Man, had I been looking forward to seeing this show. I had heard how good the sold-out Off-Broadway production was, and when I heard it was moving to Broadway, I wasn’t surprised. And after seeing composer Duncan Sheik perform songs from the show at a benefit show at Bowery Ballroom, I definitely knew I had to see it. The wait was certainly worth it.

Spring Awakening is not a new play; in fact it’s a 19th century play by German playwright Frank Wedekind. Famously banned for 71 years for controversial content, the topics it deals with are still relevant. Taking place in a small town, it follows the lives of the teenage boys and girls, their first sexual discoveries, and the chaos that ensues when their elders fail to arm them with the information they need. The show can be seen as a lesson in the importance of sex education for our youth, and it is, but it operates on many more levels than that.

And really, in an old story about teen angst, what way to make it more fresh and modern than to add a grunge rock score? Duncan Sheik, better known as a singer songwriter, has written a truly amazing score to help better tell the story of these kids. It’s not a new story, but having them pull microphones out of their school uniforms and thrash around and sing punk rock is definitely a new perspective on the old tale.

The cast is simply amazing. The ensemble cast of very young, un-famous actors, never fail to disappoint - best showcased in the uptempo, dancey, group numbers, such as “The Bitch of Living,” and “Totally Fucked” (the lyrics are riddled with intentional anachronisms).

Two complaints: 1) the parents don’t get their comeuppance or punishment for their puritanical ways and the ramifications it has on their children, which I guess is the point - the parent’s never blame themselves even tho it’s their fault- but it’s still frustrating and hard to watch. And 2) I never really quite got as emotionally invested in the characters as I had hoped - not sure where that fell flat, but it did, just a little.

I hope to God this show doesn’t get pimped out as the new Rent. Yes, they are both rock musicals about a group of young people, but the similarities end there. Spring Awakening is a complex, tragic, and subtle exploration of humanity, and is an important piece of theatre that really should be seen. Hopefully the rock score won’t be a turn-off to the more conservative of theatre goers, and it will have a long happy life on Broadway.