EPAC successfully tackles controversial musical

Reviewed by George Basler

Director Patrick Foti calls Spring Awakening, which opened Thursday (July 19) at the Endicott Performing Arts Center, a descendant of West Side Story, the ground-breaking musical of a half century ago.

While the comparison might not be readily apparent, both shows deal with the raw emotions of young characters caught up in a world that can crush their dreams. And just as West Side Story pushed the envelope in terms of staging and themes seen on Broadway in the late 1950s, Spring Awakening does the same thing for contemporary audiences.