1st Night Photos: Spring Awakening for West End

The West End got a serious injection of cool last night as alt-rock musical Spring Awakening transferred to the Novello Theatre (26 March 2009, previews from 21 March).

Cast members of Skins and Hollyoaks, along with celebrities including pop singer Will Young and footballer Jermaine Pennant turned out in support of the show, which proved a hit after making its UK debut at the Lyric Hammersmith last month (See News, 19 May 2008).

Spring Awakening, which has music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, is based on the Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play of the same name about sexual discovery. Set in 19th-century Germany, the story centres on brilliant student Melchior, his troubled friend Moritz and Wendla, a beautiful girl on the verge of womanhood.

It features a young cast of relative unknowns, many of whom are making their professional stage debuts, led by Charlotte Wakefield (Wendla), Iwan Rheon (Moritz) and Aneurin Barnard as Melchior (See News, 24 Oct 2008).

TO SCROLL THROUGH ALL OF SPRING AWAKENING‘ 1st NIGHT PHOTOS,
JUST CLICK ON THE “NEXT >” LINKS BELOW THE FOLLOWING FRAME.
PHOTOS BY DAN WOOLLER FOR WHATSONSTAGE.COM.

For 1st Night Photos, our Whatsonstage.com photographer Dan Wooller was at the Novello, where guests included Samantha Bond, Kathryn Prescott, Kaya Scodelario, Lisa Backwell, Lily Loveless, Su Pollard, Carley Stenson, Emma Lori, Will Young, Jennifer Metcalfe and Jermain Pennant.

Spring Awakening premiered at New York’s Atlantic Theater Company in May 2006 and transferred that December to Broadway’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre. The Broadway production won eight trophies, including Best Musical, at last year’s Tony Awards (See News, 11 Jun 2007). It’s directed by Michael Mayer and choreographed by Bill T Jones, and is currently booking at the Novello until 31 October 2009.

– by Theo Bosanquet