Spring Awakening: In the Flesh

by David Cote

The official companion to the Broadway musical A heart-pounding score. A heartrending story. A barrier-breaking fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock&roll. No wonder "Spring Awakening" has awakened audiences like no other musical in years.

Based on the infamous 1891 Frank Wedekind play and featuring an original score by Grammy-nominated recording star Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater, "Spring Awakening" is a story of uncontrollable emotions and undeniable passions, of first loves and lasting regrets. Haunting and electrifying, the show celebrates the unforgettable journey into adulthood with a power and a poignancy that you will never forget.

"Spring Awakening: In the Flesh" is more than just a companion book -- it's a new opportunity to experience the show. Designed to resemble a vandalized book, this beautiful volume offers more than one hundred photographs, handwritten drafts of hit songs, original sketches of costumes and sets, an annotated, unabridged libretto, and unprecedented access to the hit show, making "Spring Awakening: In the Flesh" a must-have for fans of all ages.

Genres: Plays, Nonfiction, Theatre, Drama, Musicals, LGBT, Historical

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 2, 2008

Reviews

[Jaclyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dear friends Rebecca and Paul gave me this book knowing my LOVE of Spring Awakening. I loved this book. Being a theatrical person, it is always so incredible to me to read the in depth account of a show. This did not disappoint. Spring Awakening speaks to me on so many levels and I know the world of theatre is forever changed by this show.

[Nicole Pietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing musical. It's much more powerful to see and hear it, but read the script if you don't have a chance to see this show! It's real and that is why it was banned in Germany. Duncan Sheik's music brings this show to life. Yes, it is vulgar at times, and raw, and gritty, and truthful, and powerful. It is something you should experience at least once.

[danica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate you Steven Sater.

[lamb glass · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good god if I could remove something from my memory I would do nothing faster than god damned spring awakening. I have never hated a play with such intense disgust as I loathe this one.
Completely discordant in tone and story.
Also gave the world Lea Michelle so a curse upon yee.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw the show on Broadway before it won Tony Awards. This is a great companion book with stories and photos from making the show. Thumbs up.

[Madison Sheridan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic tour through the inception, writing, and production of this fantastic show, with the songs in there as well!!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really helped me on my journey of figuring out how I wanted to play Wendla, would recommend to fans of the show as well as actors set to perform in it.

[kaitlynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

[for class]

[Brighid Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.9. ⭐️ I only wish there had been more annotations on the songs, as they can be difficult to decipher at times, but other than that I absolutely loved it.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the show...not like "oh hey this show isn't like the typical musical I dig it" kind of love, but if you know and love the show in a bigger more important way then this book is awesome. Yeah its the book for Spring awakening geeks, there I said it. I saw the show multiple times and met the cast, and its producer, and what I love more about the show, than the show itself are the stories behind it. The way they composed the music, and sketches from how they came up with the amazing unconventional set (my favorite part) its all in this book. Its a lot like a book version of a "behind the scenes" you would get on a DVD except I think its a lot cooler and its a tribute to the shows awesome following, with how much the show effected its audience.
Also, you don't really sit down and read this book, its interactive, it has the script of the play and the book of the music, thoughts from Duncan Sheik, and Steven Sater, Tom Hulce and the original cast. It gives you a great look behind what theatre really is. None of the cast was famous before this show...Lea Michelle was not the source of Glee mania (which I personally cannot stand) at this point she was with this daring show since she was 12!, and John Gallagher Jr. left his audition for the show and had to be forced by his agent to go back because he just wanted to be in his band. If you're the kind of person who likes facts like that this books filled with them.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember after listening to samples of the music on Amazon how shocked I was that I really liked the music. I hadn't heard much about this show beyond the sexual content and obscure German origins, but I ordered the CD that night and I still love almost all of the songs today!
I had the opportunity to see the show when it came to Chicago and once again was surprised how much I enjoyed it. This time I knew I liked the music, but I wasn't sure how I would feel about the rest of it. It's actually really funny and there are a lot more characters in it than I realized.
Which leads me to the review of this book which I recently received as a gift. I love reading "making of" books and this one generally does not disappoint. The photos were great as were all the comments from the actors. That being said I was disappointed there wasn't more information about how each character fit into the story. I still don't really under what Ilse's story was. Was she related to Martha or just a friend of theirs? I admit I read everything except for the script (although I read all the annotations); I just don't like to read scripts. Overall it's a great read if you love the show!

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun read for anyone who loves not only this musical, but all musicals. I got mine right after I saw the touring show in San Francisco. The cast was awesome and so was the play. It's so much fun to get a in depth look at the original production.

Plus the hardcover copy is beautiful!

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look into the show, overall production, and libretto.

[Alexandria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this INSIDE BORDERS and couldnt put it down! Loved learning about the musical.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing...

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning more about how one of my favorite plays was created, that being said I would have liked to have read more about the casting process as well as the critical reception.

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good! I love SA with all my heart, and reading about the creative process behind the show gave it a lot of new meaning. Also, the design of the book is GORGEOUS.

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only complaint is that it wasn't even more detailed, but that speaks more to my desire to immerse myself further into this show than it does the quality of the book. It's a thoroughly enjoyable way to get more insight into the creation of the show. I love that it includes interviews with SO many people involved in the show - behind the scenes, original cast, and replacement cast. Great stories, great information, and beautifully laid out.

[Yas (whatifitsbooks)]

This book actually did teach me things about a muscial I love which I didn't know before and I think that's enough of a review.