25/08/2026
Review: Spring Awakening, Gwyrdd Musical Theatre Performers
Venue: Poppies Bar and Grill, Burry Port
Date of Performance: 22nd August 2026
Director: Cai Francis
Reviewer: Brandon Kemeny
⭐⭐⭐⭐★
This last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Gwyrdd Musical Theatre Performers debut production at Poppies Bar and Grill in Burry Port; a space surprisingly well suited for the event. For their inaugural production this ambitious young theatre group aptly chose “Spring Awakening” (Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater, Music by Duncan Sheik), the l***y young rock musical of 2006 that brought the likes of Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele to the limelight.
The show opened with Rebecca Lewis’ Wendla and one of Mollie Dunning’s many roles (I think I counted 6 total?) on stage with a sc****ly but very tastefully applied set. Pallets with appropriately “meta” themes and the names of characters graffitied upon them served as a backdrop on the raised stage with only seats and an empty mirror frame in the main play space around which the audience sat to form a thrust stage. I was particularly lucky to picturesquely have the mirror framing Wendla perfectly from my front row stage right corner seat.
The vocal performances throughout were impressive both in chorus and solo, with very few exceptions. The cast clearly relished the abandon the material demands physically and emotionally, climaxing especially in act 2’s “Totally F # # ”, which was a glorious, raucous riot of laughs and harmonies. The male cast were particularly strong in this regard while the female characters carried the more gruesome themes of the show with a skill and delicacy one rarely expects in an amateur production.
That said, the emotional climaxes of the show lacked a certain restraint as Elis Burridge’s “Melchior” wept through moments that might have seen the same emotional intensity carried with stillness and vocal control that better served the story and audience than indulging the “acting”. By no means, however, did Elis fail to carry and communicate the subtlety and complexity of the character who is at once a sympathetic and enlightened hero and an irresponsible, opportunistic cad. Elis’ smooth vocals and gentle command of space were greatly appreciated.
Rebecca’s opening “Mama Who Bore Me” was haunting, measured, and stoically beautiful; qualities she carried throughout the show. Wendla’s innocence and power of will were sensitively and heartbreakingly presented.
Moritz Stiefel, played by George Roberts, was appropriately tortured with well balanced earnestness and humorous pathos. With the exception only of the monologue preceding Moritz’s demise which felt it lacked some specificity and reflection, George was arresting and compelling in the role.
The supporting cast provided a consistently strong backdrop for the story. Stand outs include Dylan Stapley and Luc Leeuwerke’s comedic campy romance, Suneil Browe and Mollie Dunning’s juggling of the many antagonistic “adult characters”, and a creatively choreographed (courtesy of Liwsi Smith playing Anna) and vocally projected “Dark I Know Well”. In truth there were no weak links in this company's collaborative effort.
Director Cai Francis is to be commended unconditionally for a debut piece that, though certainly modest and serving as a stepping stone of sorts, stands as a true artistic success in its own right. The themes in a show such as “Spring Awakening” are easily made garish and at risk of inappropriately glamourising s**t and abuse, especially in the hands of a young amateur company. Gwrydd has done no such thing here and debuted with panache, commitment, and focus that few comparable dramatic societies can rival. One hopes there is much more to come.
