RENT is coming to high schools... — Page 3

I'm siding with the "bad idea" crowd on this. While it might not sound like a bad idea, the dilutions that will need to be made to pass high school administrators' and parents' standards are going to completely warp the overall message of the show, which itself is partially about raging against censorship. Those references in La Vie Boheme are there for a reason. Those characters are dirty and suffering and real, and making them less so for the sake of political correctness does an injustice to the piece. And I'm not even going to touch the issue of necessary talent within the majority of high schools with a ten foot pole.

This isn't a junior show. It's a school edition to be performed at the high school level. It's been in the works for two years now and has had two workshop productions. Very little has been cut.

What, are you on the board or something? If reports are true, then how does that qualify as "very little has been cut"?

The cuts don't sound quite as inconsequential as the PG-13 language cuts for the movie. Changing the suggestive lyrics and watering down the homosexuality and drug references makes it a different show. If they have to take a big red pen to La Vie Boheme and Light My Candle then they just should reevaluate why they're even bothering.

I Would LOVE some of the Cuts made besides the Ones in "Light My Candle"
By the Way, Im a High Schooler
and I know for a FACT that High Schoolers COULD NOT DO THIS SHOW!!!
LoL!

dramaqueen...I graduated from there in 2001. What HS do you attend?

---

Firstly I was in the Workshop and I am speaking from the point of view from having experiencing what was being cut, changed, and moved. I am in no way disagreeing with anything anyone is saying but just wanted to give some light to what is being done. The show is adored by high school students and a younger generation Mti had no expectations that this would be as popular amongst high schools as say...Guys and Dolls. But they wanted a version so that high schools that had the capability and acceptance to preform the show. the cuts were made so that the integrity of the piece and Johnathan Larson creation. the workshop was preformed in front of both of Johnathan Larson parents, as well as one of his best friends who was there during the creation of the show, and the original music director and arranger Tim Weil. I am not trying to name drop but just trying to show you that most of the people involved in it's development were there and deciding upon if it worked and MTI could move ahead with the project.

All of them agreed that some of the changes would not work, and I can tell you now that "mucho medication" was cut, and is not in this version. His parents seemed to be active in the project and where impressed with how it worked as was Tim Weil. I fully understand that not all places could cope with the score especially the seasons of love solo as there just aren't that many people like Natalie Walker who sang in in the workshop. MTI understand this too that is why not all schools can cope with preforming the schools editions such as ragtime, and les miz which not all schools can cope with. The score to les miz is still extremely demanding but the schools additions still keeps the shows integrity.

If anyone has any questions about the workshop please feel free to ask.

helloagainx
P.s: sorry if this is hard to read.

Updated On: 2/28/07 at 09:21 PM

I am so irritated right now Truman takes everything away from all the other theatre troupes in their area. Yes they put on great shows but i wish that other schools could get the opprotunities truman gets..I am excited and jealous and seriously considering moving to the district. we must buy tickets right away because they will sell out FASTER THAN YOU KNOW!

Surely they do know better in theory, and I respect that. However, doesn't mean we have to think it's a good idea. Disagreeing with the idea isn't the same as claiming to know what Jonathan would have wanted. I mean, people disagree with choices of living artists all the time without claiming to know what they really want because they're acting against their desires. I agree with you to an extent that it doesn't impact the lives of most of the dissenters, the dissent if the dissent is on principle, that's a different issue.

---

Updated On: 2/28/07 at 11:31 PM

so they have a high school boy in drag and an Older Black boy being his lover?
How do they handlw the fact that Mimi is a whore for drugs?
I am all for reality and I wanna know if the "new" script addresses these ideas?

The sky didn't fall when Joey set food onstage at the Neder
I think this may be the best/most appropriate typo ever.

I understand they're not required to ask our permission to make changes, but no one can claim that because his family/friends support it, we're somehow wrong for questioning their judgement.

---

Updated On: 2/28/07 at 11:47 PM

craww, no, I'm not "on the board", whatever that may mean. Again, not much has been cut. You can choose to believe the people here who are against this in principle, but who have no real clue as to what has been done over the past 2+ years during the workshopping, or you can listen to a couple of individuals who have actually been involved in the process, and perhaps learn something.

By 'on the board' I meant that you seem to have an invested stake in it, as if you yourself were working on it. The people directly involved with it seem to have scarier things to say than the people who are opposed, so I don't know what you expect me to learn from that.

For me, it's not about what Jonathan Larson would have wanted. I have absolutely no perspective on that and would never speak for him or his family or his friends. I just think it sounds like it's being handled badly. I heard rumblings about some of those lyric changes a few months back and I literally thought they were a joke, so this entire process seems like a parody of what 'RENT!: The High School Musical' invokes.

My concerns are in no way a judgement on the people that have worked on this version of the show. I personally don't feel it is appropriate. I am allowed to have my opinion. But, if they want it that is their business. And I have never made a comment about the re-writes themselves, since I don't know to what extent they exist.

My reservations come from strictly an artistic standpoint. High school age students, for the most part, can not comprehend the enormity of the situations in this show. They are going to play it very one dimensional and flat - not because of a lack of talent, but a lack of life experience necessary to understand this show. Yeah, kids can like the show when they see it, because it has an amazing score and touches on a lot of issues they can identify with. But there are some things that go over their heads. I'm not saying this to be mean. And I know there are some high school age kids who can identify with more of it than others. There are a lot of shows that high school age perforemers should not attempt, but there are also plenty of shows out there that can appeal to high school age kids and still be within their acting range (whether it be talent range, life experience range, or other.)

AS for the score, I still stand by what I said earlier. Yes, there are some high school students who have vocal training. I was one of them once upon a time. But, there's not a lot that do have training. And some that have training still aren't disciplined to be careful with a hard, harsh score like this. Plus, younger performers tend to push too hard, especially when they're loving the show they are doing.

As for this show attracting new people to theater? In some places, maybe. But I think throughout the majority of America the theater kids are already passionate and will stay that way. The other kids are gonna go see the show JUST to get out of English class. Because most of the non-theater kids aren't going to know what Rent is anyway. As someone above said, I cringe at the thought of some football jock camping it up as Angel JUST as a way to make his friends laugh. Because, 9 times out of 10, the kids that would really understand parts of Angel would never dream of auditioning for the role. Unless high school has changed drastically since I graduated back in '94. (Yes I'm old.)

The point is, whether we like it or not, they're doing this. I don't see many high schools getting away with doing it and the ones that will would get away with doing the unedited show anyway. I wish everyone involved much luck! And I SINCERELY hope they prove me absolutely wrong and that maybe a few minds will be opened because of this. I doubt they will.

---

happy to amuse you with the typo although I'm not sure why it's so appropriate or hilarious.

Oh come on. Don't pretend to not get a Joey Fatone fat joke.