singer kyle Riabko bares it all on-stage and off.

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Singer Kyle Riabko bares it all on-stage and off.
written by ERIN STRECKER
photos courtesy of PAUL KOLNIK
N
ot many shows combine an onstage band,
racy content, and rock music that gives
The All-American Rejects a run for their money.
A Broadway musical may seem especially
unlikely. But “Spring Awakening,” a sexy poprock musical coming to Des Moines in January,
is taking the theater world by storm. Leading
man Kyle Riabko isn’t surprised a bit. “Before I
was cast, I saw the show and loved it,” Riabko
says. “It’s a rock show with a story. The music is
amazing—it has nothing to do with your classic
musical theater.”
Riabko may be only 21 years old, but “Spring
Awakening” is far from his debut on the road.
“I started performing professionally when I
was 10 years old,” Riabko says. “My first band was
called Ten, Eleven, Twelve because those were
our respective ages at the time.” Riabko’s career
took off as he spent his teenage years on tour
with artists like John Mayer and Maroon 5.
“I was always just the skinny kid from Canada
who would open the show,” he says. “But it was
such a fantastic experience.”
Riabko has been on the road for much of his
life, but it certainly works for him. At age 15,
he signed his first record deal with Columbia
Records for his debut album “Before I Speak,”
and his first single went Top 10 at AAA radio in
the U.S. His albums “The Duo: EP” and “Songs
For Amanda” followed. Yes, Amanda Bynes. “It
was a little joke I had with a friend,” Riabko says.
“I made this video proclaiming my love for her
online, and thousands of people took it seriously.
It became this huge thing—kind of like a dirty
little prank.” Although he hasn’t met her yet,
perhaps it’s for the best. “I feel like if someone
introduced me as ‘the guy who wrote a song for
you,’ she’d hate me,” he says.
When he’s not busy crushing on celebs, he’s
dropping his pants for “Spring Awakening,”
the saucy show about teenage sexuality that
won the Tony for best musical in 2007. “Spring
Awakening” sends a slightly different message
than the “love conquers all” theme of most
musicals. Riabko says he attended another show
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in September, and the audience was filled with
elderly women. “‘Spring Awakening’ gets its share
of old ladies, but for God’s sake, theater needs to
be directed toward a younger audience or it dies,”
he says.
While some parents are concerned about
the show’s frank discussions and depictions of
sex, Riabko isn’t worried. “I’m the least prudish
person you’ll ever meet,” he says. “The explicit
content was a big part of the reason I wanted to
do it. I felt like I was making a difference.” The
show speaks out about repressed society and
warns of the tragedies that can befall kids who
are shielded from the truth—a strong message
even in today’s relatively open culture.
“Spring Awakening” has garnered legions of
obsessive fans, many of whom are teens. “I think
the reason teenagers are struck so hard by this
show is because we’re talking onstage about
issues they’re actually going through in real
time, in real life,” Riabko says. From first loves to
suicides, it’s all there.
After performing such an intense show eight
times a week, it’s no wonder the cast is close.
While he’s mum on whether any romantic
relationships have evolved, Riabko says they
get along very well and their personalities have
rubbed off on each other. He now finds himself
reading plays in his free time thanks to the
theater kids he hangs with on the road.
While Riabko doesn’t plan to do any solo
concerts when “Spring Awakening” hits
Des Moines, he hopes to build up his fan base
and come back. “We’re really going to have a
lot of fun,” he says. “Des Moines will never be
the same.”
Check out Riabko’s latest album “Parkside
Sessions” in stores now, or grab a seat at the Des
Moines Civic Center between January 20 and 25
when “Spring Awakening” brings sex to the city. DM