HBO Documentary Films’ SPRING AWAKENING: THOSE YOU’VE KNOWN, directed by Michael John Warren and produced by RadicalMedia (HBO’s “David Byrne’s American Utopia“), debuts Tuesday, May 3 @ 9:00PM ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
15 years after the smash, Tony-winning Broadway run of “Spring Awakening,” the original cast and creative team reunite for a spectacular, one-night only reunion concert to benefit The Actors Fund. Chronicling their whirlwind journey back to the stage, the film follows the players as they reconnect and rediscover the beauty and timelessness of the hit musical, sharing the show’s underdog origins, its path to Tony glory, the universal themes of teenage repression and angst, and the unconventional love story of breakout stars Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele.
The documentary pulls back the curtain to showcase the reunited original cast and creative team at rehearsals, in their homes, and backstage. The film features electrifying performances from the reunion concert in November 2021, newly filmed interviews, candid archival video, and photographs, as well as performance footage from the original 2006 show that went on to sweep the Tonys, winning eight awards, including Best Musical. “Spring Awakening” forever changed the lives of the mostly unknown teenage cast and inspired a generation of fans by laying bare taboo issues of teen love, abortion, abuse, sexual identity, and suicide in an unapologetic, edgy rock musical set in the 1890s.
Featured participants: Cast members Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr., Lauren Pritchard, Lilli Cooper, Skylar Astin, Gerard Canonico, Jennifer Damiano, Christine Estabrook, Gideon Glick, Robert Hager, Brian C. Johnson, Krysta Rodriguez, Stephen Spinella, Phoebe Strole, Jonathan B Wright, Remy Zaken; original Broadway director Michael Mayer; lyricist and playwright Steven Sater; score composer Duncan Sheik; and lead producers Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman.
Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents a RadicalMedia production. Directed by Michael John Warren; produced by Dave Sirulnick and Meredith Bennett; executive produced by Jon Kamen, Jonathan Meyers, Jonathan Groff, and Michael John Warren; co-produced by Lauren Pritchard. For HBO: senior producer, Sara Rodriguez; executive producers, Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller.
