I have said before how LODS appear to be the society that aren't afraid to push boundaries and try put on shows other groups may shy away from. Spring Awakening is a hard-hitting, in-your-face musical that deals with sensitive issues and has a score that ranges from beautiful, haunting (traditional) ballads to modern sounding alternative rock pieces. You need a strong cast, with strong voices. As a show, it is a brave choice for any society, yet I was confident that LODS would do a good job, and I was not wrong.
From entering the auditorium to see the amazing set and the, I assume, intentionally uncomfortable cast entrances, right through to The Song of Purple Summer, I was captivated, held entranced by the story, so well portrayed.
Every single member of the cast played their roles / various roles, expertly.
James Cohen's Melchior was a joy to watch. His air of confidence never touched on cockiness and played so well against the pure innocence portrayed by Eva Tobin as Wendla. Matthew Wallace's Moritz was captivating. The tense, twitching nature of the character must have been exhausting to play.
All of the 'children' also added their individual truths to the story - I particularly enjoyed Rosie Munns' portrayal of Isle, Sam Blyth's playing of Hanschen and Jason Weir's Ernst.
The 'adults' played their roles expertly too.
One stand out scene for me was Mortiz's funeral - I was welling up during this - it was so well acted by every member of the cast.
The singing, without exception, was truly amazing - I would go so far as to say flawless. I cannot imagine the amount of work the cast and Musical Director, Rachel Plunkett, must have put in to make this happen.
I know that it is often the rock numbers that steal the show for many people - the contrast of the modern style against the setting in late 1800s - but for me it was the ballads that stood out. Maybe I am too much of a traditionalist.
However the stand out number, which emphasised the immense talent of the group, was The Song of Purple Summer. I was sat with my mouth literally open at the beautiful sounds that were coming from the stage. I have never really understood why the cast come on in modern clothing for this number, but it is as it is and it did not detract in this production due to the talent on stage.
It has been said before and will, no doubt, be said again; if you want West End quality performances, LODS is not going to disappoint.
Well done to the cast, creative team and crew of this amazing show.
LODS's next production si to be All Shook up in May 2019.