Alex Shelton
THTR 3011-001
Rent
The musical Rent by lyricist, librettist, and composer Jonathan Larson surprised Broadway in 1996. Rent stormed Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre and became a phenomenon. It won several prestigious awards, including a Pulitzer. Located on the eve of a new century, Rent depicts a year in the life of a group of friends living in the Lower East Side of New York. All in their twenties, they live a bohemian life, guided by principles that tend more towards the achievement of ideals to an agreed social mobility. This life somewhat offset from the rest of society ensures that the characters must face the inevitable gap between their dreams and reality. In their case, the reality is, among others, in the form of a concrete evil in this era: AIDS, which is the major theme of this musical. Indeed, throughout the play, everyone is affected directly or indirectly by the effects of the virus, whether interpersonal or social, and inevitably, medical. Yet despite the potentially disastrous consequences of such a syndrome, a positive momentum bonds the small community. In the end, despite some setbacks, rather than daunted, the eight friends learn to celebrate life and try to enjoy every moment with those they love. Aware of the terrible reputation of the virus, Larson tries to deconstruct the negative image of AIDS, not only insisting to live with it and
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For example, the audience, as well as Roger, learn Mimi’s HIV status when she turns off her electronic device and says "AZT break," and then take a tablet. Indeed, AZT had to be taken every four hours and an alarm reminds people carrying the virus to take their dose. By introducing the condition of Mimi by this scene, Larson removes preconceived ideas related to the term “AIDS” and relies on informational elements that connote
The first thing I would consider is the setting of the play. Tony Kushner sets the play in New York City in 1985. This makes sense because the AIDS Epidemic occurred from 1981 to 1987. Therefore theatergoers that saw the first productions of Kushner’s play were familiar with the topic of AIDS. Nowadays, AIDS is not as prevalent, but it still exists in society. I believe that it is important to shed a light on the AIDS Epidemic, and the audience will still be able to understand. Another Broadway musical that is based upon the AIDS Epidemic is Jonathan Larson’s musical RENT. Larson’s musical ran on Broadway for twelve years, finishing it’s run in 2008. RENT continues to be a popular and relevant Broadway show and was even adapted for high school theater departments to perform. RENT is set in the East Village of New York City in the early 1990s. The play depicts the lives of several New Yorkers and their struggles with money and A...
Composer-lyricist-librettist of RENT, a rock opera inspired by "La Bohème", Jonathan Larson was born in Mt. Vernon, New York, and raised in suburban White Plains, the second child of Allan and Nanette Larson. Both Jonathan's parents loved music and theatre, and show tunes and folk music were always playing in their home. Jon and his sister Julie took piano lessons during elementary school. He could play by ear, and his teacher encouraged him to experiment with rhythm, harmony, and setting words. By high school, he was called the "Piano Man" after the enormously popular song of that title by Billy Joel; he also played tuba in the school marching band. Active in school and community theatre, Jonathan had major roles in several musicals.
The play by “See What I Wanna See” by Michael John LaChiusa was seen at theater B at The City College of New York. This production was directed by Dimo Hyun Jun Kim as “musical” approach to the play. Kim’s set provided a minimalist approach to scenes that took place within a historical and modern environment. Kim’s objective was to show the initial opening of the play in medieval Japan, which then transitioned to the modern interpretation of these events through various individual that apparently witnessed Moriko’s murder in Central park. Throughout all of these events, it is apparent that the black stage, black background curtains, minimal props, and traditional lighting present a focus on acting and text versus that of a accurate account of historical presentation of these locations taking place in the play. Kim’s minimalist approach utilized these aspects of simplicity of presentation to garner more attention to the actors in this minimalist set design.
When I hear the word Rent, I immediately see an eclectic Broadway production, overflowing with talent, adventure, and magic. I picture scantly clad actresses, strutting across the stage. I envision stunning duets and thought-provoking lyrics. That single word transports me to a different time and place.
The argument above stated that the elimination of rent control is not a problem because the majority of renters didn't protest for the regulation. This argument relies on several unsupported assumptions and therefor fails to be persuasive.
365 is an exotic, psychological character-driven drama that explores the sexual odyssey and journey of an obsessive man and a young woman. There are solid themes about respect, destiny, and boundaries. The script explores and examines moral arguments about love versus sex. The concept of the 365-day experiment is highly disarming and titillating.
It was with an afterthought that Jeanne realized she would have to walk to the doctor’s office on her own, not easy to do for an asthmatic on the expansive Ohio State campus. The frigid November air provided another unexpected hurdle, forcing her to retreat back to her dorm momentarily, in search of a scarf to protect her sensitive throat and nose. Checking into the hospital could be added to the list of trials on Jeanne Ogden’s noble quest for diagnosis and treatment. Which was proving to become more tedious every
Patients and doctors have one major thing in common, sickness. The patients have the illness and the doctors treat the illness as necessary. In this instance, Vivian Bearing is the patient while the two research doctors treating her are Harvey Kelekian and Jason Posner. Each individual has their own needs, aspirations and goals to associate with in the play W;t, written by Margaret Edson. Because individuals are just that, individuals, each of these traits may either coincide or conflict with another character.
During the time when the general public believes the only way to contract HIV/AIDS is to be homosexual, an addict, or prostitute, Fisher being a white, heterosexual, married mother of two from an upper-class family who contracted the virus from her husband is herself the certifying ethos of this speech (1). She tactfully uses her own circumstances and diagnosis to embody the plight of all in the AIDS community and shows that no one is exempt from this deadly disease. She emphatically states that HIV does not care about race, age, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation; all that it asks is “Are you human?” (2). She ceases to be the exception and gains the attention and respect of the American people when she aligns herself with others with HIV/AIDS with her statement:
The assignment for the book Wit was to analyze the social implications within the play. When I read the book, it did not make much sense to me the first time. But, after you gave us some breakdown, I immediately thought of writing a comparison between, Wit as characterized in the play and humility. I came up with this topic because that was my understanding and summary of the book. But when I started writing a few words on paper, I realized it was difficult understanding the assignment. I could talk about the story easily but did not know how to put it in writing. When I watched the film in class, and you continued with more analysis of the different characters as they relate to the play, I achieved a better clarity. Furthermore, during classes with the help of contributions from classmates, and your explanations, I started writing down key points about the book and the characters specifically.
The routine of everyday life is well-presented in the way In the Heights goes through a weekend of a city block in Washington Heights during the summer. When it comes to the characters and the work they do, there are the usual jobs related to Hispanics. There is Usnavi, the owner of De La Vega Bodega, Kevin and Camila Rosario, owners of the taxi cab service called Rosario's, and Daniela, who owns a salon. Throughout the play, there were a lot of casual activities I was able to relate to, such as my grandmother always taking the time to buy a lottery ticket if it was accessible, having a desire to visit the Dominican Republic again, yet never seeming to have the time like Usnavi, and hearing the idea of someone being sent to the DR for the summer
Wit is a potent and emotional play that chronicles the last few months of Vivian’s life. With Vivian’s cancer as the main theme, Wit effectively shows the gradual change of Vivian’s attitude towards cancer and the inhuman treatments from doctors. Wit narrates a story of Vivian Bearing, an accomplished English literature professor who is diagnosed with metastatic ovarian cancer. However, in order to complete a research, her doctor, Harvey Kalekian gives Vivian eight months of experimental chemotherapy without clearly explaining the treatments and serious side effects. In addition, Kelekian’s fellow, Jason, as a former student of Dr. Bearing, shows no respect to Vivian. Jason does not consider Vivian as a patient or as his former professor, but a research object of cancer treatment. The play Wit introduces binaries between patients and doctors, students and professors, life and death. Among these different polarities, the comparison between life and death shows the greatest tension and implies the real meaning of death to readers. Death is kind of a rebirth of life. Edson efficiently describes the tension between death and life by making use of antithesis mostly.
As we arrive at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, we see about 100 or so people waiting outside to get in. We decide to stop and ask what was going on before visiting Nate. “Hello sir, what is this line for”, I ask the young man in the front of the line. “Didn’t you hear, the cure is a certain blood type and they need it to start making more of the solution”, said the young man. “Oh okay, thank you”, I say as me and John continue on to Nate’s
In order to qualify as a REIT for any taxable year, at least 95% of a REIT’s gross income must be derived from sources such as dividends, interest, and 75% of income from items related to certain real property. The items of income related to real estate assets are listed under IRC §856(c)(3) which includes, among other sources, rents from real property, interest on obligations secured by real property or on interests in real property, gain from the sale or other disposition of real property that is not inventory or dealer property, and dividends and gains from the sale or orther disposition of shares in other qualifying REITs.
“There are times when we're dirt broke, hungry, and freezing, and I ask myself, why the hell am I still living here?” states Mark. “The most integrated place on the planet”, Alphabet city the red light district of Manhattan home to diverse families and struggling artists. Alphabet City is notorious for its lettered avenues, high levels of drug activity, and crime attracted the growing Bohemian population of 1980’s because of low rents, and creative atmosphere. Rent inspires individuals to have originality in spite of other people’s opinions by embracing who you are, whether suffering from an illness, recovering from addiction, or struggling with personal issues. Rent a film by Chris Columbus displays artistic rebel by taking a twist on individuality through the character Angel. Eight Bohemian lifestyle friends Mark, Roger, Benny, Mimi, Angel, Collins, Maureen, and Joanne live in a hell on earth in 1989.