ROOMIE SEZ

It may be cold outside but I've had a Spring Awakening.

Miss Meggie and her friends ventured from Lancaster to NYC this weekend which gave the two of us a great opportunity to not only catch up but to see a show... and boy did we see a show! I had heard the buzz and had some idea of the storyline (Germany, 1891, teenage self discovery) but what I didn't know was how sexually charged Spring Awakening would actually be.

This isn't your typical Broadway musical. No big voices, no elaborate sets. It is intimate to the core. So much so that you rightfully feel like an intruder witnessing the characters' cry for knowledge, physical intimacy and understanding; especially during the love scene shared by Melchoir ("Weeds" Hunter Parrish) and Wendla (Alexandra Socha). This young cast came out swinging. Their voices were pure yet raw, rocking the Sheik-score with honesty and passion.

I think the subtle touches are what made this show stand out and added to its boldness. I loved that while the boys' uniforms were just that uniform, their self expression couldn't be contained. It had to come out somewhere and it did -- their hair. Furthermore, I appreciated that while the stage was simple it still managed to transform from a school room to an Oak tree to a hay stack to a grave yard, carrying you throughout the story with uninterrupted adjustments.

The curtain closes on Spring Awakening January 18, 2009 and the Tkts Tkts booth has now reopened in Times Square. So if you are in the city support the Great White Way and see this show. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise tell them blah, blah, blah-blah, blah blah blah.