Lea Michele Honors Duncan Sheik, 56, After Spring Awakening Composer Dies

Q: How will the highly anticipated Spring Awakening revival alter its upcoming production to honor its unexpectedly deceased creator?

There is no confirmed change to the Spring Awakening revival’s schedule or staging yet. The production is still set to begin previews Nov. 27 at Studio Seaview and open Dec. 17, and current reporting says it is expected to proceed as planned. What has changed is the production’s tone and likely commemorative framing. The revival’s official account issued a tribute saying Duncan Sheik “gave us more than music” and that the team is “honored to be among the countless communities touched by his life and work.” Music supervisor Or Matias, who is also working on Sheik’s other upcoming musical, said he would “work tirelessly to make your music shine,” signaling that preserving and foregrounding Sheik’s score will be central to the revival. As of now, no producers or creative team members have announced specific alterations such as dedications, memorial performances, program notes, or staging revisions. Industry coverage has noted that it remains unclear whether Sheik’s death will affect the production’s timeline. But based on public statements, the most likely immediate tribute is that the revival will move forward as a living memorial to his work rather than be fundamentally reworked.

3 articles · Updated · Deadline · Sep 18

Lea Michele said she was "at a loss for words" in an Instagram tribute a day after Duncan Sheik died of cardiac arrest at a Manhattan hospital at 56.
Michele recalled meeting Sheik at 14 before her first Spring Awakening audition and posted rehearsal videos showing him accompanying her on guitar.
Spring Awakening launched Michele, Jonathan Groff and John Gallagher Jr., and the 2006 Broadway production won five Tonys from 11 nominations, including best original score for Sheik and Steven Sater.
Tributes also came from Sater, music supervisor Or Matias and actor Kathryn Gallagher, who said Sheik had been planning new work despite a recent illness.
Sheik's death comes as a new Off Broadway revival of Spring Awakening is set to begin previews on November 27 at Studio Seaview.