Chicago Audiences Will See Spring Awakening Tour in 2009

By Adam Hetrick
June 16, 2008

The Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening will sweep into Chicago in August 2009 as part of the show's upcoming national tour.

Broadway in Chicago announced that Spring Awakening will play the Windy City Aug. 4–16, 2009. A venue for the Chicago engagement of the tour has not been confirmed.

Chicago theatregoers will get a preview of what's to come when Spring Awakening cast members join performers from A Chorus Line, Legally Blonde, Jersey Boys, Wicked, Grease, Dirty Dancing and SHOUT! The Mod Musical at the June 30 Broadway in Chicago Concert in the Park that will held at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park.

As previously reported, Spring Awakening will rock San Diego's Balboa Theatre Aug. 15-31 prior to its official tour launch at San Francisco's Curran Theatre Sept. 4-Oct. 12.

Current tour engagements for Spring Awakening include:
Seattle, WA (Oct. 13-19, at the Paramount)
Portland, OR (Oct. 21-26, at the Civic Auditorium)
Los Angeles, CA (Oct. 27-Dec.7 at the Ahmanson)
Tempe, AZ (Dec. 9-14, at the Gammage Auditorium)
Tampa, FL (Dec. 30, 2008-Jan. 4, 2009, at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center)
Houston, TX (Jan. 6-18, 2009, at the Hobby Center)
Des Moines, IA (Jan. 20-25, 2009, at the Civic Center)
St, Louis, MO (Feb. 10-22, 2009, at the Fox Theatre)
East Lansing, MI (Feb. 24-March 1, 2009, at the Wharton Center)
Cleveland, OH (March 3-15, 2009, at Playhouse Square)
Toronto (March 18-April 19, 2009, at the Canon Theatre)
Boston, MA (April 28-May 24, 2009, at the Colonial Theatre)
Pittsburgh, PA (May 26-31, 2009, at Heinz Hall)
Louisville, KY (June 2-7, 2009, at Kentucky Center)
Baltimore, MD (June 9-21, 2009, at the France Merrick Center)
Philadelphia, PA (June 23-28, 2009, at the Kimmel Center)
Washington, D.C. (July 7-Aug. 3, 2009, at the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater)
Chicago, IL (Aug. 4-16, 2009, Theatre TBA)

Casting for the national tour will be announced shortly.

Based on the 1891 play by Frank Wedekind, Spring Awakening won eight 2007 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Spring Awakening features direction by Michael Mayer, choreography by Bill T. Jones, book and lyrics by Steven Sater and a score by Duncan Sheik.

Songs featured in the Tony-winning score are "All That's Known," "And Then There Were None," "Blue Wind/Don't Do Sadness," "Left Behind," "Mamma Who Bore Me," "My Junk, "The Bitch of Living," "The Dark I Know Well," "The Guilty Ones," "The Song of Purple Summer," "The Word of Your Body," "Those You've Known," "Totally Fucked," "Touch Me," "Whispering" and "The Mirror-Blue Night."

Spring Awakening's cast album recently earned a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

The musical made its world premiere Off-Broadway at the Atlantic Theater Company in June 2006. Spring Awakening transferred to Broadway the following November, where it continues to play at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre.

The Broadway production of Spring Awakening currently stars Kyle Riabko (Melchior), Alexandra Socha (Wendla), Blake Bashoff (Moritz), Skylar Astin (Georg), Lilli Cooper (Martha), Blake Daniel (Ernst), Brian Charles Johnson (Otto), Emma Hunton (Ilse), Phoebe Strole (Anna), Matt Doyle (Hanschen), Remy Zaken (Thea), Christine Estabrook (Adult Women), Glenn Fleshler (Adult Men), Gerard Canonico, Alice Lee, Eryn Murman and Matt Shingledecker.

For further information visit www.springawakening.com.