{"id":10328,"date":"2012-01-19T12:19:37","date_gmt":"2012-01-19T16:19:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=10328"},"modified":"2022-09-29T12:56:54","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T16:56:54","slug":"theatre-students-rock-controversial-hit-musical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2012\/01\/19\/theatre-students-rock-controversial-hit-musical\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre students rock controversial hit musical"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Wright State continues its 2011-12 theatre season with the rock musical “RENT.”<\/p><\/div>\n

If you happen to walk through the Creative Arts Center this weekend, don\u2019t be alarmed should you hear heart-pounding drumbeats or the high-pitched wail of an electric guitar.<\/p>\n

No, it\u2019s not a rock concert. It\u2019s a group of students tackling a smash-hit musical with electrifying enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis show is high-octane energy,\u201d said Brandon Kelly, the production\u2019s choreographer and a Wright State dance graduate. \u201cIt smacks the audience in the face like a ton of bricks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wright State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures continues its 2011-12 season with the rock musical RENT<\/em>. The show features such hit songs as \u201cSeasons of Love,\u201d \u201cOut Tonight,\u201d \u201cTake Me or Leave Me\u201d and \u201cLa Vie Boh\u00e8me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Puccini\u2019s opera La Boh\u00e8me<\/em>, the musical tells the story of a group of starving artists living in New York during the late 1980s. The characters grapple with poverty, homelessness, sexuality, drug addiction and AIDS as they struggle to survive in the bohemian Lower East Side.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of power in RENT<\/em>, both in the music and in the show itself,\u201d said Allison Kelly, who plays Mimi in the Wright State production. \u201cIt\u2019s about living in the moment and not taking any moment for granted. It\u2019s about not being afraid of what could happen, but facing life head on and not taking \u2018no\u2019 for an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though RENT<\/em> has been a blockbuster success around the world, the show is not without its share of controversy due to its adult language and adult themes such as drug usage and homosexuality.<\/p>\n

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The show\u2019s central message of acceptance and love has created a vibrant, vocal fanbase of so-called \u201cRENT-heads.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe show tackles tough subject matter with no discretion,\u201d said the production\u2019s director, Scott Hunt. \u201cIt has a reputation for being edgy, hip and in-your-face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at it\u2019s heart, it\u2019s an optimistic show,\u201d said Hunt, a Dayton native who has performed in both the Broadway company and the National Tour of RENT<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s about loving each other and loving yourself regardless of who or what you might be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Composed and written by Jonathan Larsen, RENT<\/em> played on Broadway for 12 years. It has won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize for drama (a rarity for a musical) and the Tony Award for best musical. In 2005, it was adapted into a feature film that starred most of the original Broadway cast.<\/p>\n

The show aims to inspire audiences around the world to live life to its fullest and reminds them that there is always \u201cno day but today.\u201d The show\u2019s central message of acceptance and love has created a vibrant, vocal fan base of so-called \u201cRENT-heads.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s probably our students\u2019 favorite musical ever,\u201d said W. Stuart McDowell, department chair and the show\u2019s producer. \u201cThe song \u2018Seasons of Love\u2019 has become a theme song for people of all ages. Our kids have never been more excited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Performances run through Jan. 29 in the Creative Arts Center. Tickets ($20 for adults; $18 for students and seniors) can be purchased by calling the Theatre Box Office at (937) 775-2500.<\/p>\n\n\t\t