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Rent – A Musical Which Deals With Sensitive Issues
‘Rent’ is a musical which has been immensely popular and is running for its eleventh year now. It is based on the Opera La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. ‘Rent’ is set to become the second longest running show currently in Broadway when ‘Beauty and the Beast’ ends its run on July 29, 2007.
‘Rent’ was one of the first musicals to treat subjects like homosexuality, transsexuals and AIDS. It is a rock musical with an enduring look at the lives of several characters living in the East Side. These characters struggle to survive the harsh realities of their lives. Jonathan Larson wrote the book for Broadway and he also wrote the lyrics and composed the music. Unfortunately he died before he was able to see the success of his play.
The story of ‘Rent’ deals with the lives of several characters. We see Mark Cohen, a film maker and also the narrator of the story and Roger Davis, a musician who shares the Rent with Mark. Mark has just lost his girlfriend Maureen to another woman Joanne. Mimi is a dancer and who falls in love with Roger. Other characters include Angel, who is a gay cross dressing drummer, and Tom Collins who is also gay, a philosophy teacher and Angel’s love interest. All the characters, except Mark, have AIDS.
Musicals – Dealing With the First Private Audition
You’ve just heard about your first musical theater audition. You’ve not auditioned for musicals before, so you don’t know what will happen. What should you aim for?
First, let’s explore what an audition is for. For the casting panel, it’s an opportunity to see new people, or to remind themselves of familiar people. It’s a chance to see who and what is out there, to make decisions about casting, and to match up different actors to make a company. For you, it’s an opportunity to let the casting panel get to know your performing ability, hear you sing and see you in your choice of character.
Now let’s explore what the first audition is not. It’s not a ‘real’ performance. There’s no applause or feedback, the panel hasn’t paid to see you, there are no sets or lighting, and you don’t have costumes or make-up (except what you are wearing). It’s not a complete show either, as the panel will expect to watch you come in as you, then change into character in front of them. And finally, the first audition will not get you the job. That may seem odd, but Broadway and West End auditions can drag on over several months with up to 9 recalls. And with the larger musicals you definitely would not be cast on how good your first audition was.
Remind yourself that the panel wants to know your level of skill, how good you are at staying in character, whether you look comfortable on stage, and if you are the right professional level for their production. So the key points are to appear professional, well-prepared and confident with your material. And for the first audition it’s vital for an actor, singer or dancer to use song material that’s suitable for their casting, voice and abilities.
Movie Talker – To Talk Or Not to Talk
The other day, I was watching a movie in a theater with some friends. It was supposed to be a comedy, but I couldn’t stomach a laugh. If I hadn’t gone with a couple of friends, I would have already been in another theater by this point. Especially a movie like this, one that would have been better to rent than pay a million dollars to see. It’s getting down right expensive to see a movie nowadays. After you factor in the pop, candy, and the price of your ticket, you almost need to take out a second mortgage. Anyway, I’m not really into the movie, and I can’t leave. I start biting my lip because I have a bad habit which drives my friends crazy. All of a sudden, I hear a familiar sound; a guy two rows down has the same condition as myself. My dimples take form for the first time this evening. The guy two rows down is a movie talker.
For those of you who are not familiar with my condition, let me showcase some of our best characteristics. They’re three kinds of movie talkers. Sometimes it is possible for a person to have all three of these traits but usually a movie talker is one of the three.
The first kind of movie talker is what I will call the Good Buddy. Don’t be deceived, this kind of movie talker is definitely not. The Good Buddy likes to talk to the characters on the screen like they are friends. They may say things like, “Don’t go into that room! Someone is waiting on the other side of the door–they’re going to kill you!!” This individual will inadvertently unfold the plot of the movie. It is important to remember that the Good Buddy does not always realize what they are doing. Whether or not the Good Buddy has previously seen the movie, is not necessarily a prerequisite for their movie talking. Unfortunately, whether they are right or wrong regarding the films outcome, does not change the fact that they are still talking during the movie.
