Spring Awakening

Initial Research

• How does Spring Awakening the Musical compare to the play written by Frank Wedekind in terms of plot and character?
  • The musical it a lot lighter in the sense that it dulls down the dark plot of the original play. The story line is still the same but certain bits have been altered in order to get the message cross but not come off as too direct and vivid. This makes a lot of sense considering when Moritz kills himself I don’t feel very upset, like I would want to if perhaps I saw the play and not the musical. I can’t always take musicals seriously either but Spring Awakening is an exception. I understand that it is a 19th century Germany, so it is a lot worse in those times yet I feel as if I need that disturbing imagery to feel the fall front of the situation; one many of us don’t struggle with in our modern day world.
  • There are three acts in the play instead of two in the musical.
  • Instead of willingly making love in the play, Melchior rapes Wendla, he does indeed regret it later but nothing can make up for what he’s done.
  • Moritz’s parents and the other parents around them at the funeral, in the play express their opinions on how his death was a selfish one and sinful, it goes against all acts of god. Imagine saying that about your own son, that really makes my blood boil, it’s their fault in the first place for being so strict as well as Melchior for laying it on him about sex, driving him to end his life!
  • In the musical that scene is taken out completely and the father is in fact distraught over the death of his only child like a father should be; a song replaces it entirely.
  • It is confirmed in the play that Wendla never loved Melchior making me hate him even more for putting her through all this. When she finds out she it pregnant with his child, her mother condemns her while she shouts back at her for not telling her the truth! Perhaps Melchior isn’t all to blame being the society they lived in was ruled by strict parents and horrible upbringing yet that is no excuse for him and now knowing this information I will never see him in the same light again.
  • Melchior never intended to meet with Wendla again in the play, he just so happened to run away from the reformatory and hid in the graveyard at the church discovering her tombstone.
  • The ending is more disturbing too, instead of singing with his lover and friend Melchior is visited by Moritz’s ghost who’s missing part of his head and is told how death is so much better than life. Melchior is about to give in and go with his friend into the afterlife but a masked man stops him, Moritz’s confesses his true feelings and admits death is not all that great but just wanted his friend back.
  • The masked man tells Melchior how Wendla died of an unnecessary abortion and that he has appeared to teach him the truth about life in order to rescue him from death.
  • Melchior bids his only real friend goodbye before he is guided away by the masked man.
  • Now I like the sound of the play a lot more than the musical, what exactly did that ending imply? Was Melchior taken to a far worse place then Moritz? Or did the mask man really want to help him? Was Moritz really wanting his friend back or perhaps torture him for what he did? Why didn’t Wendla come? I mean I wouldn’t want to see the man who raped me either but it is in fact very different from the musical the play as a whole and I wish I could go see it because I would be complete knowing the bits that were taken away by the musical all come from the original play and make up for the songs that replaced them. Don’t get me wrong I love most of the songs but the musical in my own personal opinion felt incomplete.