Despite her actions ultimately leading to 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.
In the original play, Melchior actually does rape Wendla, and in the early workshop versions of "I Believe", we actually heard Wendla scream at the end. However, in the finished version, it is a lot less controversial as Wendla actually somewhat complies. And doesn't scream.
Some have regarded Melchior as everything from a Well-Intentioned Extremist to a jerkass 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 managed to kill his best friend, the woman he had the hots for and his unborn child. Really, Melchior is as much an extremist as the town's moral guardians, if not more so in that his actions are often violent are forceful in nature.
Others have different thoughts 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.
In a translation of a play, at Moritz's funeral, Moritz's father is rather blatantly affirming how much he loathed his son, even when he was little all while sobbing. Whether its from the shame of his son's suicide or that he's genuinely mourning his son but can't bring himself to voice against social approval is ambiguous.
The Brazilian production strongly implies Hanschen is only taking advantage of Ernst, and that once he grows up, he'll marry a girl, put on a regular front, and will either discard Ernst or keep him as a VERY secret lover merely for sexual fulfillment.
In the original productions, the punk rock-esque hairstyles some of the boys sported are assumed by many to be a result of the show's Anachronism Stew, but in fact, the director claims that they were inspired by some actual hairstyles in photos from the era.
Those unfamiliar with the 19th century play the musical is based on (if they even know there is one) can be surprised to find that many scenes from the musical that seem to touch on modern controversial topics, such as one featuring a kiss between Hans and Ernst or Wendla's teenage pregnancy, were, in fact, in the original.
Award Snub: Some fans believe the revival was subjected to this. It was nominated for three Tonys, but won none (Best Director, Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Lighting Design). Spencer Liff's choreography, incorporating American Sign Language and adding multiple layers of meaning on top of the original, did not even get a nod. Adding insult to injury, when the nominees were shown onscreen, Christopher Fitzgerald of Waitress was mistakenly shown instead of Michael Arden. The actors themselves, though (Andy Mientus in particular), have emphasized that getting even one nomination was a privilege for the show. It led to the achievements of the first person to present a Tony performance in ASL (Marlee Matlin), and the first cast featuring Deaf/HOH actors, along with the first Broadway actress in a wheelchair (Ali Stroker) being featured on the stage of the Tonys.
Best Known for the Fanservice: 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. Hanschen does turn around and pull his shorts down in the revival during Totally Fucked, though.
When Glee began, there were those who watched simply to see Lea Michele (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".
A lot of people prefer Steffi D, others prefer Lauren Pritchard. Both had very different interpretations of the character.
Draco in Leather Pants: Hanschen. Handsome, blond, suave, and espousing a rather appealing personal philosophy. It was inevitable that his very present negative traits get downplayed by fans.
Ensemble Dark Horse: Skylar Astin as Georg, mostly for his belting solos during a few of the numbers.
Many fans prefer the Ship Mates 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 guides Moritz through sexuality lessons in "Touch Me." Melchior's Grief Song 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."
Some fans like the idea of Martha and Moritz together, and in some fan works they form somewhat of a relationship after they bond over the abuse they experience at home.
Fanon: At least on Tumblr, there is a common idea of Hanschen and Thea being siblings (this extends to Melitta, too, in the revival).
Genius Bonus: The Latin the chorus chants during "All That's Known" is from the beginning of The Aeneid. (It is also quite appropriate, since part of the introduction is telling the reader how much the protagonist suffers.)
He's Just Hiding: There are a good number of fanfics that reveal Wendla's death was actually faked, which is fairly easy to do as the audience doesn't actually see her die. The culprit behind the ruse varies from story to story, but the most common are her mother (to keep Melchior away from her) and Ilsa (to keep her mother, and sometimes also Melchior, away from her).
Jerkass Woobie: Moritz's father may count as one. His actions and lack of affection for his son is inexcusable, but is hard to not feel badly for him when he griefs over Moritz's suicide.
Memetic Mutation: The entirety of "The Word Of Your Body Reprise", including Hanschen's monologue.
Many give a Shout-Out to Mean Girls as Coach Carr's lecture in health class was "Don't have sex. Or you will get pregnant and die."
Narm: How frantic Melchior sounds in the revival's I Believe. Sounds less like "Have sex with me, Wendla," and more like "GOD I NEED TO GET LAID IMMEDIATELY OR I'M GONNA DIE."
Once Original, Now Common: Many fans will admit the music is better than the story, as the exploration of teenage sexuality and uncertainty might seem like old hat today. Keep in mind, though, that the play was a groundbreaking example of modern drama and one of the first to address such issues.
Retroactive Recognition: Many of the main cast/understudies of different casts became Broadway regulars, and went to star in TV shows and movies.
Perhaps the most notable ones are Lea Michele (Wendla), and Jonathan Groff (Melchior), both went on to play roles in Glee, and the latter in Frozen (2013). Groff also went on to play King George III in the Broadway cast of Hamilton.
Andy Mientus played Hanschen in both the first national tour, and the Broadway revival of the show.
Lauren Pritchard (Ilse, original cast) went on to start a singing career, performing under the name LOLO. Some of you might recognize her from her feature on Panic! At The Disco’s song “Miss Jackson,” where she sings the intro and bridge.
Lilli Cooper (Martha, original cast) went on to perform in several Broadway shows, and originated the roles of Sandy Cheeks in The SpongeBob Musical and Julie Nichols in Tootsie.
John Gallagher Jr. is actually a Subversion. He has appeared in projects of note and prestige afterwards, but unlike the other big name actors in the original production, this show is still the project he's most associated with.
Ali Stroker who played Anna in the revival later earned fame and acclaim for playing Ado Annie in the most recent revival of Oklahoma!, becoming the first wheelchair using performer to win a Tony.
Signature Song: "Mama Who Bore Me" and "The Bitch of Living", both of which were sung in both performances at the Tony Awards (in 2007 and in 2016). This is likely because the former represents the girls' side of the story and the latter the boys' side.
The musical is very popular with teens and reportedly has been produced by numerous high school drama groups, despite the adult content in the play, including a key musical number that incorporates a sex scene. A story arc early in the first season of Glee involves the high school-aged students producing Spring Awakening, with concerns about the musical's sex scene being discussed in dialogue, reflecting real-world concerns over its appropriateness for young audiences.
The original play is quite common assigned reading in German high schools, usually around the grades where the students would be 14-16, the same age as the protagonists.
