Roe Reviews Theatre

Spring has certainly come with the Lofts third show this season and their first musical of 2025, Spring Awakening. The story is no easy feat to tackle but with Chris Gilbey-Smith and James Suckling taking on direction and musical direction, Becca Shaw’s choreography and Dan Walsh’s intimacy coordination, you know you’re in safe hands.

The show itself is advertised with a 15+ age guidance and with it’s themes of suicide, abuse (verbal and sexual), physical aggression and heavy sexual content so it’s worth looking into if you or someone else potentially coming to see the performance will be impacted by this.

The cast and creative team really bring the story it’s justice with local, professional and Olivier award winning performers giving their heart and soul into this tale of adolescence, religion and finding yourself and trust in your body. Amazing performances all round and harmonies for days this really is a show where the full cast need to support each other and even off stage you can see the bond they all have and the pride they have for this show. It can be put on the West End immediately and get sell out seats every night so to see this on a local scale is an opportunity not to miss.

The set was really creative with at a first glance, a static 1890s school but its projections and animation by Amelie Hassall ties everything together and everywhere you turn there is something new. The cast even getting creative with its scenery

The writing of the story itself by Steven Satar created the true experiences teenagers go through with the plethora of home lives, identities and experiences they go through into something that was of the time genre defying but still reflects society now. The journeys and storylines of each character are explored almost fully but with a few gaps and “what happened to“ questions especially with the act 2 storylines but with as intense as it was you need Hamilton length to fit everything in!

Spring Awakening plays at the Loft Theatre until the 12th April and tickets are available on the website now (including its 16-25s go free deal!)