Oscar Winner Marlee Matlin Will Lead Spring Awakening Revival on Broadway

Oscar and Golden Globe winner Marlee Matlin will headline the previously reported Broadway revival of Spring Awakening. Directed by Michael Arden, the Deaf West Theatre incarnation of the Tony-winning tuner will begin performances at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on September 8 and officially open on September 27. The limited engagement is currently set to end on January 9.

Matlin will play Adult Woman. She won the Oscar and Golden Globe for her film debut in Children of a Lesser God and was nominated for Emmys for Seinfeld, Picket Fences, The Practice and Law and Order: SVU. Additional screen credits include The West Wing, The Player, Hear No Evil, It's My Party, What the Bleep Do We Know, Reasonable Doubts, Glee, Family Guy and Switched at Birth. This will mark Matlin's Broadway debut.

A re-imagining of Frank Wedekind's 1891 play with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater, Spring Awakening depicts how young people navigate the thrilling, confusing and mysterious time of their sexual awakening. The story centers around a brilliant young student named Melchior, his troubled friend Moritz and Wendla, a beautiful young girl on the verge of womanhood. This production will feature choreography by Hedwig’s Spencer Liff and be performed both in American Sign Language and English.

Spring Awakening opened on Broadway on December 10, 2006 and received eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Great White Way production ran for 859 performances before closing on January 18, 2009.

Additional casting will be announced shortly. The Deaf West production starred Smash and Broadway alums Krysta Rodriguez and Andy Mientus (Arden's fiancé), along with Joey Antonio, Hillary Baack, Miles Barbee, Sean Barna, Katie Boeck, Joshua Castille, Julian Comeau, Daniel N. Durant, Treshelle Edmond, Sandra Mae Frank, Kathryn Gallagher, Gabrielle Garza, Sean Grandillo, Karla Gutierrez, Amelia Hensley, Lauren M. Luiz, Daniel Marmion, Austin McKenzie, Natacha Roi, Howie Seago, Daniel David Stewart, Ali Stroker, Alexandra Winter and Alex Wyse.

The Brooks Atkinson currently plays host to It Shoulda Been You, which will close on August 9.