THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Now Available for School Rentals - Page 2

[taylorPHENOMENON2]

Posted: 6/3/10 at 11:30pm

Another one whose excited just for the youtube possibilities. Pumped.

[Fosse76]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 12:08pm

"What shows SHOULD high schools do and why?"

If some of the people on this board have their way, none. I swear, some of the people on this board REALLY need to get a life. They act like a high school must put on a Broadway-ready production or they shouldn't do it at all. That's not what high school drama departments are about. It's NOT about professionally-trained singers. It's NOT about motorized scenery. It's NOT about thousands of dollars worth of costumes and scenery. It's about education. It's about the appreciation and cultivation of interest of performing arts. It's about having fun. These shows are NOT for the audience...they are for the students who are involved. If you want to see Phantom with flashy sets and costumes and professional performers, buy a ticket to the show on Broadway. To expect that from a high school is ridiculous.

And so what if they lowere the score? Professional productions change scales all the time when they recast (that final note in the title song for Phantom changes repeatedly with each actress). Some people act like the score is written in stone. It's not. It is always taylored to match the performer when necessary.

[husk_charmer]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 12:15pm

One of the schools near me was a tester school and it was really awful. They have, similar to Les Miz, transposed things, and made it easier for High Schools and Colleges to do. I'm sure there are schools that will handle it well, and some that won't.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 12:24pm

What Fosse76 said.

[Director =)]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 3:13pm

My beef is not so much with schools putting on crappy productions as it is doing illegal crap like putting the music back in the original key IF it is transposed. It's licensed one way, so deal with it. Just like when they add in the extra songs for "Cabaret" that were added to the '98 revival, which is NOT being licensed.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 3:14pm

Oh Jesus Christ.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 4:13pm

"My beef is not so much with schools putting on crappy productions as it is doing illegal crap like putting the music back in the original key IF it is transposed. It's licensed one way, so deal with it. Just like when they add in the extra songs for "Cabaret" that were added to the '98 revival, which is NOT being licensed. "

Schools are far from the only ones to be doing this.

And in regards to the keys, MTI offers what they call "Transpositions on Demand" where they will, for a fee, transpose a song to the desired key as well as provide the needed orchestral parts. I don't know if the other companies have this, but if it proves to be worthwhile for MTI I would imagine they would want to follow in their footsteps eventually. So even though you may hear something in a different key do not automatically assume that it was done in violation of the contract with the licensing company.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 6:21pm

My 9th grade drama class is doing Love Never Dies this fall. We're SUPER excited. We're painting a Coney Island backdrop this summer to fit into the cafetorium and I get to paint the Ferris Wheel! My friend Kristiey (silent Y) is painting the Fried Oreo cart which she says she's looking forward to.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 6/4/10 at 10:49pm

It's NOT about thousands of dollars worth of costumes and scenery. It's about education.

You should tell our headmaster that.

[dg22894]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 8:42pm

People under estimate high schools. I think high schools should do things legally but let them do things they want to do.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 9:52pm

Oh, come on PRS and Fosse...

It's going to be fun to watch high schools try and copy the original production with minimum budget, because you know that's just what some are going to do.

That's what I'm looking forward to! And it's all in good fun.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 9:56pm

I have no problem with that. There is some crazy shi+ on youtube. I'm objecting to the people who are acting like it's so sacrosanct that schools should have no business doing it.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:16pm

I think FOLLIES is one of thsoe kinds of shows.

No business doing it at high schools.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:27pm

Eh, there's one on youtube that looks like it had a bigger budget than the production I did. As Fose76 said, it's not about the audience. If the school has the resources and the desire to do so, who cares what they do?
Updated On: 6/5/10 at 10:27 PM

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:43pm

I just have a thing with kids playing old people.

Why do a musical that uses that as a plot point when there are SO MANY others out there that don't?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:46pm

But in virtually ANY show they do, they are going to be playing beyond their ages and experiences.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:56pm

Well, yes, but they don't all need to be playing senior citizens. It's just a lot of bad make-up and it's distracting.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 10:57pm

You must go to a LOT of high school shows!

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/5/10 at 11:00pm

My middle school did a kickass production of THE GIN GAME. We put baby powder in our hair and drew horizontal lines with sharpies all over our faces to make us look old.

[1776246012]

Posted: 6/9/10 at 4:33am

I see pros and cons either way. What I want to know is how they will do the chandelier scenes. Hopefully the schools'll get creative (I have my own ideas on how they might be done without actually showing the chandelier flying or falling). Plus, if they eventually allow community and youth theatres to perform it, that means I will finally have a realistic chance to play Piangi or (preferrably) Firmin.