Yes, it's true- High School RENT

[Wavetree]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:05pm

Even though I heard rumors of this production a while ago, I thought it was a load of BS until I had my ticket in hand for the very first workshop of RENT: School Edition. I of course went in expecting the worst. Through the years I've seen enough show choir members in sparkly vests belting out SOL and 16 year old girls screeching OTM at open mike nights to safely assume that nobody whose life is still infused with homeroom, JV soccer practice and prom could ever do RENT justice. Last weekend, I happily discovered that I was dead wrong.

The workshop took place several hundred miles west of the Great White Way, at Shorewood High School in a Milwaukee suburb. The cast was, as expected, not very ethnically diverse, nor did the band have the music completely down, but on the whole, this production was fantastic. I was amazed to find how much I completely enjoyed each and every song, taking in little moments that I hadn't appreciated in years. The beautiful thing that I hadn't thought about in the many times I grimaced in horror at the thought of high schools or community theaters doing this show, was that nobody was phoning in their performance. Every single kid was pouring their heart out and giving his/her role and the show every ounce of respect it deserved. No Matt Kaplans here. On top of this undeniable effort, the cast was amazingly talented.

The ranges had certainly been tinkered with to accommodate untrained teenage voices, but the music did not suffer at all because of it. The Roger and Mimi pulled off both the notes and the chemistry, the Mark anchored the show, and even the scrawny, pale kid playing Collins managed to pull off his gospel solo with great success.

Of course it helps that these kids don't have to perform 8 shows a week for months on the road, but nobody is demanding this of them. The Shorewood kids weren't even seasoned performers- of the male cast members, only the guy playing Mark had ever been on stage before. When the show is finally liscenced for amateur groups, it will probably continue to bring out talented people who had never thought about musical theatre before. And if other high school/amateur productions of RENT are at all similar in quality to the one I saw on Saturday night, I say bring em on.


A link to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article about the show (with a picture of the cast): http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=425011

[All_For_Laura]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:12pm

That is awesome! I am glad that schools will now be able to take on a challenge like this. The problem that remains is if schools will do it because of the subject matter of rent. Nonetheless, very exciting!

[NathanLaneStalker]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:20pm

dito! Is it still going on?

[SirLiir]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:39pm

What did they change from the subject manner? How is the homosexuality and drug use handled in the school edition?

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:40pm

any reports on what's been cut for this version?

[FosseBoi]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:43pm

Oh my god!!! I'm to jelous of those students! We could NEVER do RENT here. Let me put it this way, we did "Oklahoma" a month ago and on the girls shirts, they were going to say "I'm just a girl who can't say no". One of the parents complained so we couldnt put that on the shirts...

However, I am very happy for those students! That is SUCH a great opprotunity! Wavetree, what were somethings that were cut out/down. Also, how did they do "Out Tonight"? Did Mimi perform it on the bars?

[jarretSF]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 5:59pm

How close was the staging to the original? Did they keep the same sex kisses?

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 6:05pm

http://community.livejournal.com/rent/2088593.html

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 6:07pm

Also:
http://community.livejournal.com/rent/2091130.html#cutid1

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 6:21pm

Good to hear... I've been very worried about amatuer performances. Still wary about some groups, but I'm glad to hear it's had some success. I am always for spreading the RENT love. :)

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 6:37pm

Ridiculous. So when does Hello Again - Highschool edition come out.

[JLSatUD]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 8:47pm

At first I thought it was totally insane, but I've warmed to the idea. Grease talks about pregnancy and that was a whole lot of shock value at one point in time too. Neat that the family is in on it and recognizing that there's potential for it to play out in high schools while also still being on Broadway.

[meggsison]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 8:55pm

Well, I was worried about these amateur performances until now. I mean, my choir director (not that he is the only one to make the decison...)told me that he was seriously thinking of taking it into consideration in a few years. I just don't know how people will handle the subject matter. Well, we'll have to wait and see.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 8:59pm

I go to school right outside of Milwaukee and Shorewood does fantastic and risky productions all the time. I was surprised to hear about this show.

[AshleyBrownFan123]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 9:06pm

Also... Ragtime has a school edition

[senortenor]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 9:06pm

Is that technically allowed with it still on B'way?

[senortenor]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 9:10pm

I just read the article. That is so cool. I am so proud of them!

[bwayondabrain]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 9:14pm

that is soooooo incredibly awesome! i want my school to do this!!!!

[luvliza89]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 9:21pm

I understand the want for challenge in high school productions, but I don't think RENT should be allowed in high schools. In the best case scenario the cast and the audience would learn from the production and take with them something they might not have known before. But the more real scenario is a young girl in hooker boots having her way with a pole. I'm a very open-mined person. I like RENT, I'm seventeen, leaving high school soon, but honestly I don't understand the incredible want for this production in high schools. To be risky and edgy? A challenge (because this seems to be the argument amoung teens) doesn't have to be edgy. I don't think they wouldn't be able to do justice to the piece (there are some fantastic singers and actors under the age of 1, there just seems to be too much adult thematics. I'm sorry, you can argue all you want but it is there. It seems, like it has been for centuries, that kids want to grow up so fast. Stick with 'Once Upon A Matress' and wait to do the more adult things later. I understand that kids don't wake up 18 and become more mature, it does take time and life experiences. So grow up in your own time and enjoy performing, no matter what the piece.
Updated On: 5/23/06 at 09:21 PM

[Wavetree]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 10:24pm

Can't believe I forgot to talk about what got changed! Anyway- staging was surprisingly close to the original with the set pretty much all intact. And yes, Mimi danced on the bars, although the sexuality was definitely toned down. They did away with the same sex kisses, but there was still a lot of physical affection between Collins and Angel, I was surprised by how romantic the director allowed them to be without worrying about how the grandmas in the audience would take it.

Cuts:
All the "****s" are gone of course, some replaced more successfully than others into " that jerk" "crap" and "hell"

In LMC: "They say that I have the best legs below 14th street"
" I didn't recognize you without the make-up"
- Roger doesn't pick up the stash

You'll See: "Get your butt off that Range Rover" which is silly, as they said 'ass' later in the show

OT: skipped "In the evening...nevers and maybes die"

On the Street: " who the hell do you think you are", "I don't need to stinkin' help", "This lot is full of self important artists"

I'll Cover You: Skipped " I've been hearing violins all night" and they hug at the end (no kiss)

Christmas Bells: the "follow the man" segment until "I just want to say/I'm sorry for the way" and after "you'll never lack for customers" I think they just sang the "and its beginning to snow" verse to end it.

OTM: no cuts that I can remember, not even the 'swollen udder' line

LVB: changed "dildos" but I can't recall to what, "mucho medication", cut from "bisexuals, trisexuals...to S&M"
"his inability to make a connection on the high holy days"

LVB B: "Ho-mo-sex-u-als, cross dressers too"

HNY: changed "Pussy Galore" to "Angel Galore"

TMOLM: "I didn't pierce my tongue", cut "clit club", changed "woman in rubber" to "person in the back", "there will always be people flirting with me"

Moved VM #4 ahead of SOL B, had Angel die during Without You

Obviously cut Contact

ICU:Reprise: During the funeral speeches, they surprising kept in Mark's "Circle Line" instead of "Statue of Liberty" as they do in the tours

After Goodbye Love, they cut everything from "Off the premises now" to "I can't I have a meeting/Punk! Let's Go" which is too bad because it kind of removes Benny's little moment of redemption

Finale: They didn't have a projector, maybe for budget reasons, but I think it could have been done. Also at the end, the entire cast lined up at the edge of the stage in SOL formation and Angel joined in to fill the gap in his spot (similar to the alternate movie ending)

I'm sure I forgot a few, but that was most of it. Oh and this version included a larger cast, I counted 19. The stage did seem a little crowded during SOL, but this allowed 4 more kids to take part and it really didn't disturb the show.

[Yero]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 10:31pm

Wow, good for them.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 10:43pm

I think it's pathetic that so many "fans" are excited to see the show chopped up, solely because they want *their* high school to do Rent. Look at all those LJ posts- most of them are posting how they can't wait until their school can do it instead of looking at the cuts and changes critically. They couldn't care less about the show and its message; they're supporting all this bullsh*t just for the sake of getting to play Mimi.

If the show as written isn't appropriate for high schools, then high schools shouldn't do it. That's the schools' problem, not the show's.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 10:56pm

God, and I thought Parade was bad for high schools...

[COOOOLkid]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 11:44pm

ugh... I hate this whole highschool Rent idea... I bet within 5 years, high schools everywhere are going to do Rent...

[Mandi Moo]

Posted: 5/23/06 at 11:50pm

Well, at least I wont be around when my school decides to do it.