Joanne - Rent

[AngusN]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 9:23am

Is there a reason why this role is so underdeveloped? The character is pivotal to the plot, but is so unexciting. She just has the occasional section in songs: Seasons, Take Me, I'll Cover U (reprise), Tango Maureen etc.

[JulianHookbucks]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 9:58am

well, the writer did die almost halfway through the Broadway rehearsal process. Jonathan Larson died before a lot of things were fully developed. The Finale, is the most noticable... and lots of just little things... That's what I think anyway...

[timote316]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 10:16am

I'd be willing to bet that Rent would be very different had Jonathan lived.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 10:29am

If they developed every character as much as they do...say, Roger...we'd be in the theatre for hours.

[hearthatstrue]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 10:38am

Hah. I agree, ShuQ.

Joanne is just a supporting player. She's somewhat developed, though (Or I think she is, at least.). JulianHookbucks said it: A lot of things weren't completely developed before Jonathan passed away. "Take Me or Leave Me" was the last song he wrote for the show, I believe.

And, because I'm really anal, Joanne doesn't have a part in "Seasons of Love." She sings the song normally, like the rest of the cast, sans the two soloists.
Updated On: 10/23/05 at 10:38 AM

[almostxfamous]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:00pm

Well, if you include the movie, she does sing in Seasons of Love.

I too think that RENT would have been much different had Jonathan lived. I mean, I was looking at the NYTW script last night, and it's SO different from the current RENT. And Joanne really isn't in the spotlight as much as the other characters because she doesn't really have a conflict that's fully fleshed out except for her relationship with Maureen.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:25pm

This same topic is touched on briefly in the Rent Bible
One of the big things Jonathan wanted to fix was the Maureen/Joanne relationship and the last song he wrote for Rent was "Take Me or Leave Me"
In fact, I believe in the first NYTW version, Maureen actually goes back to Mark but everyone involved wanted their relationship to be of equal depth to that of Collins and Angel

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:28pm

If I remember correctly, the Bible quoted Jonathan as saying "I wouldn't change a thing. No, that's not true, i'd change one word." But he never said which word it was.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:31pm

You're close EverythingIsRENT, he said wanted to change one sentence
We'll never know

[JulianHookbucks]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:42pm

lets bringup this question shall we? DO you think RENT would have lasted as long as it has had Jonathan lived? Would it be better? Would it be worse?

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 12:47pm

I believe Emcee said something like this a while ago
Had Jonathan had lived, Rent would have been his breakout piece but he would have gone on to write bigger and better things and Rent would have eventually turned into a "Saturday Night" of sorts.
I do think Rent itself would have been more "polished" had he lived, definately, but I personally don't think that Rent would have left off-Broadway had Jonathan's death not been so publicized

Updated On: 10/23/05 at 12:47 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 1:14pm

Maybe they'll develop her further in the movie? I'd venture to guess the setting for TMOLM might be part of that effort.

[Color and Light]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 1:25pm

Personally, I think if I could play any female character in the show, it would be Joanne ... she is underused, but I think she's the most likable of the female characters, in my opinion.

[sweeedboy]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 1:35pm

The way i look at is that Joanne isn't part of the main core. She is a lawyer who is pretty well off. I feel her point is almost to show that yes you can have money and position but you can still be a human and work for a common good(her helping everyone out via squater's rights). She is in stark contrast to Benny who gets all that and becomes an Ahole. The reason she isn't a main player is that she isn't friends with everyone. Angel isn't either, but he is from the same background, he is roughing it to make it. He is totally selfless and draws people to him. Joanne i picture as havign other friends and she is just meeting these people and entering their story because of maureen.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 1:43pm

I actually thought that this "We're OK" goes a long way to developing some context to Joanne. It has been a while since I saw the show live, but at least when I listen to the song, it gives me a lot of info into her character.

But, there are plenty on this Board who have far more knowledge of all thinks Rent than I.

[rose&lark]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 2:10pm

Even though RENT is different than La Boheme, La Boheme is its source material, and in that, Rodolfo and Mimi are the main characters, the plot revolves around them. In RENT, the other characters (Mark, Maureen, Joanne, Collins, etc.) are given pretty good attention being that there are so many of them and the musical is only SO long..."We're Okay" does give Joanne some characterization, especially if you pay attention to all that she is saying in that song, and what each thing means. I think she's also given character through her solos in "Happy New Year" and "Tango: Maureen" and "Take Me or Leave Me."

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 2:44pm

I think most of Joanne's character development comes out not just in her relationship with Maureen, but her relationship with her parents.

And I agree with YouWantitWhen????, We're Okay is probably the most telling about Joanne.

But I would hardly say she has the least character development of the principal characters in Rent. Probably Angel or Collins would be worse; they exist only to be head over heels in love, and there's very little information about their personalities and how they relate to other characters.

[broadway86]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:04pm

I'm hoping that the screenwriter will flesh out some of the characters a little bit more.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:06pm

I agree with Orange - you learn more about Joanne than Angel and Collins.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:06pm

Julian, Jonathan Larson didn't die "halfway through the Broadway rehearsal process". The show hadn't even opened off-Broadway when he died.

I think that Joanne is as 'fleshed out' as a character really as most of the leads. With the exception of Mark, who most feel that they know the most about, I don't think that Joanne is any less 'known' than any of the others. My opinion.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:34pm

I agree that Larson wrote "We're Okay" to sort of say "this is who this character is, these are her insecurities, and these are some of her attributes," so much is revealed in the three different conversations, that's why I don't think they should have cut it from the movie. In the Rent Bible, it says that Jonathan always had problems developing the Maureen/Joanne couple but I think he did a fine job considering he thought this was some off-Broadway show that would run for so long. I think Joanne sort of helps explain the character of Maureen, and yes, like sweeedboy said, Joanne is sort of a foil to Benny.

[JulianHookbucks]

Posted: 10/23/05 at 3:43pm

well, I saw that as kind of the half way mark to Broadway, should have phrased it diffferently... sorry...