‘Spring Awakening’ gets a new Melchior

NEW YORK — It’s another day of rehearsal for Kyle Riabko, the young Canadian musician set to take over the pivotal role of Melchior, the thoughtful student heartthrob of “Spring Awakening,” last season’s Tony-winning best musical.

“A lot of making out, a lot of sex today — I am exhausted, as you can imagine,” Riabko jokes about the show, which is set among the hormonally active yet sexually inexperienced youths of late 19th-century Germany.

It’s not easy jumping into an up-and-running Broadway musical, but Riabko, a 20-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is eager to join the cast on stage at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre, where “Spring Awakening” first opened in December 2006.

Riabko starts May 23, replacing Jonathan Groff, who originated the role in the show, which is based on Frank Wedekind’s classic drama. It has music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater.

The performer steps into the musical three days after Alexandra Socha takes over the role of Wendla (the object of Melchior’s passion) from Lea Michele, another original cast member.

“I actually saw the musical well before I considered being a part of it and loved it so much,” Riabko said in an interview. He first auditioned for the role of Moritz, Melchior’s anxiety-riddled best friend. But the powers-that-be saw him more as a Melchior.

“The reason ‘Spring Awakening’ appeals to me is the reason I think it appeals to every young person,” Riabko added. “I am not that far away from all of the events in the show. Not only do I remember those exact issues, but I am kind of living through them at the same time as well.”

For more on Riabko, visit his Web site, www.kyleriabko.com. And for tickets to “Spring Awakening,” call Telecharge, 212-239-6200, or visit www.telecharge.com.

Broadway ticket availability and capsule reviews of shows as of May 12 follow. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are available at the theaters’ box offices for the shows listed. Details about how to obtain tickets appear at the end.

A Catered Affair: Faith Prince, Tom Wopat and Harvey Fierstein star in a new musical by Fierstein and John Bucchino about the complications involved for the parents of the bride in planning their daughter’s wedding. Walter Kerr. Telecharge.

A Chorus Line: Michael Bennett’s classic musical about dancers auditioning for a big Broadway show is back. Gerald Schoenfeld. Telecharge.

August: Osage County: Tracy Letts’ drama, a hit for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre Company, concerns a venomous mother and her dealings with three daughters. Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for drama. Music Box. Telecharge.

Avenue Q.: Love blossoms among the 20-something set — a group that includes puppets — in this very funny, adult musical comedy. Golden. Telecharge.

Boeing Boeing: Mark Rylance, Christine Baranski and Bradley Whitford star in the London hit about a man juggling affairs with several flight attendants. Longacre. Telecharge.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof: James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad, Terrence Howard and Anika Noni Rose star in a revival of the Tennessee Williams’ classic. Broadhurst. Telecharge.

Curtains: A murder-mystery musical comedy with a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb. David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk star. Al Hirschfeld. Telecharge. Closes June 29.

Cry-Baby: 1950s Baltimore, a few years before “Hairspray,” and more teenage romance. A musical based on the John Waters film. Marquis. Ticketmaster.

Grease: A revival of the venerable musical celebrating 1950s high school and featuring stars chosen during the recent NBC television reality series. Brooks Atkinson. Ticketmaster.

Gypsy: Patti LuPone stars as the mother of stripper Gypsy Rose Lee in a revival of one of the greatest of all Broadway musicals. St. James. Telecharge.

Hairspray: The cult John Waters movie set in 1960s Baltimore has been turned into a hilarious, tuneful musical. Neil Simon. Ticketmaster.

In the Heights: The lively off-Broadway musical about Latino residents in an area of upper Manhattan called Washington Heights moves to Broadway. Richard Rodgers. Ticketmaster.

Jersey Boys: The musical story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Winner of four 2006 Tonys including best musical. August Wilson. Telecharge. Difficult.

Legally Blonde: Laura Bell Bundy stars in this musical version of the Reese Witherspoon movie about a determined young woman who goes to Harvard Law School. Palace. Ticketmaster.

Les Liaisons Dangereuses: A Roundabout Theatre Company revival of Christopher Hampton’s play about power and seduction in 18th-century France. Laura Linney and Ben Daniels star. American Airlines. 212-719-1300.

Macbeth: Patrick Stewart stars as the power-hungry monarch in the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre production of Shakespeare’s Scottish play. Lyceum. Telecharge. Closes May 24.

Mamma Mia!: The London musical sensation featuring the pop songs of ABBA makes it to Broadway. Die-hard ABBA fans will like it best. Winter Garden. Telecharge.

Mary Poppins: The world’s most famous nanny comes to the stage after her great success as a P.L. Travers book and a Disney movie. New Amsterdam. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

Monty Python’s Spamalot: A musical inspired by that demented film comedy, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Shubert. Telecharge.

November: David Mamet’s new comedy about a president facing a tough re-election campaign. Nathan Lane stars as the chief executive and the cast also includes Laurie Metcalf and Dylan Baker. Lane will star in the show through July 13. Ethel Barrymore. Telecharge.

Passing Strange: A musical created by the singer-songwriter known as Stew. A hit off-Broadway last season, the show follows a young man’s journey from Los Angeles to Europe in search of truth and meaning. Belasco. Telecharge.

Rent: Jonathan Larson’s touching and now nostalgic look at struggling artists in New York’s East Village. Loosely based on Puccini’s opera “La Boheme.” Nederlander. Ticketmaster. Closes Sept. 7.

South Pacific: Kelli O’Hara is nurse Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot is French plantation owner Emile de Becque in a revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on one of the short stories in James A. Michener’s “Tales of the South Pacific.” Vivian Beaumont. Telecharge. Difficult.

Sunday in the Park With George: A Roundabout Theatre Company revival of the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical about French painter Georges Seurat and the creation of his masterpiece. Studio 54. 212-719-1300. Closes June 29.

The 39 Steps: A stage adaptation by Patrick Barlow of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1935 movie thriller about a man on the run. Four actors including Charles Edwards (who starred in the hit London production) portray more than 150 roles. Cort. Telecharge.

The Country Girl: Morgan Freeman, Frances McDormand and Peter Gallagher star in a revival of Clifford Odets’ play about a washed-up actor trying for a comeback. Mike Nichols directs. Bernard B. Jacobs. Telecharge.

The Lion King: Director Julie Taymor is a modern-day Merlin, creating a stage version of the Disney animated hit that makes you truly believe in the magic of theater. Minskoff. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747. Difficult on weekends.

The Little Mermaid: Disney’s stage version of its popular animated film about a sea maiden who longs to live on land. Lunt-Fontanne. Ticketmaster, a special Disney hot line, 212-307-4747.

The Phantom of the Opera: The one with the chandelier. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed composer who haunts the Paris Opera House is the prime, Grade A example of big Brit musical excess. But all the lavishness does have a purpose in Harold Prince’s intelligent production, now the longest-running show in Broadway history. Majestic. Telecharge.

Thurgood: Laurence Fishburne stars as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in a one-man show written by George Stevens Jr. Booth. Telecharge.

Top Girls: A Manhattan Theatre Club revival of Caryl Churchill’s play from the 1980s examines women, power and class. Biltmore. Telecharge.

Wicked: An ambitious, wildly popular musical about the witches in “The Wizard of Oz” as young women. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Gershwin. Ticketmaster. Difficult.

Xanadu: A fast, funny roller-disco musical loosely adapted from the cult 1980s film. The cast features Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson and Tony Roberts. Helen Hayes. Telecharge.

Young Frankenstein: Mel Brooks transfers his comedic monster mash of a movie from screen to stage — only with more song and dance. Hilton. Ticketmaster.

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