Theater Review: 'Spring Awakening' at Castle Craig Players

Review by Nancy Sasso Janis

Castle Craig Players have chosen to take on the musical “Spring Awakening” as their summer musical and they have put together a strong and touching production that continues through Aug. 11 and all remaining performances are sold out.

“Spring Awakening” is the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, with book and lyrics by Steven Sater and beautiful music by Duncan Sheik, is based on the play by Frank Wedekind. Castle Craig uses five pit musicians to play the score, directed by Music Director Jill Brunelle. Oliver Kochol directs the ambitious musical that presents many directorial challenges. Melanie del Sole served as assistant director and before the matinee began told patrons that she was thrilled to see the show come alive on the Castle Craig stage.

The story is set in a very provincial German town in the 1890s and achingly tells the story of teenagers discovering their adolescent sexuality as they navigate the pressures of young adult life amid the uptight views of their elders.

In this production, I appreciated the humor in “My Junk” and the choreography in the musical numbers that include profanity in their titles. Much of the strong blocking when the entire cast filled the stage was very effective in drawing the audience into the action.

The voice of Jocelyn Titus is the perfect one for the character of Wendla Bergmann. Titus, who played the role of Ilse in the Brookfield Theatre production of “Spring Awakening,” gives a heartfelt performance in her role. Hunter Smith gives a wonderful performance as Melchior Gabor, the intelligent student with some radical ideals who falls in love with Wendla. Smith most recently appeared as Trevor in Center Stage’s production of “The Play that Goes Wrong.”

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All of the other girls are well-played by young actors. Coleman Toomey, a graduate of Emerson College, portrays the wounded Martha and Katerina Levasseur, the dedicated social media manager for Landmark Community Theatre, takes on the role of Anna. The talented Jennifer del Sole plays the young Ilse, who was kicked out of an abusive home and lives in an artists' colony, and Ella Miller, a rising senior at Muhlenberg College, is Wendla's best friend Thea. The ensemble includes Samantha Storm, Katie Kirtland, Finn Lambert and the always busy Kate Stango.

The boys are brought to life by a group of talented male presenting performers. Stephen Koehler plays Otto and Nick Ciasullo takes on the role of Hanschen. Ethan Bazinet plays Ernst and Henry Tobelman, who has been on stage for nearly 20 years, shines in the role of Georg. Mason Andrew gets to play his dream role of Moritz, Melchior's tormented best friend. Oh, when the guys sing together, it is a joy to behold.

Becky Rodia Schoenfeld plays all of the adult women that appear in the show in her Castle Craig debut and she commits to all of them, as does Mark Gilchrist as every one of the adult men in the script.

Todd Santa Maria smartly choreographed the stylized musical numbers and Ciasullo stepped up to serve as assistant musical director. Kathryn Lewis designed the costumes for the young students and the adults who interact with them to evoke the era of “Spring Awakening.” The set design by the director and his assistant includes double doors that open to reveal the iconic tree. Larry Klein was the scenic artisan. Lighting by Kilary Lang is impressive in this intimate space. Intimacy Coach helped the young performers, most of whom are making their Castle Craig debut, to navigate the challenging elements of the script.

Castle Craig has been presenting live theater in the heart of downtown Meriden since 1992. The next production is “Count Dracula,” with auditions scheduled for Aug, 15,16 and 18 and performances to run Oct. 18 through Nov. 3. Visit their website for information.

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Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theater reviews since 2012 as a way to support local venues, and she posts well over 100 reviews each year. She became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle in 2016. Her contributions of theatrical reviews, previews, and audition notices are posted in the Naugatuck Patch as well as the Patch sites closest to the venue. She is also a feature writer and theater reviewer for the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column IN THE WINGS and theater reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the newspaper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and Connecticut Theatre Previews and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the CCC Facebook page.