Two Phinney Ridge girls, Ellie Lederman and Shea Washburn, will perform in Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre production of “RENT: School Edition,” May 31-June 3 at at Seattle Musical Theatre in Magnuson Park.
Shea Washburn, left, and Ellie Lederman, right.
RENT: School Edition is a lightly modified version of the Tony Award winning musical.
Based on the full version of RENT – itself based on Puccini’s La Boheme – RENT: School Edition follows the lives of a group of friends for a year. These starving artists, living on the Lower East Side of New York City, experience the triumphs and tribulations of life: Mark, resident filmmaker; Maureen, eccentric performance artist and Mark’s ex-girlfriend; Joanne, Maureen’s new lover; Roger, Mark’s roommate; Mimi, an exotic dancer and Roger’s new love; Collins, a computer genius and friend of Mark and Roger; Angel, Collins’ lover, a street musician and drag queen; and Benny, a former friend who left the group to marry a member of the socioeconomic elite.
With the assistance of writer/composer Jonathan Larson’s estate, RENT: School Edition was thoughtfully adapted from the full version. The changes mostly entail the extraction of one song (“Contact”) and some language adjustment. However, the mature themes remain. Many of the young actors, ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old, were fans of the show prior to becoming involved in the production. These actors have been tackling difficult issues head on as they rehearse. Some, like the realities of living with AIDS, are completely foreign. Others, like the intricacies of friendships and being comfortable in your own skin, hit closer to home.
Tickets are $17.50 and are available online at brownpapertickets.com or by phone at 1-800-838-3006.
