Based on the Frank Wedekind play of the same name, the musical
I am so impressed by this young cast.
The story follows three central characters; Wendla, Melchior and Moritz; who are in the midst of trying to wrestle their way through feelings of attraction to the opposite sex. Endla is patronised by her mother who seeks to keep her innocent, Moritz is haunted by dreams with images of women and Melchior is the knowledgeable atheist, all too willing to share what he has learned. This story has an equally demanding script and score that requires a real maturity and that whilst perfect for a young cast in its subject matter, is a massive musical ask.
Fife Youth Arts musical theatre company are truly an impressive thing to watch, both in their approach to the material but also in their approach to the direction and choreography. Spring Awakening has become a well-known musical and by this measure could be hard to present as fresh. By using Scottish accents, modernising the costumes and making some really original choices with their characterisation, I felt like I was watching something totally new, with the music I already loved. Morgan Wilcox handles the character of Wendla gracefully and delivered a truly haunting rendition of Whispering. Robin Mackenzie also tackled his part with energy and despite not being note-perfect (it's worth remembering, as mentioned above, how challenging this musical is, especially with the falsetto in the male parts) didn't let this get in the way of an otherwise polished performance.
I am so impressed by this young cast and am truly excited to see what the future may hold for them.
