Fox Theatre

Spring Awakening Full of
Sexual Longing and Hard Lessons

by Nancy Larson


The coming-of-age musical Spring Awakening could have been set as long ago as the Neanderthal age or as far in the future as 2050. Because teenage angst and sexual curiosity are so timeless, it really doesn’t matter where this winner of seven Tony Awards, presented recently at the Fox Theatre, takes place.

That the story unfolded in late 19th century Germany is incidental. That its rock music blares loudly to lyrics that include the phrase “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah” is another reason that, if not for the knee pants and long skirts, you’d swear it was 2009.

These and other clothes start to come off late in Act I, though the nudity is partial and brief. The tryst involves Wendla , played by Christy Altomare, and Melchior, played by Kyle Riabko, who first meet in the woods and later do things Wendla’s mother has refused to explain to her. Thus, the girl has no idea their passion could result in pregnancy.

“We’re not supposed to …” begins Wendla, as the couple begins to hungrily explore each other.

“We’re not supposed to — what? Love?” asks Melchior.

While teachers, parents and other adults in their lives — all cleverly played by the same two characters to illustrate their sameness — try to keep the kids on lockdown, the teenagers are consumed with sexual thoughts informed by their urges but very few facts.

Their emotions blast from the stage in songs by Duncan Sheik, the themes of which vary from the pain of wanting (“The Bitch of Living”) to the erotic (“Touch Me”) to the hopeful (“The Song of Purple Summer”).

If you want to understand what your teenagers go through, revisit your own confusing loss of innocence or need a reminder of why knowledge is power, Spring Awakening is the ticket.

Family Arena - Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil’s Saltimbanco seduces the audience

by Nancy Larson

Cirque du Soleil’s arena show Saltimbanco — derived from an Italian phrase that literally means “to jump on a bench” — definitely will keep you on the edge of your seat. During a recent performance at the Family Arena in St. Charles, 49 artists wearing 1,200 costumes pieces of every color, four bungee swings and a trapeze for two add up to a fanciful treat that, at times, will catapult your heart into your throat.

The concept behind the Saltimbanco, which debuted in 1992, is billed as an urban exploration. The urban experience is illustrated by the frenetic activity of busy city streets — as realized an acrobatic trio, a steely-eyed juggler of seven balls — and the skyscrapers that tower above them, visualized through Chinese poles, trapeze and bungee acts. Whimsically dressed clowns and other mirthful characters frolic onstage between the can’t-believe-your-eyes performances for which Cirque du Soleil has become famous.

Songs sung in languages from Arabic to Swedish filled the arena as one act bested another — although there were a few missteps including a pole acrobat who literally fell.
High points, though, included a set of beautifully graceful, blonde trapeze twins who demonstrated a death-defying study in trust. As one of the women swung hundreds of feet above the stage, the other hung upside down, secured only by her bare feet holding onto the feet and ankles of her look-alike.

Another pair garnering loud applause was two men who showed off their brute strength — and bare chests — in a series of seemingly impossible stunts. In their final feat, one man squatted as the other did a one-handed handstand on the squatter’s head. The coup de grace came when the crouched man slowly rose to a standing position as the other strongman remained erect and upside down, still steadied only by his single hand on the head of his partner.

If you’ve seen one Cirque du Soleil show, you certainly haven’t seen them all. So even if you’re a veteran, it will be worth your while to step into the big tent to experience Saltimbanco.