Aug 25 2010
Miami Strip Clubs: Rent Rocks Into the Westchester Broadway Theatre
The 20th Century Puccini is Jonathan Larson, who worked on the score and music for a full seven years before it was first presented off-Broadway for a three-week run. It then moved uptown to the Nederlander Theatre where it ran for 5,124 performances over a 12-year stretch. The tragedy of Larson’s dying on opening night added to the lore for people who are dedicated to the show.
And how was the experience of the Westchester Broadway Theater’s production for someone like me who doesn’t care for rock? Interesting, definitely interesting.
From the first steady beats of the score, the music and lyrics capture the intensity of a dangerous and dark existence as a bohemian. While the opera concentrates on poverty and illness as the downbeat elements, the social issues of bohemia are elevated in the 20th century version to include gay lifestyles, transvestitism, AIDS and drug addiction. While Mimi might have been a seamstress and perhaps sexually loose in the opera, she transforms into a stripper and drug addict in Rent.
See the full article from “Patch”