History YMMV / SpringAwakening

-> '''Melchior:''' Can't help the itch to touch, to kiss
-> [[HoYay to hold him once again.]]

* FanPreferredCouple: Hänschen/Ernst have the distinction of being the most popular ship by a long shot, no doubt due to being the most emotionally healthy canon pairing in the show (admittedly, not a very high bar to cross). Many fans also prefer the [[ShipMates]] of Melchior/Moritz and Ilse/Wendla rather than the dubiously consensual Melchior/Wendla. Melchior and Moritz spend more time onstage alone together than any other two characters in the show, and depending on the production Melchior can get pretty handsy as he [[HandsOnApproach guides Moritz through sexuality lessons]] in "Touch Me." Melchior's [[GriefSong]] is also about Moritz:

* FanPreferredCouple: Hänschen/Ernst have the distinction of being the most popular ship by a long shot, no doubt due to being the most emotionally healthy canon pairing in the show (admittedly, not a very high bar to cross). Many fans also prefer the {{ShipMates}} of Melchior/Moritz and Ilse/Wendla rather than the dubiously consensual Melchior/Wendla. Melchior and Moritz spend more time onstage alone together than any other two characters in the show, and depending on the production Melchior can get pretty handsy as he [[HandsOnApproach guides Moritz through sexuality lessons]] in "Touch Me." Melchior's [[GriefSong]] is also about Moritz:

Ilse and Wendla do not share as much stage time together, but their childhood friendship is alluded to in "Blue Wind."


Read more: Spring Awakening - Left Behind Lyrics | MetroLyrics

** When Glee began, there were those who watched simply to see Lea Michelle (Wendla) and instantly loved the show. However, there were those who detested the show for exposing the girl, or perhaps feelings that she had "sold out".

* FanDumb: There was/is a war in the fandom over whether or not Lea Michelle is really a "bitch", with fans left either sorely disappointed or ecstatic when meeting her at stage door.

** From the HateDumb side of things: [[ObligatorySwearing this is the musical where they say "bitch" and "fuck", right?]] After all, [[Theatre/BloodBrothers no]] [[BillyElliot other]] [[Theatre/AvenueQ musical]] [[Theatre/NextToNormal features]] those words, [[SarcasmMode right?]]

**YMMV on how much Moritz's [[Spoiler: suicide]] can be blamed on Melchior, given that much of it stems from [[Spoiler: his teachers' falsifying his grades so that he did not pass his midterm exams and his father's subsequent rage over it]], neither of which are Melchior's fault.

**YMMV on how much Moritz's [[suicide]] can be blamed on Melchior, given that much of it stems from [[his teachers' falsifying his grades so that he did not pass his midterm exams and his father's subsequent rage over it]], neither of which are Melchior's fault.

* TearJerker: [[TearJerker/SpringAwakening Now has its own page.]]

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: [[Awesome/SpringAwakening Now has its own page.]]

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: [[Heartwarming/SpringAwakening Now has its own page.]]

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: [[Funny/SpringAwakening Now has its own page.]]

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[Awesome/SpringAwakening Now has its own page.]]

** From the HateDumb side of things: [[ObligatorySwearing this is the musical where they say "bitch" and "fuck", right?]] After all, [[Theatre/BloodBrothers no]] [[BillyElliot other]] [[Theatre/AvenueQ musical]] features those words, [[SarcasmMode right?]]

** Some have regarded Melchior as everything from a {{well intentioned extremist}} to a {{jerkass}} to a {{complete monster}} throughout the show. Yes the community's tight lipped policy about growing up is handled badly, but his own attempt at bringing his peer's liberation only [[spoiler: managed to kill his best friend, the woman he had the hots for and his unborn child.]] Really, Melchior is as much an extremest as the town's {{moral guardians}}, if not more so in that his actions are often violent are forceful in nature.

** From the HateDumb side of things: [[ObligatorySwearing this is the musical where they say "bitch" and "fuck", right?]] After all, [[Theatre/BloodBrothers no]] [[BillyElliot other]] [[AvenueQ musical]] features those words, [[SarcasmMode right?]]

* EverybodyRemembersTheStripper:
** The musical tends to get overhyped for featuring "real on-stage frontal nudity!" As if there'd be an entire song and dance number with everyone completely naked. But all we see is one guy pulls his pants down and we can see the side of his ass, and the girl unbuttons the top of her dress. Plus they're in the missionary position so we can't really get a good look at any naughty bits anyways, so it's sort of ridiculous.
** From the HateDumb side of things: [[ObligatorySwearing this is the musical where they say "bitch" and "fuck", right?]] After all, [[Theatre/BloodBrothers no]] [[BillyElliot other]] [[AvenueQ musical]] features those words, [[SarcasmMode right?]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Despite her actions ultimately leading to [[spoiler:Wendla's unplanned pregnancy and death from a botched abortion]], it's a lot harder to not feel sorry for Wendla's mother once you keep in mind that she herself is a woman in the 19th century, and women then were regarded as more or less naive children their ''whole lives''. Her unhelpful non-answers to Wendla's questions about where babies come from are probably exactly what she herself was told at Wendla's age, and all she felt ''allowed'' to tell Wendla.

* BrokenBase: When Glee began, there were those who watched simply to see Lea Michelle (Wendla) and instantly loved the show. However, there were those who detested the show for exposing the girl, or perhaps feelings that she had "sold out".

* EarWorm: "[[BlahBlahBlah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah]]!"

* EverybodyRemembersTheStripper: The musical tends to get overhyped for featuring "real on-stage frontal nudity!" As if there'd be an entire song and dance number with everyone completely naked. But all we see is one guy pulls his pants down and we can see the side of his ass, and the girl unbuttons the top of her dress. Plus they're in the missionary position so we can't really get a good look at any naughty bits anyways, so it's sort of ridiculous.

* TheWoobie: Moritz.
** ''Just'' Moritz? Try '''everybody.'''
*** At least the others are able to [[spoiler: stay in school and alive]].
*** Yeah, '''[[KillEmAll MOST of them.]]'''

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The musical score is compelling and the lyrics are profound and full of depth. But particularly "Totally Fucked".

* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: Moritz when he asks Melchior why he has such *ahem* dreams.
** "Why am I haunted by the legs of a woman? By the deepening conviction some dark part of my destiny may lie there between them!"
*** His follow up about the [[TheTalk sex-ed]] essay he asks Melchior to write him: "If you like you can add some illustrations in the margin."
*** Following his reading of the essay he loses sleep and laments "Last night I prayed like Christ in Gethsemane: Please God give me consumption and take these sticky dreams away from me!"
** Not in the real production. But this Easter Bonnet performance shows why Grease and Spring Awakening, two teen-angst musicals, should stay apart.
** And Hanschen's "Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?"
* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: "The Song of Purple Summer", as all cast members [[spoiler: dead and alive]] assemble on stage to sing a song of hope, love and the world going on.
** Especially unbelievably heartwarming after [[spoiler: Moritz and Wendla's ghosts will Melchior to live on after their deaths, and stop him from committing suicide]].

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: The end part of "Totally Fucked" when Melchior is [[spoiler: dragged off to a reformatory whilst being blamed for the suicide of his best friend]].
-->Herr Knochenbruch: "Melchior Gabor, for the LAST time [[spoiler: did you write this?]]"
-->''(A beat)''
-->Melchior: "[[spoiler: YES!]]"

* TearJerker: Really depends on how the cast pulls it off.
** Herr Stiefel [[spoiler: breaking down and sobbing at Moritz' grave after Melchior touches him.]] Especially when you consider how stoic and cold he has been for the whole play.
** How about [[spoiler: Moritz's last monologue before he commits suicide? "Yes, I'll tell them, I'm ready now. I'll be an angel.]].
** "You watch me, just watch me. I'm calling... one day all will know."
** In the original play [[spoiler:Melchior's giving Moritz's ghost a farewell (after the ghost deviously tried to drive Melchior to suicide) and telling his friend something among the lines of "if my personality was to change a hundred times, you might be my closest friend". The Masked Man last lines "To you [Moritz] the soothing consciousness that you have nothing, to you [Melchior] the enervating doubts about everything." Although Moritz is upset that he will continue to rot in his grave, he realizes he can smile in dignity as he lays down to eternal rest.]] This can also be partially listened to in the 2001 Workshop.
** At [[spoiler: Moritz's funeral]] when each are taking their turns to put flower on the open casket. Everyone pretty much reacts the same, expect Ilse. It usually depends on the actress, but she seems to be the only one to cry.
** One of the times this troper saw the show, they also had Martha not only cry, but kiss the flower before dropping it in the grave. Given the fact that it is established that she had a crush on Moritz, this adds a whole new tear jerker to an already very sad scene.
** "Whispering"

*** At least the others are able to [[spoiler: stay in school and alive.]]
**** Yeah, '''[[KillEmAll MOST of them.]]'''

-->'(A beat)'

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: Despite her actions ultimately leading to [[spoiler:Wendla's unplanned pregnancy and death from a botched abortion]], it's a lot harder to not feel sorry for Wendla's mother once you keep in mind that she herself is a woman in the 19th century, and women then were regarded as more or less naive children their ''whole lives''. Her unhelpful non-answers to Wendla's questions about where babies come from are probably exactly what she herself was told at Wendla's age, and all she felt ''allowed'' to tell Wendla.

* CrowningMomentOfFunny: Moritz when he asks Melchior why he has such *ahem* dreams.

*** His follow up about the [[{{TheTalk}} sex-ed]] essay he asks Melchior to write him: "If you like you can add some illustrations in the margin."

** And Hanschen's "Have you prayed tonight, Desdemona?".
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: "The Song of Purple Summer", as all cast members [[spoiler: dead and alive]] assemble on stage to sing a song of hope, love and the world going on.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The end part of "Totally Fucked" when Melchior is [[spoiler: dragged off to a reformatory whilst being blamed for the suicide of his best friend]].
->Herr Knochenbruch: "Melchior Gabor, for the LAST time [[spoiler: did you write this?]]"
->'(A beat)'
->Melchior: "[[spoiler: YES!]]"
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The musical score is compelling and the lyrics are profound and full of depth. But particularly "Totally Fucked"
* EarWorm: "[[BlahBlahBlah Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah, blah blah blah blah blah]]!"
** "Oh god, [[CrowningMomentOfFunny what a bitch]]!
* FanDumb: There was/is a war in the fandom over whether or not Lea Michelle is really a "bitch", with fans left either sorely disappointed or ecstatic when meeting her at stage door.
* FanCommunityNicknames: Particularly die-hard fans are Guilty Ones.

** In the original play [[spoiler:Melchior's giving Moritz's ghost a farewell (after the ghost deviously tried to drive Melchoir to suicide) and telling his friend something among the lines of "if my personality was to change a hundred times, you might be my closest friend". The Masked Man last lines "To you [Moritz] the soothing consciousness that you have nothing, to you [Melchoir] the enervating doubts about everything." Although Moritz is upset that he will continue to rot in his grave, he realizes he can smile in dignity as he lays down to eternal rest.]] This can also be partially listened to in the 2001 Workshop.