Sprg Awakeng: How a Gay, Deaf Actor and a Hearg, Straight Actor Brought a Broadway Role To Life

Contents:

• JONATHAN GROFF SAYS HIS 'SPRG AWAKENG' CHARACTER GAVE HIM THE STRENGTH TO E OUT AS GAY
• LEA MICHELE SAYS SHE ONCE 'RNERED' JONATHAN GROFF AT A PARTY TO PROFS HER LOVE FOR HIM BEFORE REALIZG HE WAS GAY
• SPRG AWAKENG FOR THE GAY DRAMA "MRICE"
• THE ‘SPRG AWAKENG’ CONCERT DOCUMENTARY WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND CRYBITCH OF LIVINGA LOVE LETTER TO BROADWAY AND S FANS, THE FILM RN THE ORIGAL ST AFTER 15 YEARS, LIVERG POWERFUL PERFORMANC AND WILD STORI. (VAGAS AND SK LAMPS, ANYONE?)JORDAN JULIANPUBLISHED MAY 03, 2022 4:43AM EDT COURTY OF HBOTHERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF GOOSEBUMP-DUCG MOMENTS THE 2006 G-OF-AGE MIL SPRG AWAKENG—OR THE NEW HBO DOCUMENTARY ABOUT , SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN. BUT, AS ORIGAL ST MEMBER JONATHAN GROFF HIGHLIGHTS THE FILM, ONE MOMENT PARTICULAR STANDS OUT AS THE PERFECT DISTILLATN OF THE SHOW’S SENCE.ON STAGE, A YOUNG MAN WH A SHOCK OF MSY HAIR, TEASED AND GELLED TO A GRAVY-FYG PUNK ROCK STYLE, PULLS A MICROPHONE OUT OF THE JACKET POCKET OF HIS 19TH CENTURY SCHOOL UNIFORM.THIS IS JOHN GALLAGHER JR. PLAYG MORZ STIEFEL, AN ANX TEENAGER TORMENTED BY THE CHANG BROUGHT BY ADOLCENCE. HE IS THE MIDDLE OF A LAT LSON, SURROUND BY CLASSMAT INTIL OUTFS AND INTIL STAT OF HORNY TEEN ANGST. OVER AN ELECTRIC GUAR RIFF, HE LNCH TO THE FIRST VERSE OF “THE BCH OF LIVG,” A SONG ABOUT THE AGONY OF PUBERTY. HIS VOICE IS ALL BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG AS HE SPS OUT LYRICS LIKE, “SHE SAID, ‘GIVE ME THAT HAND, PLEASE AND THE CH YOU N’T NTROL / LET ME TEACH YOU HOW TO HANDLE ALL THE SADNS YOUR SOUL.’” COURTY OF HBO THE SONG IS IRRISTIBLY TCHY, THE LYRICS ARE FUNNY, AND GALLAGHER’S PERFORMANCE IS MMERIZG. THE JUXTAPOSN BETWEEN THE SETTG OF GERMANY THE 1800S AND THE SEXED-UP, UNMISTAKABLY ROCK-AND-ROLL MIC, ALL PLAYG OUT ON A BROADWAY STAGE, IS NOTHG SHORT OF MAGIL. “THE SOUND OF JOHN GALLAGHER SGG THE BEGNG OF ‘BCH OF LIVG’ IS SPRG AWAKENG,” GROFF SAYS EMPHATILLY THE DOCUMENTARY. MORE SPECIFILLY, SPRG AWAKENG IS A ROCK MIL ADAPTED OM FRANK WEKD’S 1891 PLAY OF THE SAME NAME ABOUT THE STGGL OF CHILDREN G OF AGE A SEXUALLY OPPRSIVE CULTURE. WRTEN BY STEVEN SATER WH MIC BY DUNN SHEIK, F THE PLAY’S ORIGAL SETTG WH RAW, UNFLCHG NTEMPORARY MIC TO PTURE THE TIMELSNS OF S THEM. IN ADDN TO GROFF AND GALLAGHER, STARRED LEA MICHELE BEFORE HER ASCENT TO FAME ON GLEE. THE MIL BEME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON, WNG EIGHT TONY AWARDS, TURNG S YOUNG STARS TO CELEBRI, AND ATTRACTG SCREAMG DIENC OF OBSSIVE FANS. PREMIERG ON HBO ON TUDAY, SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN OFFERS A BEHD-THE-SCEN LOOK AT LAST YEAR’S RNN NCERT HONOR OF THE SHOW’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY. THE ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER THE ORIGAL BROADWAY ST TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE ACTORS FUND. DIRECTED BY MICHAEL JOHN WARREN, THE POIGNANT DOCUMENTARY B PERFORMANC OM THE ANNIVERSARY NCERT WH FOOTAGE OM THE ORIGAL N, BOTH ON AND OFF STAGE. THE CLIPS ARE WOVEN TOGETHER BY REVELATORY TERVIEWS WH MEMBERS OF THE ST AND CREW.REAR, IS HERE THAT I MT ISSUE A WARNG. DO NOT WATCH SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN UNLS YOU ARE PREPARED TO CRY AND CRY. AND HEADBANG TO SONGS THAT ROCK HARD ENOUGH TO NVERT EVEN THE MOST STUBBORN BROADWAY MIL CYNIC. AND THEN CRY SOME MORE.“I DON’T KNOW THAT I EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD EVER DO THIS AGA,” SAYS LREN PRCHARD, WHO PLAYED ILSE SPRG AWAKENG AND HAD THE IAL IA FOR THE RNN. “THERE WAS NEVER FUCKG ANYTHG LIKE THIS THAT’S EVER HAPPENED ON THE BROADWAY STAGE.” WH THREE MUT, THE WATERWORKS E WHEN THE ST FIRST STEPS OUT ONTO THE STAGE FOR THE NCERT TO AFENG APPLSE, ALL OF THEM CRYG AND SOAKG UP THE SIGNIFINCE OF THEIR TOGETHERNS THAT ROOM AGA AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS. COURTY OF HBO MOST OF THEM TEENAGERS WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED WORKG ON SPRG AWAKENG, THEY ARE NOW THEIR THIRTI AND HAVE GONE ON TO HAVE SUCCSFUL REERS ON BROADWAY, AND TV AND FILM. GROFF’S IMPRSIVE RéSUMé CLUS LEADG THE NETFLIX SERIAL KILLER DRAMA MDHUNTER, MAKG SEVERAL TV AND MOVIE APPEARANC, AND ORIGATG THE ROLE OF KG GEE HATON. PCH PERFECT STAR SKYLAR AST PLAYED A MOR BUT MEMORABLE CHARACTER SPRG AWAKENG, A SCHOOLBOY OBSSED WH HIS PIANO TEACHER’S CLEAVAGE. AND LEA MICHELE IS, WELL, LEA MICHELE.THE THROWBACK FOOTAGE OM 2006, HOWEVER, SHOWS THEM ALL AS UNKNOWN TEENS, JT LIKE THE CHARACTERS THEY PLAY. THEY NAVIGATE UNREQUED CSH, GOOF OFF THEIR DRSG ROOMS, AND SPRAWL ACROSS EACH OTHER’S LAPS THE DOWNTIME DURG REHEARSALS. IN THE FIRST REHEARSAL FOR THE RNN 2021, GROFF IS BROUGHT TO TEARS BY MICHELE SGG THE SHOW’S OPENG NUMBER, “MAMA WHO BORE ME,” HER VOICE AS STUNNG AND CLEAR AS EVER. “WATCHG HER SG THAT SONG, I WAS LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD,’” HE EXPLAS. “I SAW THIS 19-YEAR-OLD GIRL MEMORY AND I JT LOST MY MD.”MUCH OF THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN FOC ON THE PLATONIC LOVE BETWEEN GROFF AND MICHELE, THE CLOSENS OF THEIR BOND A TTAMENT TO THE EMOTNAL TENSY OF THE SHOW THAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. THEY PLAYED MELCHR AND WENDLA, RPECTIVELY, TWO KIDS WHO NSUMMATE THEIR NFG, POWERFUL NEW FEELGS FOR EACH OTHER A HAYLOFT, RULTG WENDLA’S PREGNANCY AND TRAGIC ATH OM A BOTCHED ABORTN. “THE MIL PERFORMANC ARE UNSURPRISGLY CREDIBLE—AT TURNS FULL OF FURY AND SADNS, OF LT AND EMOTNAL LONGG.” DURG THEIR TIME DOG SPRG AWAKENG, MICHELE WAS EPLY LOVE WH HER -STAR, AND HE WAS AN -THE-CLOSET GAY 20-YEAR-OLD. THEY BEME BT IENDS. AT ONE POT, MICHELE HILARLY REUNTS THE TIME THAT SHE SATISFIED GROFF’S CURSY ABOUT FEMALE ANATOMY BY SHOWG HIM HER VAGA WH A SK LAMP.EARLY REPORTS OF THE ANECDOTE WENT VIRAL LAST WEEK—PLETELY OUT OF NTEXT, OF URSE—BUT THE FILM, IS A GENUELY ENARG REMISCENCE BETWEEN TWO LIFELONG IENDS. THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN IS MICHELE’S FIRST MAJOR PROJECT SCE BEG ACCED BY FORMER -STARS OF MICROAGGRSNS AND BEHAVR ON THE SET OF GLEE. THE FILM DON’T ADDRS THE NTROVERSY, FOR WHICH MICHELE HAS APOLOGIZED, BUT DO QUIETLY REMD VIEWERS OF HER PRETERNATURAL TALENT AND STAR POWER.THE MIL PERFORMANC ARE UNSURPRISGLY CREDIBLE—AT TURNS FULL OF FURY AND SADNS, OF LT AND EMOTNAL LONGG. ULTIMATELY, THOUGH, SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN IS A LOVE LETTER TO THEATER AND S ABILY TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SEEN. IT PTUR THE EFFECT THAT THE HEAVS OF THE MATERIAL HAD ON S YOUNG PERFORMERS, WHO NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ACTED OUT SUICI, ABE, AND GRIEF, BUT PERSEVERED BEE OF THE LETTERS THEY GOT OM FANS TELLG THEM THE SHOW SAVED THEIR LIV.“I THK THAT’S KD OF WHAT GOT THROUGH EVERY NIGHT,” SAYS ST MEMBER LILLI COOPER NEAR THE FILM’S END, “KNOWG HOW IMPORTANT WAS TO TELL THAT STORY.” JORDAN JULIAN

JONATHAN GROFF SAYS HIS 'SPRG AWAKENG' CHARACTER GAVE HIM THE STRENGTH TO E OUT AS GAY

He also said he ed to be "ashamed of who he was" before he me out as gay. Jonathan Groff said his character the Broadway mil "Sprg Awakeng" is what gave him the strength to e out as me out as gay 2008, jt one month after he fished his n as Melchr "Sprg Awakeng.

"Groff said he felt "ashamed of who he was" before g out as gay. "He didn't say the word 'gay, '" she said the documentary.

LEA MICHELE SAYS SHE ONCE 'RNERED' JONATHAN GROFF AT A PARTY TO PROFS HER LOVE FOR HIM BEFORE REALIZG HE WAS GAY

We discsed the procs of creatg a character together, dience reactns, the siari between growg up af and gay, and even the adorable characteristics of sea otters. I n yell at someone all day, I n talk wh them, I n bate wh them all week, all year--this show is allowg people to unrstand thgs that I've been tryg to expla my whole the the LGBT muny, 's been an uphill battle workg to make sure that trans and gay parts are beg played by trans and gay actors.

I kept askg people, "Is he gay? Stewart: I thk a lot of people growg up feel like they have to wear their straightns on their sleeve, make sure people know they're not gay, but I don't do that. But I will say, growg up, I kd of always knew I was gay, but I also always knew I was af.

I would always tell people I was af, but not always that I was gay, I jt was. So when I me out when I was eight, I was like, "If you n accept me beg af, then this perfect child image is already gone, so you n accept me beg gay.

SPRG AWAKENG FOR THE GAY DRAMA "MRICE"

"It's tertg bee, af studi class, they talk about how af people and gay people have a very siar experience, bee af people are ually born to hearg parents, people who don't know sign, and gay people are ually born to straight parents, so they don't have nnectns wh their parents that way.

I've gotten a lot of letters om young people who are gay or transgenr or jt simply young, and they've said that this show has saved their liv. Lea Michele said she once "rnered" Jonathan Groff at a party to profs her love for him before realizg he was gay. Lea Michele once profsed her love for "Sprg Awakeng" star Jonathan Groff at a party, only to realize that he was gay.

THE ‘SPRG AWAKENG’ CONCERT DOCUMENTARY WILL MAKE YOU CRY AND CRYBITCH OF LIVINGA LOVE LETTER TO BROADWAY AND S FANS, THE FILM RN THE ORIGAL ST AFTER 15 YEARS, LIVERG POWERFUL PERFORMANC AND WILD STORI. (VAGAS AND SK LAMPS, ANYONE?)JORDAN JULIANPUBLISHED MAY 03, 2022 4:43AM EDT COURTY OF HBOTHERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF GOOSEBUMP-DUCG MOMENTS THE 2006 G-OF-AGE MIL SPRG AWAKENG—OR THE NEW HBO DOCUMENTARY ABOUT , SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN. BUT, AS ORIGAL ST MEMBER JONATHAN GROFF HIGHLIGHTS THE FILM, ONE MOMENT PARTICULAR STANDS OUT AS THE PERFECT DISTILLATN OF THE SHOW’S SENCE.ON STAGE, A YOUNG MAN WH A SHOCK OF MSY HAIR, TEASED AND GELLED TO A GRAVY-FYG PUNK ROCK STYLE, PULLS A MICROPHONE OUT OF THE JACKET POCKET OF HIS 19TH CENTURY SCHOOL UNIFORM.THIS IS JOHN GALLAGHER JR. PLAYG MORZ STIEFEL, AN ANX TEENAGER TORMENTED BY THE CHANG BROUGHT BY ADOLCENCE. HE IS THE MIDDLE OF A LAT LSON, SURROUND BY CLASSMAT INTIL OUTFS AND INTIL STAT OF HORNY TEEN ANGST. OVER AN ELECTRIC GUAR RIFF, HE LNCH TO THE FIRST VERSE OF “THE BCH OF LIVG,” A SONG ABOUT THE AGONY OF PUBERTY. HIS VOICE IS ALL BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG AS HE SPS OUT LYRICS LIKE, “SHE SAID, ‘GIVE ME THAT HAND, PLEASE AND THE CH YOU N’T NTROL / LET ME TEACH YOU HOW TO HANDLE ALL THE SADNS YOUR SOUL.’” COURTY OF HBO THE SONG IS IRRISTIBLY TCHY, THE LYRICS ARE FUNNY, AND GALLAGHER’S PERFORMANCE IS MMERIZG. THE JUXTAPOSN BETWEEN THE SETTG OF GERMANY THE 1800S AND THE SEXED-UP, UNMISTAKABLY ROCK-AND-ROLL MIC, ALL PLAYG OUT ON A BROADWAY STAGE, IS NOTHG SHORT OF MAGIL. “THE SOUND OF JOHN GALLAGHER SGG THE BEGNG OF ‘BCH OF LIVG’ IS SPRG AWAKENG,” GROFF SAYS EMPHATILLY THE DOCUMENTARY. MORE SPECIFILLY, SPRG AWAKENG IS A ROCK MIL ADAPTED OM FRANK WEKD’S 1891 PLAY OF THE SAME NAME ABOUT THE STGGL OF CHILDREN G OF AGE A SEXUALLY OPPRSIVE CULTURE. WRTEN BY STEVEN SATER WH MIC BY DUNN SHEIK, F THE PLAY’S ORIGAL SETTG WH RAW, UNFLCHG NTEMPORARY MIC TO PTURE THE TIMELSNS OF S THEM. IN ADDN TO GROFF AND GALLAGHER, STARRED LEA MICHELE BEFORE HER ASCENT TO FAME ON GLEE. THE MIL BEME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON, WNG EIGHT TONY AWARDS, TURNG S YOUNG STARS TO CELEBRI, AND ATTRACTG SCREAMG DIENC OF OBSSIVE FANS. PREMIERG ON HBO ON TUDAY, SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN OFFERS A BEHD-THE-SCEN LOOK AT LAST YEAR’S RNN NCERT HONOR OF THE SHOW’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY. THE ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENT BROUGHT TOGETHER THE ORIGAL BROADWAY ST TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE ACTORS FUND. DIRECTED BY MICHAEL JOHN WARREN, THE POIGNANT DOCUMENTARY B PERFORMANC OM THE ANNIVERSARY NCERT WH FOOTAGE OM THE ORIGAL N, BOTH ON AND OFF STAGE. THE CLIPS ARE WOVEN TOGETHER BY REVELATORY TERVIEWS WH MEMBERS OF THE ST AND CREW.REAR, IS HERE THAT I MT ISSUE A WARNG. DO NOT WATCH SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN UNLS YOU ARE PREPARED TO CRY AND CRY. AND HEADBANG TO SONGS THAT ROCK HARD ENOUGH TO NVERT EVEN THE MOST STUBBORN BROADWAY MIL CYNIC. AND THEN CRY SOME MORE.“I DON’T KNOW THAT I EVER THOUGHT WE WOULD EVER DO THIS AGA,” SAYS LREN PRCHARD, WHO PLAYED ILSE SPRG AWAKENG AND HAD THE IAL IA FOR THE RNN. “THERE WAS NEVER FUCKG ANYTHG LIKE THIS THAT’S EVER HAPPENED ON THE BROADWAY STAGE.” WH THREE MUT, THE WATERWORKS E WHEN THE ST FIRST STEPS OUT ONTO THE STAGE FOR THE NCERT TO AFENG APPLSE, ALL OF THEM CRYG AND SOAKG UP THE SIGNIFINCE OF THEIR TOGETHERNS THAT ROOM AGA AFTER ALL THOSE YEARS. COURTY OF HBO MOST OF THEM TEENAGERS WHEN THEY FIRST STARTED WORKG ON SPRG AWAKENG, THEY ARE NOW THEIR THIRTI AND HAVE GONE ON TO HAVE SUCCSFUL REERS ON BROADWAY, AND TV AND FILM. GROFF’S IMPRSIVE RéSUMé CLUS LEADG THE NETFLIX SERIAL KILLER DRAMA MDHUNTER, MAKG SEVERAL TV AND MOVIE APPEARANC, AND ORIGATG THE ROLE OF KG GEE HATON. PCH PERFECT STAR SKYLAR AST PLAYED A MOR BUT MEMORABLE CHARACTER SPRG AWAKENG, A SCHOOLBOY OBSSED WH HIS PIANO TEACHER’S CLEAVAGE. AND LEA MICHELE IS, WELL, LEA MICHELE.THE THROWBACK FOOTAGE OM 2006, HOWEVER, SHOWS THEM ALL AS UNKNOWN TEENS, JT LIKE THE CHARACTERS THEY PLAY. THEY NAVIGATE UNREQUED CSH, GOOF OFF THEIR DRSG ROOMS, AND SPRAWL ACROSS EACH OTHER’S LAPS THE DOWNTIME DURG REHEARSALS. IN THE FIRST REHEARSAL FOR THE RNN 2021, GROFF IS BROUGHT TO TEARS BY MICHELE SGG THE SHOW’S OPENG NUMBER, “MAMA WHO BORE ME,” HER VOICE AS STUNNG AND CLEAR AS EVER. “WATCHG HER SG THAT SONG, I WAS LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD,’” HE EXPLAS. “I SAW THIS 19-YEAR-OLD GIRL MEMORY AND I JT LOST MY MD.”MUCH OF THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN FOC ON THE PLATONIC LOVE BETWEEN GROFF AND MICHELE, THE CLOSENS OF THEIR BOND A TTAMENT TO THE EMOTNAL TENSY OF THE SHOW THAT BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. THEY PLAYED MELCHR AND WENDLA, RPECTIVELY, TWO KIDS WHO NSUMMATE THEIR NFG, POWERFUL NEW FEELGS FOR EACH OTHER A HAYLOFT, RULTG WENDLA’S PREGNANCY AND TRAGIC ATH OM A BOTCHED ABORTN. “THE MIL PERFORMANC ARE UNSURPRISGLY CREDIBLE—AT TURNS FULL OF FURY AND SADNS, OF LT AND EMOTNAL LONGG.” DURG THEIR TIME DOG SPRG AWAKENG, MICHELE WAS EPLY LOVE WH HER -STAR, AND HE WAS AN -THE-CLOSET GAY 20-YEAR-OLD. THEY BEME BT IENDS. AT ONE POT, MICHELE HILARLY REUNTS THE TIME THAT SHE SATISFIED GROFF’S CURSY ABOUT FEMALE ANATOMY BY SHOWG HIM HER VAGA WH A SK LAMP.EARLY REPORTS OF THE ANECDOTE WENT VIRAL LAST WEEK—PLETELY OUT OF NTEXT, OF URSE—BUT THE FILM, IS A GENUELY ENARG REMISCENCE BETWEEN TWO LIFELONG IENDS. THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN IS MICHELE’S FIRST MAJOR PROJECT SCE BEG ACCED BY FORMER -STARS OF MICROAGGRSNS AND BEHAVR ON THE SET OF GLEE. THE FILM DON’T ADDRS THE NTROVERSY, FOR WHICH MICHELE HAS APOLOGIZED, BUT DO QUIETLY REMD VIEWERS OF HER PRETERNATURAL TALENT AND STAR POWER.THE MIL PERFORMANC ARE UNSURPRISGLY CREDIBLE—AT TURNS FULL OF FURY AND SADNS, OF LT AND EMOTNAL LONGG. ULTIMATELY, THOUGH, SPRG AWAKENG: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN IS A LOVE LETTER TO THEATER AND S ABILY TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL SEEN. IT PTUR THE EFFECT THAT THE HEAVS OF THE MATERIAL HAD ON S YOUNG PERFORMERS, WHO NIGHT AFTER NIGHT ACTED OUT SUICI, ABE, AND GRIEF, BUT PERSEVERED BEE OF THE LETTERS THEY GOT OM FANS TELLG THEM THE SHOW SAVED THEIR LIV.“I THK THAT’S KD OF WHAT GOT THROUGH EVERY NIGHT,” SAYS ST MEMBER LILLI COOPER NEAR THE FILM’S END, “KNOWG HOW IMPORTANT WAS TO TELL THAT STORY.” JORDAN JULIAN

The most emotnal thread, however, volv Groff, who hadn’t yet e out as gay at the time, and Michele, who began workshoppg “Awakeng” as a 14-year-old, practilly grew up on the stage and fell love wh him, before the two beme endurg iends.