The 5th Ave production of Spring Awakening is brilliant. The story and music are captivating. The artistry, creativity, and expressive direction support the story in a way that creates a frame for the audience to share in the turbulent experience of the cast - where the show comes alive. The energy and passion of the young cast are intoxicating. The acting and musical talent on display are outstanding and, at moments, mesmerizing. If they are the future, the future of professional theater in Seattle is strong. Before going, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the story (and backstory). The topics covered are suited for young adult and adult audiences. Most importantly, come with an open mind and heart. Audiences would do well to experience Spring Awakening with the same mindset that Ricky Spaulding (Melchior) urged the audience to have after the first preview night: "Take time to listen to a young person in your life."

It was vibrant and exciting but in upper center seats C-102 the audio was so garbled in uninteigible we only understtod about 15% ot the voice and lyrics. We were in great seats on Saturday nite first performance. We heard audience laughter from below but had no idea what the humor was unfortunately. . Wish there could have been subtitles or full script provided. No childre of prudish mothers! Can the audio be fixed?

This seems quite the departure for the 2024 season at the 5th. Music and lyrics not really enjoyable, could not follow the story, in part due to poor audio, and the older male characters all played by one actor, could not at times tell who was supposed to be on stage (similar for the adult female character, but costuming here helped immensely). I read all the material the theater sent out before the performance, yet I was still not prepared for, nor did I full appreciate, the whole show and it's concepts. If this was the first production I had ever seen at the 5th, I probably would not return. Individual performances were amazing, but the material and presentation lacked (a lot). A similar set of 'heavy' topics presented to season ticket holders at the ACT with Cambodian Rock Band, but that was superbly done. While Spring Awakening deals with serious ideas, I came away more annoyed at the production, then pondering the message(s).