Spring Awakening

In the late 19th century, a German playwright named Frank Wedekind wrote a play sharply criticizing the sexually repressive culture of Germany at the time. Wedekind’s Spring Awakening covered a lot of ground in a single plot about a group of kids and the various tragedies that befall them as a result of insufficient information about sex. Over 100 years later, the play serves as the foundation for a new rock opera that has met with considerable acclaim on Broadway. Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik wrap the story around a mixture of punk-inspired alt-rock and traditional Broadway-style musical ballads. The Broadway production closed after a successful run in New York earlier this year. The touring production lives on, making it to Milwaukee this week, through Oct. 11.