful show, I had questions I knew I had to get the answers to – so I spoke with a few of the members of the cast. Here’s what I’ve learned from talking to Adam and Jude:

Q: What is your favourite song/part from the show?

Jude: My favourite part of the whole show had to be the end of Act 1, “I Believe”. This number is so beautiful and is the pivotal moment in the whole play which ignites the decline of the second act. Conor’s staging was incredible, with each cast member coming out during a near blackout holding candles towards the young couple of Melchior and Wendla as they succumb to their attraction for each other. It is an incredible part of the show and one that gave me chills each night.

Adam: During our tech/dress rehearsal we all stood in a circle and sang the closing number, “Song of Purple Summer”, and I remember feeling like that was the moment it felt like it was all really ready to go, and I think there were a few of us welling up at that point. Also, my favourite to perform was “Those You’ve Known”, but my favourite to listen to now is “My Junk”.

Q: What was the most difficult thing to get right for your character in the show?

Jude: My character was certainly an interesting one to play, certainly my most challenging role to date! Certain scenes took a while to get through without flushing with embarrassment or laughing hysterically, however i think the whole experience was extremely rewarding and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone.

Adam: Melchior is a character who is at the same time very knowledgeable about how the world works but also still a naive teenager, so this was the hardest balance to get right for me. This was definitely the biggest role I’ve ever had the chance to play, so it had the most material I’ve ever had to cover. What I enjoyed most was getting to delve into this and, with the rest of the cast and director, get to know Melchior and how I wanted to play him.

Q: What are your feelings for the play now that it’s done?

Jude: I’m so extremely proud of what everyone in the cast and production team achieved. Spring Awakening is and will remain one of my favourite shows I have been a part of. We really knocked it out of the park this year, with everyone involved putting their everything into making it the best that it could be.

Adam: I still can’t listen to the soundtrack without getting emotional, so I think that says a lot…

Huda AlBaqali is a Business and IT student at Queen’s University Belfast

"I still can’t listen to the soundtrack without getting emotional"— QUB Musical Theatre Society performs Spring Awakening