Spring Awakening, which plays its first preview at the Lyric Hammersmith tonight, has already announced a two-week extension to its run at the West London venue, with performances now scheduled until 14 March.
Composer Duncan Sheik and lyricist Steven Sater’s new musical, which faces the press on 3 February, won eight Tony Awards when it played on Broadway and is being staged in London by the entire New York creative team, including director Michael Mayer and choreographer Bill T Jones.
Based on Frank Wedekind’s controversial play, Spring Awakening is set against a backdrop of religious and parental repression in 19th century Germany and tells the coming-of-age story of three school friends on a journey of personal discovery and sexual awakening as they approach adulthood.
For this London premiere the Lyric Hammersmith scoured the UK to assemble a cast of young actors aged 16-24 – many of whom are making their professional stage debut – led by Aneurin Barnard, Iwan Rheon and Charlotte Wakefield. They are joined by experienced actors and Royal Shakespeare Company regulars Sian Thomas (Fram, Kindertransport, Up For Grabs) and Richard Cordery (most recently seen in Waste at the Almeida theatre), who take on the adult roles.
CB