There are those who get it, and those who don't. My condolences that you fall in the latter category.

Granted, the touring cast may not be quite up to the bar-setting standard of the original B'way cast, but they do a great job. I saw the opening night at the Community Theater, as well as Thursday night's show, which seemed a bit stronger. I've now seen the show six times; any friends or guests that I've introduced to the show have been impressed and challenged by the story, the music and the staging.

It's not for everybody... but having been raised seeing many major-league shows in NYC, this ranks amongst the best. It deserved every Tony it got. Ignore this tepid review, and don't miss this show.

Bill T. Jones' choreography captures the inner life of the characters..a physical manifestation of their turmoil, confusion and increasing frustration as the night goes on, repeated gestures that grow from Wendla's first, slow, curious examination of her body, to the kicking rebellion of Bitch of Living, to the final explosion in TotallyFucked. It adds a vital layer to the story-telling that is very different than traditional musical theatre's choreography. If anything, "jazz hands" are what should be mocked.

The "under-developed" characters you refer to are Steven Sater staying true to the original Wedekind. Wedekind was the father of modern expressionistic drama. Like expressionistic painting, it is best viewed from a distance; the compounded effect of all these teenager's problems is what's important, not their individual journeys--it creates a vision that these issues are endemic of a culture at large. Sater actually created character arcs where there were none and chose to develop the arcs of only the three main characters to satisfy linear-minded traditionalists such as yourself.

The fact that these musical numbers are disjointed is the point. It's what makes this musical groundbreaking. The fissure between the world of 1890's Germany with modern rock music serves to show that in a 100 years, nothing has changed. How this beautiful, haunting, and electric score could not stay with you is beyond me.

If you truly prefer Glee over this, you should be reviewing TV instead. All I can say is, thank goodness every major theatre critic disagrees with you. Spring Awakening deserved all of its Tonys. This cast is superb.

Although I have not seen it myself, I appreciate your blatant honesty. Not every review is going to be positive! This is constructive criticism at is best. Honest and thorough with examples to back up your assessment. Even if the majority of the public may disagree with you, I applaud your candor.

Okay... Not to beat a dead horse <whinny>, nor engage in a "flame war", but where's the "constructive" criticism..? Or the objectivity for that matter..?? I'd actually enjoy reading a pithy shredding of a performance, but her diatribe amounts to a jaded potshot at what this critic admits just didn't resonate with her. Absolutely, everyone is entitled to an opinion, and this particular production elicits strong reactions from its audience, as any good art should. Frankly, my impressions after viewing the show initially weren't universally glowing, either; I didn't understand "what's with the hand-held microphones.? Is it really necessary with today's high-tech sound reinforcement and wireless systems?", until I understood the elements of Brechtian theater, and internal monologues that are being expressed. Equally, the partial nudity threw me off a little, but after a little thought, made total sense in the context, and therefore not gratuitous. Additionally, the seemingly profane use of the "F-bomb" in one of the aforementioned highlights of the second act... when viewed in context, there is simply no word to better express what is going on (and many of us can empathize, having lived the recent fallout of the recession in our beloved state, whether it be 401k hemorrhage, job downsizing, or plunging home values).

My concern is that what has become an important cultural touchstone to a generation of disenfranchised youths, in an era of increasing teen suicide (4 of them in the last six months at one school in Palo Alto), may be dismissed by the Sacramento community due to a frankly idiotic review, no personal disrespect to Ms. Paulsen intended. The biggest disservice we could do to our adolescent generation, is to ignore their growing pains; maybe experiencing it "once was enough" for our author, but that's not the point, and indeed it is the very core message of this musical.

A word to the wise... do your homework, read the parent's guide at the Spring Awakening website, and if you're still up to the challenge, see the show, better yet with your teens; it is very much worth the "hype".