SPRING AWAKENING

at the Hammersmith Lyric

ARISE AND SING By JOHN NATHAN Published May 19 2008   Kyle Riabko The hit Tony-winning Broadway musical Spring Awakening is to make its U.K. debut at London's Hammersmith Lyric Theatre in 2009. The show, which is based on Frank Wedekind's play about sexual awakening in a German 19th century school, features a Grammy Award-winning contemporary score by composer Duncan Sheik and lyricist Steven Slater. Lyric artistic director David Farr, who has just helmed the 50th anniversary production of Pinter's The Birthday Party at the west London venue, has asked Spring Awakening's creative team including director Michael Mayer to find a new British cast for the show. The British production begins performances on 23. Jan, 2009 and is scheduled for a six-week run ending Feb. 2009. The New York version opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Dec. 10, 2006 winning Eleven Tonys for the Atlantic Theatre Company production.