Wasn't Rent Based on Puccini?
Okay, the Pulitzers are up soon, so again, I have to do my daily plug for Spring Awakening (can you tell I'm obsessed?) because if Rent can win it, then Spring Awakening HAS to win the Pulitzer for Drama. I mean, I LOVE Rent. I've seen it 10 times on stage in 3 cities, but Spring Awakening is a better musical overall (though harder to love at first). Of course, Playbill points out that the Pulitzers look for American musicals based in America and should be original material, but Rent was just a modernized version of La Boheme right down to the Mimi. So should Spring Awakening be penalized for being set in Germany?
The Playbill article also lists all the Drama winners which is interesting to note. I can't believe How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying won!? I love that musical, but seems a little light still for a Pulitzer, no? Again, Spring should at least be considered then at least? At most it should lose to Rabbit Hole (which also starred Spring Awakenings John Galagher Jr.).
2 comments:
Hmm...I don't know. Spring Awakening is much more strongly based on the original play than Rent was on La Boheme. That said, if How to Succeed can win (I have to assume that was a weak year for plays), anything can happen!
Yes, not to knock How to Succeed because I do love it, but seriously, Spring Awakening HAS to win then. Still, when I saw La Boheme, I realised it was basically Rent untranslated and 100 years ago in Paris.
Oh hey Liz, and didn't you see it Off-Broadway? I just saw it (um. through the net, there's a file out there with the entire show that someone (poorly) videotaped). Interesting the changes they made to the Broadway version. The show is tighter now but still fascinating to watch the earlier show.
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