Rent: School Edition

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 8:55am

I am about to audition for a production of Rent: The School Edition, and I was wondering how different the production is from the actual production.

Example: Do they cut songs? Scenes? etc.

Any help would be appericiated. :)

[ActualReality2]

Posted: 5/2/08 at 11:20am

My sister was in the MTI Workshop of Rent: School Edition and I went to see it so I'll tell you a few of the changes that I remember!

Contact was cut out entirely, which I think is pretty understandable. Christmas Bells, for some reason I remember it being a lot shorter- I don't think they did a lot of the end of that song. I could be wrong though.

They also changed a bunch of lines- the one I remember most is "much masturbation" being changed to "mucho medication". Another I remember is during Christmas Bells Angel doesn't say, "Kiss me it's beginning to snow" to Collins.

I'll ask my sister- she'll remember most of the changes :)

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 5/5/08 at 12:02am

I heard its not TOO different...

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 5/7/08 at 10:44am

How does Angel die then? They're just go from Alexi's voice mail to eulogies? Straight from Without You to eulogies? I mean, Contact is certainly the most inappropriate song in the show, but Angel's send off is wonderfully done (with our without the "hot hot sweat" and erotic motions).

[DidYouReallyHearMe]

Posted: 5/13/08 at 5:46am

in a production I saw they stuck with Angel wrapped in the white sheet. He entered to an underscore as the entire cast gathered on stage with their backs to the audience as the watched as he walked toward the light.

It was actually pretty nice. But still uncomfortable since it's placement is off with no 'Contact'

[DaneSaw]

Posted: 5/13/08 at 12:01pm

Angel's death is very much the same as it is in the movie (in fact...the production I saw used a lot of elements from the movie...the drums building up before "Rent", fir example). Angel is dying during Without You, Collins leaves him on the table, the cast joins him downstage for ICY:R and Angel walks off in the background.

Other changes I noticed were verses dropped from a LOT of songs (the big build-up at the end of Christmas Bells, Mimi's 2nd verse of Out Tonight, one of the later verses in Another Day, as well as in Light My Candle, La Vie Boheme and Without You. It seemed like all the references to "smack" and Mimi's drug use were dropped, aside from her encounter with The Man in Act 2.

Of course, there were some issues I had with the staging and costumes of the production I saw, but that probably has more to do with the director in this case.

[myshikobit]

Posted: 5/16/08 at 6:23pm

UHH... It's so hard not to be adamantly against "school editions". I loathe them. But it still is Rent...

[insertclevernamehere]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 3:13am

I heard that Collin and Angel's kissed was removed, although Maureen and Joanne's was still in there.

[maya5892]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 3:57pm

I heard both kisses were out..

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 5/28/08 at 7:57pm

They should be kept as long as all the actors are comfortable with it. I mean, if straight kisses are allowed...

Posted: 5/30/08 at 11:52am

RENT: school edition - horrible. just horrible.

[eponine24601]

Posted: 6/9/08 at 8:15pm

All I can say about my friend's school's version can be summed up in two words:

Mucho education.

[gvendo2005]

Posted: 6/10/08 at 9:20am

What Was Changed for RENT (School Edition)
(References to lyrics are from Applause Books version of libretto, references to score are from MTI piano/conductor score that has been circulating the trader market)

TUNE UP #1: "Instead of my old ****" is cut; bar 7 of score is cut in half (2/4 instead of 4/4); the interjections of "SH*T!" and "F*CK!" are changed to "No!" and "Crap!"
RENT: "Ughhhhh-- Ughhhhh-- Ughhhhh-- I need a drink" loses the "I need a drink" line
ONE SONG GLORY: Key dropped from G flat to F
LIGHT MY CANDLE: "Oh won't you light the candle" through "We could light the candle" is cut (bar 83 to bar 107, any discussion of Mimi's drug life is gone)
TANGO MAUREEN: Mark's interjections of "F*CKin'" are changed in both instances ("Really weird" and "Maureen cheated" instead)
OUT TONIGHT: Bars 57-84 are out ("When I get a wink..." through "...howl out tonight"); "I'll let you make me" is now "I'll let you take me"
ANOTHER DAY: Bar 70 cuts to Bar 112 (meaning that we skip "Excuse me..." through Mimi's second "...no day but today" verse)
WILL I: Drops in key from G flat to E
ON THE STREET: "Ted Koppel" is apparently "CNN" now; first iteration of "****" is changed to "hell" in bag lady segment, and now the lot is full of "self-righteous" artists (one of the few censored bits that I think is better than the original, giving the character more depth)
SANTA FE: Times are now "gritty"
I'LL COVER YOU: Key change (C to F, down to B flat to E flat) and dropping bars 36-76 ("on life...be my life" through "a new lease you are, my love," dropping the little dance and more romance between Collins and Angel...I guess the kids can't take it?)
CHRISTMAS BELLS: Angel's "Kiss me..." is now "Honey..."; bar 37 cuts to bar 61, removing the complex counterpoint between the whole cast
LA VIE BOHEME: Lyric changes ahoy! The much discussed "mucho medication," "hold an erection" is "make a connection," Benny is now "that jerk," bars 103 through 193 are cut (removing the gay make-out moments and the "bisexuals, trisexuals..." verse and Mr. Gray leaving), and "(to) faggots, lezzies, dykes" are now generalized as "(to) homos, lesbians"
HAPPY NEW YEAR B: "Hicksville" is now "Jersey"; Mimi's "words" are what's so seductive now; apparently she also kicked him "right before I walked out the door"
TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME: Maureen's intro line about pierced nipples is gone, and now they just go to "the club"
VOICE MAIL #5: Is moved between "Take Me Or Leave Me" and "Seasons Of Love B"
WITHOUT YOU: Loses 34 bars of music ("The earth turns...without you" through "The crowds roar...without you")
CONTACT: Gone
I'LL COVER YOU (REPRISE): Angel helped them "find the Statue of Liberty"
GOODBYE LOVE: Roger is now "full of it"; underscore music (bars 78-85) cut; "I missed your mouth..." through "I was only trying too..." cut
WHAT YOU OWN: Bars 1-21 (the bit with the pastor and Collins) gone
FINALE A: Bars 1-32 (homeless people singing) cut
FINALE B: Bars 78-85 gone (two iterations of "I die without you"), bars 90 and 91 gone (the two bars of instrumental before the final "No day but today" where Angel usually joins the cast onstage)

Updated On: 6/10/08 at 09:20 AM

[broadway234]

Posted: 6/15/08 at 4:01pm

i really am anxious to see this at ITF... anyone here in it?
Updated On: 6/16/08 at 04:01 PM

[icantbelive]

Posted: 6/18/08 at 3:43pm

They cut A LOT of unnecessary things out!! It's so conservative... for Rent.

Posted: 7/5/08 at 1:05am

I dont know. I was in the Rent: School Edition that performed at the ITF and I dont think too much was cut for the school edition. Some of La Vie Boheme was taken out, as was the whole song Contact as you all said. I know when we talked to the people of MTI that they said using Mucho Masturbation was ok if you chose to do so. I know here in Kenosha we used mucho medication but for the ITF we used mucho masturbation. Marty from MTI said that him and the Larson family talked about that line a lot because I think it was the mom who said kids today all do it but can't say it but we can keep some of the drug references and what not.

I think we did an amazing job at the ITF. It was an amazing venue to perform in and thank the audience for their support throughout the show if you got to see it.

As for Angel's death our director made some choices. On the stage during Take me or Leave Me were 3 tables. One on stage right was Maureen and Joanne going at it. Middle was Roger and Mimi. Left was Collins and Angel. We had Angel laying in Collins' arms the whole time then when it came for Without You, Angel would start to sort of convulse in pain in Collins' arms while they are singing. Then Collins would pick him up and lay him on the middle table where he would convulse one last time and then go completely stiff. Then Collins would go up to him and give him a kiss on the forehead. Then Collins went down on the ground to sit and Angel would get up, look one last time at Collins, then leave with his white sheet draped around him. I thought it was very moving. Then we went into eulogies. Everyone on stage cries during it so if anyone thought we weren't or that they were fake they weren't. We all do it amazingly enough.

Thats how Angel's death worked for us. Any other questions I'm more then happy to answer

[ACE42]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 6:32pm

The one performed at ITF was absolutely mind blowing. it was right up there with hairspray. ha, to be completely honest, i didnt even notice that Contact was taken out because i was too into it. i was in tears at the end as was the rest of my troupe. great job you guys. you we're AMAZING.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 7/31/08 at 11:03pm

Figured i'd come over here to post about it. I saw a production at my former high school tonight, and coming from a VERY big renthead, it was really good. All the line changes really weren't that bad and for those who never saw it before never misses a beat. To me, it didn't really effect the over all theme and message. It was still very touching and moving. Although in the version I saw they kept in "mucho masterbation" and a few other things I was actually quite shocked about. Drug use was still evident and they kept her smacking her arm in "Out tonight" and has the physical drugs in her hand during "Without You" as well.

The cast was realllllly good. I was really scared to see it butchered but I was impressed. But this was a summer production with kids from various schools, I do have my doubts for when it becomes just a regular ol' spring musical show with random kids.

[afaye11]

Posted: 8/1/08 at 12:44pm

Hey motortink, did you happen to see it as CHE,I'm in the cast and it would be great if that review was for us. Updated On: 8/1/08 at 12:44 PM

[Pilbox410]

Posted: 8/8/08 at 9:16pm

My High School is doing this in the spring and I got the chance to read the MTI Vocal Book. gvendo2005 is pretty much right. Though it sounds like alot it really doesn't take away from the story or the music at all. I personally think people should stop bashing something that has never been heard before. Rent has content not suitable for minors but the message is for all ages. Larson wanted to connect the old theater goers with the next generation rockers, and he did it. So why should we not give the chance for students and teens today to address problems in their lives instead of hiding behind musicals like HSM and Grease.

[ajag810]

Posted: 8/19/08 at 3:22am

I played Maureen in the World Premiere of RENT: School Edition. MTI asked my school, Bradford Highschool in Kenosha, WI to do it, we also recorded the reference CD. The show is not that different. Still amazing in every way. But the song "Contact" is completely cut. We did not get to say the lyric "Mucho masturbation" in our community performances but when we went to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, NE we got to, thank god. After Without You, it goes straight into the Eulogies. Angel and Collins do not kiss in the show but they do gestures and the actors that played the roles are together in real life so they portrayed the relationship very realistically. When he dies there is a sheet involved but Collins is one of the tables holding him as he convulses and when he takes the sheet (white) and slowly exits. In "La Vie Boheme" for when I say, "Hey Mister, she's my sister," we did not kiss but we we did a leg up butt grab thing. In the music for "La Vie Boheme" the lines "Bisexuals, Trisexuals....." to "To sodomy, it's between god and me" are totally cut. In "What You Own" the whole cast are given parts to sing along with Roger and Mark, includes harmonies with "oohs" and "ahhhs". There are also speaking lines in "Goodbye Love" by Maureen and Joanne that were cut, they consisted of kissing and commentary. We just said
Maureen:"Pookie"
Joanne:"Honeybear"
Maureen: "I missed you so much"
Joanne: "I missed you too"
Maureen: "I missed your smell" then we walked off.
That was an awkward line. But whatever. The show still was the most moving show done at Bradford. Good luck, you'll love it :)

[Martini]

Posted: 8/26/08 at 2:47pm

Ha thats one bad ass musical...lol sorry dude I'm no help lol