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Spring Awakening
First performed in Germany in 1906, Frank Wedekind's controversial play Spring Awakening closed after one night in New York in 1917 amid charges of obscenity and public outrage. For the better part of the twentieth century Wedekind's intense body of work was largely unpublished and rarely performed. Yet the play's subject matter—teenage desire, suicide, abortion, and homosexuality—is as explosive and important today as it was acentury ago. Spring Awakening follows the lives of three teenagers, Melchior, Moritz, and Wendl, as they navigate their entry into sexual awareness. Unlike so many works that claim to tell the truth of adolescence, Spring Awakening offers no easy answersor redemption.
Today, one hundred years after the play's first performance, a new musical version of this essential modern masterpiece is being hailed as the "best new musical . . . in a generation" (John Heilpern, The New York Observer). Franzen's version of the text—for so long poorly served in English—is unique in capturing the bizarre and inimitable comic spirit that animates almost every line of this unrelentingly tragic play. There couldn't be a better time for this thrilling, definitive new translation.
Today, one hundred years after the play's first performance, a new musical version of this essential modern masterpiece is being hailed as the "best new musical . . . in a generation" (John Heilpern, The New York Observer). Franzen's version of the text—for so long poorly served in English—is unique in capturing the bizarre and inimitable comic spirit that animates almost every line of this unrelentingly tragic play. There couldn't be a better time for this thrilling, definitive new translation.
98 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1891
About the author
Frank Wedekind
377 books84 followersFrank Wedekind was a German dramatist whose bold, unconventional plays reshaped modern theatre by challenging social norms and exposing the hypocrisies of bourgeois morality, especially around sexuality. Raised between Germany and Switzerland and drawn early to travel, performance, and satire, he lived an eclectic life that included work in advertising, time with a circus, and a celebrated stint as a cabaret performer with the influential troupe Die elf Scharfrichter. His fearlessness as both writer and performer made him a central figure in the artistic circles of Munich, where his sharp wit and provocative themes influenced a new generation of socially critical satirists. His early play Spring Awakening caused an uproar for its frank depictions of adolescent sexuality, repression, and violence, while his two-part “Lulu” cycle introduced a character whose rise and fall exposed society’s fascination with desire and destruction. These works challenged censorship, pushed theatrical boundaries, and later inspired films, operas, and adaptations across decades. Wedekind’s personal life was intense and often turbulent, marked by complicated relationships, creative restlessness, and brushes with authority, including a prison sentence for lèse-majesté after publishing satirical poems. His marriage to the actress Tilly Newes brought both devotion and strain, reflected in the emotional swings of his later years. Even near the end of his life, recovering from surgery, he returned to the stage too soon, driven by the same energy that fueled his art. His influence extended well beyond his death, resonating through the Weimar era and shaping the development of expressionism and later epic theatre. Many of his works were translated, staged, or adapted by major artists, ensuring that his confrontational spirit and fearless exploration of human desire would remain part of the theatrical canon.
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April 18, 2013Featuring abortion, suicide, a homosexual kiss and some masochism this play about German teenagers first published in 1891 is frequently still controversial when staged. I suppose teenagers will be teenagers while audiences will be disturbed that children don't remain so.
September 12, 2020
Einer meiner Nachhilfeschüler mit Migrationshintergrund fragte mich, ob ich ihm beim Verständnis seiner Schullektüre helfen könnte. So kam es, dass ich Frühlings Erwachen las, das ich nur von einer mehr als 30 Jahre zurückliegenden Aufführung im Stuttgarter Wilhelma-Theater kannte. Mir war noch in Erinnerung, dass es sich um ein Aufklärungsstück handelte. Daher erwartete ich eine etwas angestaubte Young Adult Lektüre. Angestaubt, da sexuelle Aufklärung heute in der Regel schon in der 6. Klasse im Biologieunterricht der Schule geleistet wird. Und auch schon in der Grundschule werden die meisten Schülerinnen und Schüler altersgemäß an die Frage herangeführt, woher Kinder kommen. Auch die koedukative Erziehung hilft, dass die Lebenswelten von Jungen und Mädchen heute nicht mehr so grundlegend voneinander unterscheiden. Das bedeutet natürlich nicht, dass Teenager-Schwangerschaften heute nicht mehr vorkommen und in anderen Ländern auch heute noch zu heimlichen Abtreibungen bei „Engelsmacherinnen“ führen.
Frühlings Erwachen geht aber weiter. Dort kommt auch Homosexualität Gewalt – einschließlich sexueller - gegen Kinder zur Sprache, etwa wenn Martha klagt: Papa schlägt mich krumm, und Mama sperrt mich drei Tage ins Kohlenloch. oder Ich lag auf der Erde und schrie und heulte. Da kommt Papa. Ritsch – das Hemd herunter. Und auch Kinderprostitution, wenn auch verbrämt mit der Bonhomie einer Künstlerkolonie unter dem Namen (sic!) Priapia - für den Nicht-Lateiner: Priapus war ein römischer Fruchtbarkeitsgott mit überlangem Glied -, mit der sich Ilse, die ehemalige Klassenkameradin der Hauptpersonen, durchschlägt. Sicherlich erinnern einige der Künstlernamen nicht nur zufällig an Maler jener Zeit, deren jugendliche Modelle häufig auch ihre „Gespielinnen“ waren. Wedekind selbst hatte, wie wir aus seinen Tagebüchern wissen, in seiner Pariser Zeit eine Vorliebe für juvenile Prostituierte.
Leider ist das zweite Hauptthema, jugendlicher Selbstmord, immer noch aktuell. Und auch Schulversagen ist weiterhin ein Grund für diesen schrecklichen Schritt. Wobei ich hoffen möchte, dass ich und meine Kollegen nicht mehr so grausliche Lehrer sind, wie jene Abziehbilder, denen Wedekind die Namen Sonnenstich, Knüppeldick, Fliegentod und Hungergurt gibt. Jene Herren reagieren völlig gefühllos auf die Nachricht vom Tod eines Schülers und trachte nach Moritz Suizid vorrangig danach einen Schuldigen unter den Mitschülern zu finden, was ihnen mit Melchior und seiner selbstverfassten Aufklärungsschrift auch gelingt. Seine Weigerung vor dem versammelten Kollegium sich von der Schrift zu distanzieren (Ich habe nicht mehr und nicht weniger geschrieben, als was eine Ihnen sehr bekannte Tatsache ist! … Ich ersuche Sie, mir einen Verstoß gegen die Sittlichkeit in der Schrift zu zeigen!) erinnert sehr an den Auftritt Martin Luthers vor Kaiser Karl V. am Reichstag zu Worms („Ich kann und will nicht widerrufen, … es sei denn, dass ich mit Zeugnissen der Heiligen Schrift … widerlegt werde.“). Und ähnlich wie der Kaiser gehen die tumben Lehrer nicht auf die Aufforderung ein, sondern relegieren Melchior von der Schule. Nachdem seine Eltern, die ihm bisher Freiheit gelassen und zu ihm gehalten haben, erfahren, dass er Wendla geschwängert hat, endet er in einer Besserungsanstalt.
Doch nicht nur das Verhalten der Lehrer, sondern auch Melchior selbst, forderten mich zum Widerspruch heraus. Zu sehr drängt er sich als „Held“ bzw. „Opfer“ auf. Dabei sind seine Einstellung und sein Verhalten hochgradig selbstsüchtig. Nicht nur verweigert er seinem Freund Moritz moralischen Zuspruch als dieser von seinen Seelenqualen berichtet – ja er scherzt noch über Selbstmord als Ausweg -, sondern fühlt sich im Recht seine Seligkeit zu erkämpfen, sprich Wendla zu vergewaltigen. Ihr mehrmaliges . Nicht! Nicht, Melchior“ gellt wie die Vorwegnahme des aktuellen „No means no.“
Aber auch Wedekind verärgert mich. Nicht nur, dass der weibliche Sexualität und Leidenschaft nur als rein passiv auf Mutterschaft gerichtet darstellt, sondern er zeigt in der völlig überflüssigen sechsten Szene des zweiten Aktes eine glückliche Wendla, so als lasse ihr Melchiors Gewaltakt in einem besseren Lichte erscheinen lassen. Kein Wort von Trauma, Schmutz und Angst. Ich hoffe, dass moderne Aufführungen diese Szene unter den Teppich fallen lassen. Trotz dieser Kritik bin ich beeindruckt von der Frische dieses Dramas und davon, wieviel es auch gegenwärtigen Generationen von Jugendlichen, deren Eltern und Lehrern noch zu erzählen hat.
Frühlings Erwachen geht aber weiter. Dort kommt auch Homosexualität Gewalt – einschließlich sexueller - gegen Kinder zur Sprache, etwa wenn Martha klagt: Papa schlägt mich krumm, und Mama sperrt mich drei Tage ins Kohlenloch. oder Ich lag auf der Erde und schrie und heulte. Da kommt Papa. Ritsch – das Hemd herunter. Und auch Kinderprostitution, wenn auch verbrämt mit der Bonhomie einer Künstlerkolonie unter dem Namen (sic!) Priapia - für den Nicht-Lateiner: Priapus war ein römischer Fruchtbarkeitsgott mit überlangem Glied -, mit der sich Ilse, die ehemalige Klassenkameradin der Hauptpersonen, durchschlägt. Sicherlich erinnern einige der Künstlernamen nicht nur zufällig an Maler jener Zeit, deren jugendliche Modelle häufig auch ihre „Gespielinnen“ waren. Wedekind selbst hatte, wie wir aus seinen Tagebüchern wissen, in seiner Pariser Zeit eine Vorliebe für juvenile Prostituierte.
Leider ist das zweite Hauptthema, jugendlicher Selbstmord, immer noch aktuell. Und auch Schulversagen ist weiterhin ein Grund für diesen schrecklichen Schritt. Wobei ich hoffen möchte, dass ich und meine Kollegen nicht mehr so grausliche Lehrer sind, wie jene Abziehbilder, denen Wedekind die Namen Sonnenstich, Knüppeldick, Fliegentod und Hungergurt gibt. Jene Herren reagieren völlig gefühllos auf die Nachricht vom Tod eines Schülers und trachte nach Moritz Suizid vorrangig danach einen Schuldigen unter den Mitschülern zu finden, was ihnen mit Melchior und seiner selbstverfassten Aufklärungsschrift auch gelingt. Seine Weigerung vor dem versammelten Kollegium sich von der Schrift zu distanzieren (Ich habe nicht mehr und nicht weniger geschrieben, als was eine Ihnen sehr bekannte Tatsache ist! … Ich ersuche Sie, mir einen Verstoß gegen die Sittlichkeit in der Schrift zu zeigen!) erinnert sehr an den Auftritt Martin Luthers vor Kaiser Karl V. am Reichstag zu Worms („Ich kann und will nicht widerrufen, … es sei denn, dass ich mit Zeugnissen der Heiligen Schrift … widerlegt werde.“). Und ähnlich wie der Kaiser gehen die tumben Lehrer nicht auf die Aufforderung ein, sondern relegieren Melchior von der Schule. Nachdem seine Eltern, die ihm bisher Freiheit gelassen und zu ihm gehalten haben, erfahren, dass er Wendla geschwängert hat, endet er in einer Besserungsanstalt.
Doch nicht nur das Verhalten der Lehrer, sondern auch Melchior selbst, forderten mich zum Widerspruch heraus. Zu sehr drängt er sich als „Held“ bzw. „Opfer“ auf. Dabei sind seine Einstellung und sein Verhalten hochgradig selbstsüchtig. Nicht nur verweigert er seinem Freund Moritz moralischen Zuspruch als dieser von seinen Seelenqualen berichtet – ja er scherzt noch über Selbstmord als Ausweg -, sondern fühlt sich im Recht seine Seligkeit zu erkämpfen, sprich Wendla zu vergewaltigen. Ihr mehrmaliges . Nicht! Nicht, Melchior“ gellt wie die Vorwegnahme des aktuellen „No means no.“
Aber auch Wedekind verärgert mich. Nicht nur, dass der weibliche Sexualität und Leidenschaft nur als rein passiv auf Mutterschaft gerichtet darstellt, sondern er zeigt in der völlig überflüssigen sechsten Szene des zweiten Aktes eine glückliche Wendla, so als lasse ihr Melchiors Gewaltakt in einem besseren Lichte erscheinen lassen. Kein Wort von Trauma, Schmutz und Angst. Ich hoffe, dass moderne Aufführungen diese Szene unter den Teppich fallen lassen. Trotz dieser Kritik bin ich beeindruckt von der Frische dieses Dramas und davon, wieviel es auch gegenwärtigen Generationen von Jugendlichen, deren Eltern und Lehrern noch zu erzählen hat.
June 3, 2022
war der typ auf crack?
November 5, 2010
First thing's first. I need to clarify why I'm only giving this mind blowing musical three stars.
This is not a script to be read, but to be seen.
The script itself is poignant, beautiful and heart wrenching, but there are times when just words don't cut it. Sometimes you need to see the faces, hear the voices -- the strain in Moritz's voice, the heaving sadness of Wendela -- to really understand and feel what's happening. It is a script, so there are stage directions, but that is not enough.
The story is beautifully told and incredibly haunting. It's about the struggle to understand and accept yourself for who you are. It's a story about love and growing up. It's a story about ignorance and people who just don't understand. It's a story about sex and what parents "don't want their kids to know". It's a story about everyone who has ever sat back and wondered "Why is this happening to me?"
If you want to read this script, by all means do it. I am certainly not discouraging it in any way, but do yourself a favor and at least pick up the soundtrack too. Listening to it while you read provides a much more satisfying experience. Better yet, go see it and then read it. You'll have a much better understanding and you'll really be able to appreciate the wonderful writing.
This is not a script to be read, but to be seen.
The script itself is poignant, beautiful and heart wrenching, but there are times when just words don't cut it. Sometimes you need to see the faces, hear the voices -- the strain in Moritz's voice, the heaving sadness of Wendela -- to really understand and feel what's happening. It is a script, so there are stage directions, but that is not enough.
The story is beautifully told and incredibly haunting. It's about the struggle to understand and accept yourself for who you are. It's a story about love and growing up. It's a story about ignorance and people who just don't understand. It's a story about sex and what parents "don't want their kids to know". It's a story about everyone who has ever sat back and wondered "Why is this happening to me?"
If you want to read this script, by all means do it. I am certainly not discouraging it in any way, but do yourself a favor and at least pick up the soundtrack too. Listening to it while you read provides a much more satisfying experience. Better yet, go see it and then read it. You'll have a much better understanding and you'll really be able to appreciate the wonderful writing.
December 17, 2007
An interesting play, that's probably as taboo now as it would have been a hundred years ago. Teen suicide, sadistic and masochistic acts, teen sex, murder, moping, masturbation and depression. On top of all these 'disturbing' elements are some very humorous moments and wonderfully written moments of adult (as in grown-ups, not as a euphenism for dirty) banality and absurdity.
November 8, 2026
Awakening Redux
A review of the Applause Theatre Book Publishers paperback (2000) of a 1958 translation by Eric Bentley from the original German language Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie (1891).
I reviewed an earlier 1912 translation of Spring Awakening as A Tragedy of Puberty shortly after seeing the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production here in Toronto. That was a very bare bones edition and I wanted to read this enhanced edition with its very thorough 10-part introduction by translator Eric Bentley which added an immense amount of background history to the first printing of the play and its various (usually censored) productions in its early years.
This edition rates an extra star for that 41 page Introduction as well as the footnotes provided by Bentley to the play text itself, usually pointing out where scripture is quoted or misquoted or misattributed. Bentley's 1958 translation is more succinct than the earlier 1912 one, as you can probably tell if you do an A/B comparison between the passage quoted above and its equivalent in my other review.
The Trivia and Links below are simply copied over from my earlier review.
Trivia and Links
You can read further about the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto here and read its programme booklet/playbill here. There is also a production trailer which you can view on YouTube here.
This 1912 translation of Spring Awakening is in the Public Domain and you can read it online or download it at Project Gutenberg here.
The original German language play Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie is in the Public Domain and can be read online at Projekt Gutenberg here.
A review of the Applause Theatre Book Publishers paperback (2000) of a 1958 translation by Eric Bentley from the original German language Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie (1891).
WENDLA. Tell me, Mother! Don't scold me for asking. I'm ashamed. Just answer. How does it happen?—— You can't seriously expect me to believe in the stork --- at fourteen.
MRS. BERGMANN. Good gracious, child, the things you think of --- I really couldn't!
WENDLA. Why not? --- It can't be nasty when everyone is so pleased about it. - (excerpt from Act II Scene 2.
I reviewed an earlier 1912 translation of Spring Awakening as A Tragedy of Puberty shortly after seeing the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production here in Toronto. That was a very bare bones edition and I wanted to read this enhanced edition with its very thorough 10-part introduction by translator Eric Bentley which added an immense amount of background history to the first printing of the play and its various (usually censored) productions in its early years.
This edition rates an extra star for that 41 page Introduction as well as the footnotes provided by Bentley to the play text itself, usually pointing out where scripture is quoted or misquoted or misattributed. Bentley's 1958 translation is more succinct than the earlier 1912 one, as you can probably tell if you do an A/B comparison between the passage quoted above and its equivalent in my other review.
The Trivia and Links below are simply copied over from my earlier review.
Trivia and Links
You can read further about the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto here and read its programme booklet/playbill here. There is also a production trailer which you can view on YouTube here.
This 1912 translation of Spring Awakening is in the Public Domain and you can read it online or download it at Project Gutenberg here.
The original German language play Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie is in the Public Domain and can be read online at Projekt Gutenberg here.
June 1, 2010
Usually, I find reading plays a poor second to seeing them performed, but some plays are simply unplayable. Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening (Frühlings Erwachen) comes into that category. Apart from the problem of most of the characters being young teenagers (adults playing children never works), the play needs space and quiet for the audience to think in. There is little of that in a musical or noisy West End show.
Like Ibsen, Wedekind briefly mentions events and then leaves us to fill in the blanks. He may tell us the answer later, or he may not. He teases us briefly with the fourteen year-old who is sick every morning, and only implies Frau Schmidt’s rôle in the matter. Similarly, he goes into immense detail about the facts-of-life essay written by a teenage boy, but leaves us to work out that this has nothing to do with the suicide.
The lies and evasions told by parents and teachers to each other to explain their inadequate parenting are the core of the play, but only as long as the audience can read between the lines. At least we can pause, think, and go back when we read the play. There is no hope of that in a musical.
The censors who banned Spring Awakening in the 19th century were afraid audiences would “awaken” to the fact that social restrictions are there to keep the lower orders in their place. No wealthy parent need worry about their child having a cheap back-street abortion or failing an examination. Money buys sensible solutions to these adolescent crises. The censors need not have worried, as modern performances prove.
Like Ibsen, Wedekind briefly mentions events and then leaves us to fill in the blanks. He may tell us the answer later, or he may not. He teases us briefly with the fourteen year-old who is sick every morning, and only implies Frau Schmidt’s rôle in the matter. Similarly, he goes into immense detail about the facts-of-life essay written by a teenage boy, but leaves us to work out that this has nothing to do with the suicide.
The lies and evasions told by parents and teachers to each other to explain their inadequate parenting are the core of the play, but only as long as the audience can read between the lines. At least we can pause, think, and go back when we read the play. There is no hope of that in a musical.
The censors who banned Spring Awakening in the 19th century were afraid audiences would “awaken” to the fact that social restrictions are there to keep the lower orders in their place. No wealthy parent need worry about their child having a cheap back-street abortion or failing an examination. Money buys sensible solutions to these adolescent crises. The censors need not have worried, as modern performances prove.
October 2, 2026
A Tragedy of Puberty
A review of the Project Gutenberg eBook (2011) public domain copy of the Brown Brothers hardcover (1912) of a translation by Francis J. Ziegler from the original German Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie (1891).
I saw Spring Awakening at the 2026/27 Season Opener play for Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre and as per usual I just had to read* the play as well, particularly to see where the production might have diverged from the original script. Most of shock is still on the page, but stage directions are not always explicit or do not even exist there, so some adaptation and interpretation is to be expected.
There was certainly enough there in the beginning that playwright Frank Wedekind had to pay to publish his own script in Zurich in 1891 as no one in Germany would dare to print it. Even then, it was not performed on stage until 1906. So you have German teenagers in the 1880s going through puberty, many of whom are oblivious to the "birds and the bees," and often lied to by their parents and roughly disciplined by their school and church masters.
Through the various lies and suppression you end up with acts of sadomasochistic caning and whipping, individual and group masturbation, pornographic writings, rape (or seduction it is not necessarily clear), a botched abortion, a suicide, expulsion from school to a reformatory, a teenage discovery of homosexual love, and it all ends with a zombie / ghost and a deus ex machina finale in a graveyard. Did I leave anything out? Maybe so, as the shocks carried on and on.
The front covers of the original 1891 German language edition and the 2011 Project Gutenberg edition.
The production I saw had its script adapted by director Paolo Santalucia, without a specific translation credited, but most of the scenes were intact. The roles were trimmed in several instances and doubling allowed for a leaner production cast. Specifically, father characters were dropped, leaving mothers as the main parents. The schoolmasters/pastor were represented by only 2 characters rather than the several** in the original. The main switch was that the seemingly supernatural "Masked Man" character in the finale was instead played by Ilse, the extrovert teenager who had broken away from restrictions to live a bohemian lifestyle.
In any case, it was a thrilling production on the stage, and I rated that with a 5-star review. I trim that back to a 4-star for what was on the page, mostly for its period daring and theatrical history interest.
Curtain call for the cast of the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto. Image sourced from own photo.
Footnotes
* I read the Project Gutenberg copy of the 1912 translation as stated above. That edition is not listed on Goodreads, but I used this other edition of the Francis J. Ziegler translation as a proxy. Both editions are about the same length, the Gutenberg is slightly longer at 176 pages, but the 10 or so pages at the back end are mostly advertising.
** This meant dropping their names as well, so no laughs about Knüppeldick (Very Thick), Zungenschlag (Tongue Slap), Fliegentod (Death of Flies), Hungergurt (Belt of Hunger), or Knochenbruch (Bone Fracture).
Trivia and Links
You can read further about the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto here and read its programme booklet/playbill here. There is also a production trailer which you can view on YouTube here.
This 1912 translation of Spring Awakening is in the Public Domain and you can read it online or download it at Project Gutenberg here.
The original German language play Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie is in the Public Domain and can be read online at Projekt Gutenberg here.
A review of the Project Gutenberg eBook (2011) public domain copy of the Brown Brothers hardcover (1912) of a translation by Francis J. Ziegler from the original German Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie (1891).
WENDLA. Please mother, speak! Don't scold me for asking you about it. Give me an answer—— How does it happen?—— How does it all come about?—— You cannot really deceive yourself that I, who am fourteen years old, still believe in the stork.
FRAU BERGMANN. Good. Lord, child, but you are peculiar!—— What ideas you have!—— I really can't do that!
WENDLA. But why not, Mother?—— Why not?—— It can't be anything ugly if everybody is delighted over it!
I saw Spring Awakening at the 2026/27 Season Opener play for Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre and as per usual I just had to read* the play as well, particularly to see where the production might have diverged from the original script. Most of shock is still on the page, but stage directions are not always explicit or do not even exist there, so some adaptation and interpretation is to be expected.
There was certainly enough there in the beginning that playwright Frank Wedekind had to pay to publish his own script in Zurich in 1891 as no one in Germany would dare to print it. Even then, it was not performed on stage until 1906. So you have German teenagers in the 1880s going through puberty, many of whom are oblivious to the "birds and the bees," and often lied to by their parents and roughly disciplined by their school and church masters.
Through the various lies and suppression you end up with acts of sadomasochistic caning and whipping, individual and group masturbation, pornographic writings, rape (or seduction it is not necessarily clear), a botched abortion, a suicide, expulsion from school to a reformatory, a teenage discovery of homosexual love, and it all ends with a zombie / ghost and a deus ex machina finale in a graveyard. Did I leave anything out? Maybe so, as the shocks carried on and on.
The front covers of the original 1891 German language edition and the 2011 Project Gutenberg edition.
The production I saw had its script adapted by director Paolo Santalucia, without a specific translation credited, but most of the scenes were intact. The roles were trimmed in several instances and doubling allowed for a leaner production cast. Specifically, father characters were dropped, leaving mothers as the main parents. The schoolmasters/pastor were represented by only 2 characters rather than the several** in the original. The main switch was that the seemingly supernatural "Masked Man" character in the finale was instead played by Ilse, the extrovert teenager who had broken away from restrictions to live a bohemian lifestyle.
In any case, it was a thrilling production on the stage, and I rated that with a 5-star review. I trim that back to a 4-star for what was on the page, mostly for its period daring and theatrical history interest.
Curtain call for the cast of the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto. Image sourced from own photo.
Footnotes
* I read the Project Gutenberg copy of the 1912 translation as stated above. That edition is not listed on Goodreads, but I used this other edition of the Francis J. Ziegler translation as a proxy. Both editions are about the same length, the Gutenberg is slightly longer at 176 pages, but the 10 or so pages at the back end are mostly advertising.
** This meant dropping their names as well, so no laughs about Knüppeldick (Very Thick), Zungenschlag (Tongue Slap), Fliegentod (Death of Flies), Hungergurt (Belt of Hunger), or Knochenbruch (Bone Fracture).
Trivia and Links
You can read further about the 2026 Soulpepper Theatre production in Toronto here and read its programme booklet/playbill here. There is also a production trailer which you can view on YouTube here.
This 1912 translation of Spring Awakening is in the Public Domain and you can read it online or download it at Project Gutenberg here.
The original German language play Frühlings Erwachen: Eine Kindertragödie is in the Public Domain and can be read online at Projekt Gutenberg here.
January 9, 2021
Can't believe this is my first book of 2021, but hey, at least it helps my reading challenge.
I'm not probably going to write an actual review for this. It was a pretty decent musical with many themes that transcend its time and setting, so can't wait to analyze the shit out of them for class:' )
I'm not probably going to write an actual review for this. It was a pretty decent musical with many themes that transcend its time and setting, so can't wait to analyze the shit out of them for class:' )
January 8, 2023
gave up reading this for german class, watching the playmobil video now
November 3, 2018
The only thing I found shocking about this was how completely the adults were willing to leave their children in ignorance because of how it would offend their own delicate sensibilities. Then again, I'm reading this in 2018 rather than 1918. In other news, I've never read a Franzen book (he comes off as pretentious to me) but I found his take on the musical adaptation of Spring Awakening in the introduction to be amusing.
January 12, 2020
I seem to be the minority here but to me..this was absolute bullshit.
July 21, 2011
Having read this after watching the musical, it frustrates me even further that the musical version turned the rape scene into a love scene.. (although I'm not really buying the love scene anyway because Wendla had no real understanding of what was going on in both the play and musical). The rest of the changes are minor in comparison, I guess, but there were a lot of them. I do love that the themes of sexuality, education, religion, etc are still prevalent today in the same exact ways they are prevalent in the play, which was written in 1891. If anything this is a good reminder that being a teenager can totally suck.
May 31, 2022
Needed to read this for school and let me tell u: worst book EVER😭 wtf I didn’t even understand this book but anyways
July 23, 2022
3.5 stars that turned into 4! It's like when a rather ordinary caterpillar transforms into this gorgeous butterfly...or let's say moth, because moths are beautiful too, but in a rather dark, complex and at first glace hidden and unappreciated way. And so multi-facetted!
After finishing, I was kind of underwhelmed by the book, thinking "Okay. I've read it, what now?" While still feeling somewhat similar, the Wikipedia summary actually helped me a lot in understanding and appreciating all the satiric nuances and socio-critical themes depected in the play (yup, not even ashamed to admit that) Such a short book, really - and yet it has so much to offer! It's essentially about the contradiction between the 19th century's bourgeois sex morality (and the taboo of speaking about it) and the pressure of young adults in their season of sexual awakening who are strongly in need of a proper education in this matter. Similarly, it's describing the more general intolerance and closing-up of adults when confronted with the youth's (justified) curious questions and mental instability (the latter, after all, resulting from this very societal negligence and academic pressure) Here I especially loved the discrepancy between the adolescents having to study an immense load of quixotical subjects (arguably completely remote from real life and any pratical appliances) and them barely knowing anything about procreation-related matters other than it not being the stork who "brings the children" (note Wendla's mother still trying to sell that story to her 14-year-old daughter though...sweet summer child, erm, mother!) The novel has much more to it than there seems to be at first sight (read, actually) and I appreciate that immensely. It's ironically tragic, but in the most humorous way and by the most hypobolical means possible. Sadly I feel that most of it goes rather unnoticed at first and that it needs some proper reflection to be able to find and cherish all the brilliant facettes and details the book has to offer. It's really about so much more than "just" sexual discovery!
The last scene reminded me a lof of the ending of "The secret History" - my probably favourite ending of all time, and therefore another reason I really enjoyed "Frühlings Erwachen" as well. I just wish that there hadn't been such a hard juxtaposition or cut between scenes. A more fluent transition by adding more scenes would have done wonders for a more immediate appreciation of the book.
Still, an iconic read and I can't thank the tv show "How to sell drugs online" enough for helping me discover it! And of course the Wikipedia page for assisting me in its understanding and appreciation :)
PS1: I think it's fascinating to think about the parallels between Ilse and the masked man and how they (not) succeeded in convincing the other person of thr beauty/necessity of living.
PS2: Something probably weird about me - from time to time I tend to read up on catastrophes such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings. It's a rather concerning rabbit hole, but I think most people are morbid one way or another, and it helps me in viewing the world as not the innocent and idealistic place I always pretend it to be (just INFP things) ANYWAY, I was reading a lot about the Parkland shooting over the last couple of days. And now I've just read in the Wiki that there were actually posters for the theatre group's performance of "Spring Awakening" (the book's english title" in the shot-up class rooms. Coincidences are so weird sometimes.
After finishing, I was kind of underwhelmed by the book, thinking "Okay. I've read it, what now?" While still feeling somewhat similar, the Wikipedia summary actually helped me a lot in understanding and appreciating all the satiric nuances and socio-critical themes depected in the play (yup, not even ashamed to admit that) Such a short book, really - and yet it has so much to offer! It's essentially about the contradiction between the 19th century's bourgeois sex morality (and the taboo of speaking about it) and the pressure of young adults in their season of sexual awakening who are strongly in need of a proper education in this matter. Similarly, it's describing the more general intolerance and closing-up of adults when confronted with the youth's (justified) curious questions and mental instability (the latter, after all, resulting from this very societal negligence and academic pressure) Here I especially loved the discrepancy between the adolescents having to study an immense load of quixotical subjects (arguably completely remote from real life and any pratical appliances) and them barely knowing anything about procreation-related matters other than it not being the stork who "brings the children" (note Wendla's mother still trying to sell that story to her 14-year-old daughter though...sweet summer child, erm, mother!) The novel has much more to it than there seems to be at first sight (read, actually) and I appreciate that immensely. It's ironically tragic, but in the most humorous way and by the most hypobolical means possible. Sadly I feel that most of it goes rather unnoticed at first and that it needs some proper reflection to be able to find and cherish all the brilliant facettes and details the book has to offer. It's really about so much more than "just" sexual discovery!
The last scene reminded me a lof of the ending of "The secret History" - my probably favourite ending of all time, and therefore another reason I really enjoyed "Frühlings Erwachen" as well. I just wish that there hadn't been such a hard juxtaposition or cut between scenes. A more fluent transition by adding more scenes would have done wonders for a more immediate appreciation of the book.
Still, an iconic read and I can't thank the tv show "How to sell drugs online" enough for helping me discover it! And of course the Wikipedia page for assisting me in its understanding and appreciation :)
PS1: I think it's fascinating to think about the parallels between Ilse and the masked man and how they (not) succeeded in convincing the other person of thr beauty/necessity of living.
PS2: Something probably weird about me - from time to time I tend to read up on catastrophes such as terrorist attacks and mass shootings. It's a rather concerning rabbit hole, but I think most people are morbid one way or another, and it helps me in viewing the world as not the innocent and idealistic place I always pretend it to be (just INFP things) ANYWAY, I was reading a lot about the Parkland shooting over the last couple of days. And now I've just read in the Wiki that there were actually posters for the theatre group's performance of "Spring Awakening" (the book's english title" in the shot-up class rooms. Coincidences are so weird sometimes.
April 18, 2013
Poor or non-existent sex education can lead to such undesirable results as rape, suicide and teen-age pregnancy. Illegal abortion can lead to death.
Well, preaching to the converted, there. The trouble is that the un-converted are the kind of people who would get outraged by a play like this and try to ban its performance or publication. I would like to think the problem is not as severe now as at the time of its initial publication but here in Britain it is still possible for parents to prevent their children from attending sex-ed classes if they want to. The children of such parents seem likely to be the ones who stand in most need of it, though, so complacency is not an option.
The play itself is, in this version, short and readable and has a completely bizarre final act. Who is the masked man?
Well, preaching to the converted, there. The trouble is that the un-converted are the kind of people who would get outraged by a play like this and try to ban its performance or publication. I would like to think the problem is not as severe now as at the time of its initial publication but here in Britain it is still possible for parents to prevent their children from attending sex-ed classes if they want to. The children of such parents seem likely to be the ones who stand in most need of it, though, so complacency is not an option.
The play itself is, in this version, short and readable and has a completely bizarre final act. Who is the masked man?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2014
This is genuinely a good translation, but as is always the case with Jonathan Franzen, does he really have to be such an asshole about it? No translation but his is worth reading; no interpretation of the text but his is valid. Get over yourself, dude.
October 30, 2017
Ein wichtiges Theaterstück heutzutage wie seinerzeit! Ich kann mir gut vorstellen, wie sogar das heutige Publikum eine getreue Aufführung des Stückes als skandalös bezeichnen würde.
May 12, 2026
Warum sexuelle Aufklärung und der Zugang zu psychologischer Betreuung wichtig sind.
April 12, 2022
Teen suicide, teen sexuality, teen angst, curiousness, atheism, questioning, coming of age…all under the Victorian evangelical eye? Frank Wedekind is the man! Hahaha. I finally came around to reading, “Spring Awakening,” which one of my favorite musicals is based on. I knew going into it the musical took its own interpretation of the texts, which I think was necessary in order to relate to the modern generation that it was written for. However, I question why the topic of rape was left out in the musical. Maybe for the seriousness of it all, but if it was included it would have provided more depth and conversation around the characters. We look at Wendla and Melchoir as a romance in the musical, when in reality Wendla suffers because of Melchoir’s actions.
I think when one reads the original text of the play you have to read it as a complete opposite of the musical and to not expect a similar story. It’s a tragic-comedy of its time and not a morally driven play. The play and the musical are different, and portray differently, but I think that is okay in the end. The comedic innocence in the play is not really found in the musical, and I appreciate the levity that it brings. I have high regards for both works of art, and love the stories that each portray individually. I highly recommend reading the play if you’ve seen the musical to fully appreciate the words and the characters better.
I think when one reads the original text of the play you have to read it as a complete opposite of the musical and to not expect a similar story. It’s a tragic-comedy of its time and not a morally driven play. The play and the musical are different, and portray differently, but I think that is okay in the end. The comedic innocence in the play is not really found in the musical, and I appreciate the levity that it brings. I have high regards for both works of art, and love the stories that each portray individually. I highly recommend reading the play if you’ve seen the musical to fully appreciate the words and the characters better.
March 19, 2021
Ενα έργο που μιλάει για μια παρέα εφήβων που ανακαλύπτουν το σώμα τους, την σεξουαλικοτητα τους μέσα σε μια ασφυκτική κοινωνία που θεωρεί το γυμνό σώμα ντροπή. Βία, αυτοκτονία, έρωτας, ρομαντισμός μέσα σε αυτήν την κοινωνία που σε πνίγει. Γραμμένο το 1891,δυστυχώς φαντάζει σημερινό...
January 5, 2023
Kein Kommentar. Halt Schullektüre nh
April 27, 2024
Wortwörtliches Trauma.
June 8, 2025
head in hands....
April 22, 2022
A rollercoaster through the tragedies of adolescence.
October 25, 2015
The living are as such not to be pitied.
Don't let the title Spring Awakening fool you. This is an impressive piece about growing up. The underlying themes of this play are rather bleak. The issues are serious, deadly serious. Moral authorities –parents, school, church – are there to provide a compass for the adolescents, which eventually lead them astray, one way or another. In some cases the road to their respective hell is paved with good intentions, in other cases it's just plain ignorance. Somehow the author managed to add a little fun and wit to his story; sarcasm and satire too. For instance the choice of names for the teachers is extravagant. At the end there is even a little magical realism. I am sure Jens Bjørneboe would have enjoyed this play. Personally I would have preferred a novella, but that's just me.
Read it. It's good!
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July 5, 2022
This is my favourite musical.
In its original form, as a play, it is too dense to be enjoyable. There are no stage directions and everything feels like a long soliloquoy that it sometimes feels like nobody is talking to each other in this story. I don't feel like there are good conversational dynamics and lighthearted scenes in the script itself, that adaptations have now included, for the better.
I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you have seen it performed, especially as the musical.
It's still better than The Lulu Plays, by comparison those feel like a transgressive series of plays written "as practice" so that Wedekind would have the guts to write about the heavy themes in Spring Awakening (abortion suicide, and rape). There are many more ideas here than in The Lulu Plays, and Edward Bond does an excellent job describing it.
In its original form, as a play, it is too dense to be enjoyable. There are no stage directions and everything feels like a long soliloquoy that it sometimes feels like nobody is talking to each other in this story. I don't feel like there are good conversational dynamics and lighthearted scenes in the script itself, that adaptations have now included, for the better.
I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you have seen it performed, especially as the musical.
It's still better than The Lulu Plays, by comparison those feel like a transgressive series of plays written "as practice" so that Wedekind would have the guts to write about the heavy themes in Spring Awakening (abortion suicide, and rape). There are many more ideas here than in The Lulu Plays, and Edward Bond does an excellent job describing it.
July 23, 2012
My goodness.
I can't speak for how one would interpret this book if they only read it, and hadn't seen the show beforehand, but let me say, that when I read it, I see the play running through my mind's eye behind the words I read. It's mesmerizing as a show; loud and in your face with the music, though with incredibly tender moments. As a book though, you just fly through it, getting the little nuances that you missed or couldn't quite hear when you see it. Suddenly, the characters are left to your interpretation, rather than the actors'. Such a different experience and I think that everyone needs the book.
Of course, you have to see the show too. Now.
I can't speak for how one would interpret this book if they only read it, and hadn't seen the show beforehand, but let me say, that when I read it, I see the play running through my mind's eye behind the words I read. It's mesmerizing as a show; loud and in your face with the music, though with incredibly tender moments. As a book though, you just fly through it, getting the little nuances that you missed or couldn't quite hear when you see it. Suddenly, the characters are left to your interpretation, rather than the actors'. Such a different experience and I think that everyone needs the book.
Of course, you have to see the show too. Now.
January 31, 2021
Ich habe Frühlingserwachen für den Deutschunterricht als Hörbuch gehört und hatte dabei gemischte Gefühle. Eigentlich lese ich gerne Klassiker, mit der Ausnahme von Theaterstücken.
Zu diesem Buch muss ich allerdings sagen, dass es heutzutage einfach nicht mehr zeitgerecht ist. Leider ist es keiner der Klassike, die zeitlos aktuell sind. Vielleicht hat es damals einen wunden Punkt getroffen, aber mittlerweile ist Aufklärung zumindest hier in Deutschland keine Problematik mehr.
Die Charaktere waren recht symphatisch und haben gut in die Thematik gepasst, der Schreibstil ist gut verständlich, aber das waren meinerseits auch schon alle Pluspunkte. Schade.
Zu diesem Buch muss ich allerdings sagen, dass es heutzutage einfach nicht mehr zeitgerecht ist. Leider ist es keiner der Klassike, die zeitlos aktuell sind. Vielleicht hat es damals einen wunden Punkt getroffen, aber mittlerweile ist Aufklärung zumindest hier in Deutschland keine Problematik mehr.
Die Charaktere waren recht symphatisch und haben gut in die Thematik gepasst, der Schreibstil ist gut verständlich, aber das waren meinerseits auch schon alle Pluspunkte. Schade.
August 2, 2011
My favorite.
I mean I have tattoo of this musical...
Rating it 5 stars is an understatement.
EDIT: 2 of my tattoos are lyrics from this musical.
I mean I have tattoo of this musical...
Rating it 5 stars is an understatement.
EDIT: 2 of my tattoos are lyrics from this musical.
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