Music 2701A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: New York Theatre Workshop, Jonathan Larson, Nederlander Theatre
11 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Lecture 5
Rock Musicals on Broadway
o First acclaimed rock musical was Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical
o Began in 1965 as a series of workshops at Ellen Stewarts La Mama Experimental Theatre
Club
o Fist pefoed at Joseph Papp’s Puli Theate in 1967
o Moved to the Cheetah – a midtown disco
o Opened on Broadway in April 1968
o Ran for 1750 performances Closed in mid 1971
o Solidified genre of rock musical as a legitimate form of musical theatre – although not
the first to use rock and roll
o Hard to define rock musical
o Some major markers:
o Use of rock and roll music
o The rock band/combo
o Declaring itself rock
o Casting subversions
o Found actors – taken from the streets
o Not all trained – real, raw
o Music
o Rock, Gospel, R&B, Soul
o Rock aesthetic and textures
o Ideological Subversions
o Not the America of Oklahoma!
o Hair brought the ideal of the youth counterculture to stage Sexual Revolution
o Drugs, Civil Rights, Anti-War irreverence for the American Flag
Rent
o Rock Musical
o Music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson
o Began previews off-Broadway at NYTW (New York Theatre Workshop) in late January,
1996
o Opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre April 29, 1996
o Closed September 7, 2008
o A fusion of several elements including:
o Puii’s opea La ohee opea
o Laso’s fist- hand observations at the AIDS crisis
o Laso’s o poet ad liig situatio
o Considerable amounts of workshopping
o Workshopping
o Difficult but necessary process for Larson
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
o Larson ended up making changes based on dramaturg (playwright advisor) Lynn
Thoso’s suggestions, as well as the director and producer of the show
o Show changed considerably in the workshoppping process (audio of early NYTW
recordings are available on youtube)
o Billy Aronson, writer – involved at the start
o Aronson wanted comedy, Larson did’t
o Larson picked up the project alone, but kept only 3 somgs Aronson had worked
on
o Laso died uepetedl the da of Ret’s fist peie
o His death inspired much attention, but also derailed the usual editing process
o Collaborators wanted to improve the production during previews, but also to remain
true to his vision
o Aothe of Laso’s usial – tik, tik…Boo! – was performed off-Broadway several
years after his death
o Lineage of musical mentoring: Oscar Hammerstein II > Steven Sondheim> Jonathan
Larson
o Sondheim shout-out i sog La Vie Bohee: To “otag, to “odhei, to athig
taoo
Rent: Overview
o Plot taken from Giacomo Puccini's opera La bohème (1896) - a verismo opera (verismo
meaning true-to-life)
o Opera about poor Bohemian artists in Paris facing tuberculosis (rather than AIDS)
o Most of the main characters in La bohème have direct parallels in Rent – similar names,
love interests, some have similar professions Marcello=Mark, Roger=Rodolfo,
Mimi=Mimi, Musetta=Maureen, Tom Collins=Colline, etc.
o Most significant difference: La bohème has a tragic ending – Mimi dies; in Rent, Roger's
song brings her back to life
Meaning of Title:
Double meaning:
o The money that Mark and Roger owe Benny for their loft
o Split/torn/separated – eethig is et
o Rent is all about (often violent and unexpected) separation – due to death, fights, alck of
money, etc.
Story
o Set in Alphabet City, an area in New York full of old warehouses/loft spaces, in the 90s
inexpensive housing, but starting to be gentrified
o Mark and Roger - best friends- learn they are about to be evicted from their loft by
former friend Benny
o Their friend Collins comes to visit, and falls in love with Angel, a transvestite street-
performer
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Rock musicals on broadway: first acclaimed rock musical was hair: the american tribal love-rock musical, began in 1965 as a series of workshops at ellen stewarts la mama experimental theatre. Ideological subversions: not the america of oklahoma, hair brought the ideal of the youth counterculture to stage sexual revolution, drugs, civil rights, anti-war irreverence for the american flag. Rent: rock musical, music, lyrics and book by jonathan larson, began previews off-broadway at nytw (new york theatre workshop) in late january, Was performed off-broadway several years after his death: lineage of musical mentoring: oscar hammerstein ii > steven sondheim> jonathan. Larson: sondheim shout-out i(cid:374) so(cid:374)g la vie bohe(cid:373)e: (cid:862)to o(cid:374)tag, to o(cid:374)dhei(cid:373), to a(cid:374)(cid:455)thi(cid:374)g ta(cid:271)oo(cid:863) Mimi=mimi, musetta=maureen, tom collins=colline, etc: most significant difference: la boh me has a tragic ending mimi dies; in rent, roger"s song brings her back to life.
