The other night, in the midst of what, for New York City, was a complete blizzard, I went to see the Broadway show Spring Awakening with my friend Kate and some other kids from the Honors College at Pace. And I have to say, I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this musical. In a word, it was fantastic, but I’ll give it much more than a word (and some spoilers to come, take warning).

Spring Awakening is an unapologetically provocative musical (based on a play) about sixteen year olds in Germany circa 1960. They’re grappling with rebellion, confusion, and sexual desire in an environment that more closely resembles the 1800’s than what is going on in the US at the same time. They learn what happens to those who go against the grain… and how such calamities could have been prevented if there was open communication between adults and children and respect for young people’s ideas. The show covers every squirm-worthy topic that you can think of–incest, domestic violence, sexism, masturbation, adolescent sexuality, adolescent homosexuality, homoeroticism, abortion, death, suicide–but with the show’s use of rock’n’roll, creative dancing, and electrifying lighting, it makes these hand-wringing topics incredibly energizing and inspiring.

Now, as the aforementioned raciness implies, this is not a musical for the weary–or for Republicans. There was a class of high schoolers sitting behind me and what appeared to be a conservative waspy couple sitting across the aisle from me, and neither seemed too comfortable with the subject matter. Personally, I am very liberal about talking about sex and intimate issues and I even felt a little squeamish during the more graphic scenes. The cast is pretty much all young people: when preparations for the show were being made, it was mostly young actors gearing up for their first major performances who were interested in the rarely-known venture… and it just so happened that Spring Awakening went on to win tons of awards. The original cast is still performing and I think that their youth (and perhaps slightly visible nervousness) gives the show an extra dose of authenticity.

I don’t think Spring Awakening is the new RENT (as some have been saying). While RENT was about challenging the status quo, it had a broader uplifting message of “Give in to love, or live in fear.” Spring Awakening, on the other hand, doesn’t go as much into the love your neighbor stuff, but rather encourages young people to challenge what has limited their creativity, style, and joie de vivre… and overthrow it. While the musical wasn’t perfect (I take issue with the concept that all teen sex in the media must result in pregnancy and death… and the scene involving two gay teenagers seemed to exist more for comic relief than for taking the gay kids’ issues just as seriously as the cute straight kids), it came pretty darn close to perfect. I think young people should come out in droves to see this show… and some of their parents might enjoy it, too, after popping a Valium and buying seats in the other side of the theatre. Grade: A+