Welcome, Anthony Rapp!- Page 107

[MissMonika]

Posted: 3/22/05 at 7:37pm

I finally thought of a question! Ok, mine is: What's the most challenging role you have every played (film/tv/broadway/watever)?

I don't think anyone has asked this yet. If so, lemme kno people. Hey, I tried but i couldn't think of anything else.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/22/05 at 8:01pm

Incedniary_Wit- About performing La Vie Boheme at Qzar, You officialy rock! :-P That's so awsome. A few friends and I did that once during lunch. A whole flock of college students were staring at us but a few of them cheered. Either way, it was worth it.

Anyways, hope everyone had a good day.

[rice and beans AND cheese]

Posted: 3/22/05 at 8:19pm

I would do that, but I don't know anyone (except you guys) who like rent, so I would have to be all the charaters.

[k80]

Posted: 3/22/05 at 9:27pm

Have fun in California, Anthony!

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 3/22/05 at 10:27pm

i wish i could perform La Vie Boheme with my friends with the table dancing and all without being kicked out, yelled at, laughed at (the bad kind of laughed at), or stuff like that. that would be real cool especially since i'm the only one who can sing Mark's solo without stalling or forgetting a line.

[firesign813]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 12:38am

OK, I do not want to continue to keep this thread so off-topic, but I just have to respond. I was supposed to perform "Take Me or Leave Me" when I was a senior in high school (a million years ago as I am now in grad school...wow RENT has been a part of my life for a VERY long time). We had a musical revue. It was rehearsed and ready to go!

Anyway, days before the performance, the director decided that the lesbian theme was too risque for high school (even though it was an evening performace and we were not doing it during school hours) and wanted me to perform the song with a guy instead of with another girl. I refused and he cut the song all together. I fought it, but even the principal agreed. He even had the nerve to try and "scare" me out of it...he asked wouldn't I be worried that the whole school would think that I was gay if I did the song? Is that unbelievable or what? I told him that any questions could be directed to my boyfriend and I stormed out. I was furious and decided not to perform anything on principle even though I was slated to perform five of the twelve songs scheduled in the revue. Because I effectively cut half of the revue's repertoire, they had to cancel the whole show.

I am still pissed about it. My friend and I would have kicked major a**! I just could not get excited about doing the show after that number was cut. I could not be part of it anymore. It was completely wrong that I was not allowed to perform it because it was about a relationship between two women. It was not obscene in any way; it is one of the most tame songs in the entire show! Simple minds...





Updated On: 3/23/05 at 12:38 AM

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 1:15am

Alright I apologize in advance for threadjacking but I feel the need to respond to this...

I completely agree Firesign, that is absolutely horrible and disgusting in my opinion. Most of all, what irritates me about that is the fact that your principal tried to scare you out of doing it by saying "what if the school thinks you're gay?" Not only was he implying that being gay is something that no student should want to be seen as but instead of sitting down and trying to come to a reasonable agreement, he uses such weak tactics that could be very offending to some.

Second of all, so what if it portrays two women in a romantic relationship? Take Me or Leave Me is in no way obscene or vulgar in my opinion and the idea that it would have been perfectly acceptable had it been a guy and a girl is what makes me upset. To me, it seems like they are trying to encourage what they feel is a "normal" or "healthy" relationship and discourage and hide things such as a lesbian couple. What about teens who are gay and heard about this whole thing? What kind of message is that spreading to them? Anyways, I just think that that's horrible and unfair. I mean your principal and whoever else, is entitled to their own opinions about any issues obviously, but that doesn't mean they have to try to enforce it on the minds of everyone else by preventing you from doing your song. Sorry for the length but I just felt the need to respond to this.

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 01:15 AM

[One Song Glory]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 7:32am

i think firesign did the right thing. the principal dosen't know squat about the awesome power of Take Me Or Leave Me. i bet it would've been a great show if the principal didn't screw things up for you, oh well. i'm glad you didn't wanna change anything about it.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 10:29am

Yeah, I'm very glad to hear that you didn't take any of his bull****. You did the right thing by taking a stand. In the end, its probably better that you didn't kick his ass and get a lawsuit filed against you, no matter how much you probably wanted to. (I would have felt like storming in on him with a pair of steel toed doc martins). :-P Anyways, even though you didn't get to perform, at least you stood ground and showed him that you weren't going to put up with his attitude.

Anyways, hope everyone has a good day today!
-Mika

[Racetrack]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 10:42am

You like the steel toed Doc Martins don't you Dream. I still haven't done what you said, but you don't know how many times I've thought of it. That's okay.

Everyone else said what I wanted to say and I guess I'll be going now.

Have fun everyone.

[incendiary_wit]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 10:49am

"Take Me or Leave Me" is one of the best songs in RENT and I think your principal is just a narrow-minded jerk. My girlfriend, Aubrey, and I sing "Take Me or Leave Me" at lunch, during third period, and on the bus. If anyone has a problem with it, they haven't told us yet. I'm sorry you were stopped from performing and I'm positive it would have been a terrific performance had it been allowed. (times like this I'm glad I go to a performing arts school, people are used to this there).

[MissMonika]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 3:39pm

my friend and I wanna do "Take Me or Leave Me" also for our choir concert but we're also afraid that we won't be able to do it because of those reasons. our school is very conservative. i dunno, we're thinking about trying out for it still but if we don't get it, oh well, at least we tried.

to anthony: how're things going with the filming and all? hope you're having a good time in frisco. love u mucho!

[kangaroo]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 3:46pm

My school is also very conservative... we are afraid of their reaction to Les Mis for our spring musical {not that it matters, we really stink really bad anyway}

But I hope everyone is having a great time making the movie... I wish I lived closer to either locations, becuase I cannot wait till the previews come out! Do you know {Anthony} if they are planning on doing limited release at first?

[RENTaveB]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 4:24pm

My school is also conservative....but really....since our school is based on trust there are no "real" rules, but of course everyone is trustworthy so nothing wrong happens. The point is that we are able to anything...well anthing that won't go to far. Like we are able to do plays with homosexuality, the subject of sex, but this only shows how open my school is. Really surprising for a conservative Jesuit high school.


and there is nothing offensive with les miz. We did some musical (The Scarlet Pimpernel--"i hate this musical") where the girls wore whore clothes and gave lap dances to some drunk soldiers, but with taste of course. That was fun. Oh ya Mr. Giuliani attended one of our performances.
Wow i love my school!

Sorry again for another off topic posting!

Manhattan is the only home for me!!

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 04:24 PM

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 4:31pm

Ugh, my high school was pretty conservative also. Some scenes in our production of Guys and Dolls were deemed inappropriate and we had to alter them during dress rehearsal or something like that. This year, they're doing Grease, which they're editing to pieces. I don't understand my school. At all. Ugh, so glad I'm no longer there. However, people have performed "Take Me or Leave Me" at many events, so I guess they're all right with that. Or maybe they just didn't get that they're two lesbians. I don't know. Boo to high schools like mine (and, as it appears, everyone else's)!

~Steven

[RENTaveB]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 4:43pm

What is with your schools!?
Well my school is like run by people who are in the arts. So they don't really care. We'll do anything except for anything that goes to far. An example is putting something up someone's butt.

My school believes in its students potential. So they encourage their students to show their talents in any outlet (arts, eng, sports, music, etc.). I can even go down the hall singing "everyone is a little bit racist".

Due to the fact of the love for the arts in my school, we have so many people now succeeding in the arts afterwards. Example is academy award winning director, Bill Condon.

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 04:43 PM

[MissMonika]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 5:25pm

i dunno. maybe because its a middle class white suburban area, and people here are afraid of every little thing that causes controversy. that's Orange County for ya. i remember doing a Jazz theme for one of our concerts my sophmore year and our VP got all huffy coz one girl in advanced ensemble did that one song from Chicago, I think it's "When You're Good to Mama." i didn't really see what's the big deal with that.

[Ad_Libbing]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 5:26pm

Not to further this threadjack or anything... but I just wanted to offer my two cents:

My school, unfortunately, has gone conservative very fast. Last spring, we put on a production of "The Who's Tommy" that everyone was very excited about. Three performances later, the director of the Performing Arts Center had so many complaints about the content in his inbox that my Physics teacher knew about it.

Long story short, we can't say 'ass' in "Footloose," and rumors abound that the next musical will be 'Oklahoma!'

Maybe this is coming from having Childrens Theatre all summer.

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 05:26 PM

[RENTaveB]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 6:06pm

Wow...not to be mean....i'll never be myself at your schools....that is so weird.

That is just weird. What can you do?
Isn't art being expressive?
Anthony, when you read this...can ya give your opinion about the school system.

*just go to school in the city! hahaha

Note: we should make a different thread for this subject.

oh ya bill condon is going to film 'dream girls'.
*can ya guys give me an idea of your art programs at your schools...just really curious.

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 06:06 PM

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 6:16pm

Do the directors of these shows that they are editing realize that it is AGAINST THE LAW to change ANY part of a script without written permission from the author (or author's estate if they are dead).

And how dare you blame children's theatre! Children's theatre introduces small kids to LIVE THEATRE which is, even if we do not want to admit it, a dying art form. Children's theatre is also a great vessel for teen actors to hone their craft (I have been doing for 4 years about to start my fifth). I work my butt off learning 9 shows in 10 weeks, on top of a full time job.

[MaskedRose]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 6:19pm

Forgive me...but here it goes with the school thing again:
Musicals, and other stories/shows/etc., were written, most, if not all, with love and care. Their creators intended them to be performed that way and by cutting and editing all they are doing is destroying work that isn't theirs.
In my opinion do the show/etc. straight, don't edit and cut because the prissy little Victorian ladies wave their hankies at the thought of the same gender getting near each other in a romantic way. Honestly, my school does this too, but not to that extent. I don't know. I have a feeling it wouldn't haev been as big a deal if it had been two men, it sounds weird but I think...well I'll stop if you really want to hear it PM me and I'll explain.

On a brighter note...
How is filming going? Have you had any of the local yummies yet?
ummm that's all for now.

[Ad_Libbing]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 7:30pm

Oh, God, no! I'm in no means trying to attack Childrens Theatre. I've been part of the program for years and have grown up watching other kids perform, and I -love- it. The environment is just so awesome.

What I meant was that the director of the P.A.C. is getting bogged down and distracted with making things 'family friendly.' Obviously, we're not going to sling curses and child molestation around in a Childrens Theatre production. The man in charge just seems more wary recently; even in the childrens' plays, it's starting to show and worry some of the actors in the high school.

<3 to Childrens Theatre

(And we really should move this talk, methinks.)

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 7:44pm

ad- Sorry to take that the wrong way.

I think we should stop threadjacking Anthony's thread.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 7:50pm

Well in our defense it's not like it was a stupid thing to threadjack about....

And I am just thankful that my school isn't that conservative. It is a public liberal arts high school that is on a college campus and people could care less about things like censorship and content, thank god. I think it's awful how narrow minded and conservative schools are becoming nowadays. I know that some think they are "protecting" us but we have to learn what the real world is like sometime. And this kind of censorship just discourages creativity, open mindedness and individualism in my opinion.

[RENTaveB]

Posted: 3/23/05 at 7:56pm

i agree dreamcatcher!!

But u must agree that some things are too much for young kids....
But remember they do have good intentions with censorship (at times)!!! I think they should at times censor music videos than the movie "saving private ryan". What is our world coming too........there is no prob with sexuality...but kids are just going out with these ideas at such a young age! i guess Sex sells! *we need to stop this conversation!

Updated On: 3/23/05 at 07:56 PM