Producers Jack Maple and Evelyn Hoskins are delighted to announce initial casting for the 15th Anniversary concert of the original West End production of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s Tony, Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical SPRING AWAKENING, based on the play by Frank Wedekind.
Celebrating the original London production’s 15th anniversary, the concert will reunite many of the original London cast for this one night only celebration on Sunday 2 June 2024 at Victoria Palace Theatre. Tickets are on sale now.
Returning cast members from the original West End production include Lucy May Barker (The Crucible, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Ilse, Natasha Barnes (Hex, National Theatre) as Anna, Harry McEntire (Andor, Disney+, Britannia, Sky) as Ernst, Hayley Gallivan (Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre) as Martha, Evelyn Hoskins (Waitress, West End & UK Tour) as Thea, Edward Judge (The Play That Goes Wrong, West End, UK & International Tour) as Otto, Jamie Muscato (Moulin Rouge, Piccadilly Theatre) as Melchior, Jos Slovick (Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, UK Tour) as Georg and Charlotte Wakefield (The Great British Bake Off Musical, Noel Coward Theatre) as Wendla. Other returning cast members include Chris Barton (The Sound of Music, UK Tour), Natalie Garner, Mona Goodwin (Misfits, Queen’s Theatre), Gemma O’Duffy (Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Palace Theatre) and Richard Southgate (The Dogs of War, Old Red Lion Theatre).
Additional casting to be announced.
They are joined by the entire returning original London band consisting of Huw Davies (Guitars), Don Richardson (Bass), Matthew Senior (Drums), Vicky Matthews (Cello), Charlie Brown (Violin/Guitar), Rachel Robson (Viola), under the musical direction of Nigel Lilley.
SPRING AWAKENING tells the story of adolescent anarchy, set to one of the most loved scores of the 21st century. A group of teenagers – silenced and controlled by a censorious society – discover a new world of feeling and freedom outside the classroom, with beautiful and devastating consequences.
SPRING AWAKENING opened on Broadway at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on 10 December 2006 starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, and John Gallagher Jr. It won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Direction, Book, Score and Featured Actor. It embarked on a North American tour in 2008. The musical then opened in London at the Lyric Hammersmith on 23 January 2009, before transferring to the West End’s Novello Theatre in March that same year. It won 4 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. SPRING AWAKENING was revived on Broadway in 2015 and in London in 2021.
Speaking on the anniversary concert, Duncan Sheik said “Spring Awakening is the first musical I worked on that managed to get to Broadway and then the West End. Being in London in 2009 for opening night at the Novello with that young and amazing cast was one of the highlights of my life. It is more than exciting that 15 years on, London gets to experience this anniversary concert and I’m honoured that I can be some small part of that.”
Steven Sater said “My youthful dream was to be a part of the theatre in London. So for me, our brilliant original production of Spring Awakening at the Lyric, and then at the Novello, was an answered prayer. Fifteen years later, to bring back that production for a one-night-only anniversary concert, is like having that prayer answered all over again.”
This anniversary concert will also be raising funds on behalf of Imogen Kinchin.
Imogen Kinchin was one of the original producers of SPRING AWAKENING in 2009, guiding the show and its young cast on their journey. Imogen was the Senior Producer at the Lyric Hammersmith for 10 years before joining Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures as Executive Director in 2018. In 2022, Imogen was diagnosed with Stage IV Bowel Cancer. Aside from being one of the most outstanding, creative, inspirational and respected producers in show business, she is a cherished wife, family member and friend. Her cancer is aggressive, yet her resilience is extraordinary, and she remains a positive and hopeful warrior in the face of adversity. A fund, established to support bespoke treatment and her family’s needs as they journey through this cruel disease, has raised over £80,000 to date and is currently being used to pay for immunotherapy that is not available on the NHS. This treatment is only available to Imogen because of the on-going generous donations to this fund.
The company of SPRING AWAKENING have kindly chosen to donate the proceeds from the concert to Imogen’s Fund. Anyone wanting to read more about Imogen’s journey, and to make a donation, can find more information here: www.gofundme.com/f/imogens-fund
SPRING AWAKENING has direction by Jamie Armitage (SIX), musical direction by Nigel Lilley (Newsies, Next to Normal, The Witches), lighting design & production management by Toby Darvill (Treason), sound design by Paul Gatehouse (Mary Poppins) with original UK casting direction by Pippa Ailion.
SPRING AWAKENING is produced by Jack Maple and Evelyn Hoskins.
