| re: I agree with Mimi dying. | |
| Posted by: Revned 07:33 pm EDT 09/17/24 | |
| In reply to: I agree with Mimi dying. - dramedy 11:49 am EDT 09/17/24 | |
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| Jonathan Larson never would have changed the ending. The question came up repeatedly during development of the show, with people worrying about how the ending departed from that of LA BOHEME, and Larson was adamant about how he wanted his show to end. I think the ending works, and, for someone who loves the opera as well, somehow Larson's audacious defying of its plot in that last scene can feel exhilarating. It's not like he's trivializing AIDS; the characters and the audience have already coped with the death of Angel. (And yes, I've heard the argument "they always sacrifice the gay character; the leading lady has to live...") But this is not a negation of Mimi's illness or a happily ever after. She still has AIDS, and her time is limited. The show ends with the cast singing "No day but today": Mimi and Roger are celebrating not because she's cured but because they get at least one more day together, and a major theme of the show is that every day needs to be cherished. Some productions have objected so strongly to the ending that they've tried to change it. There was a production at Towson University in 2011 where the director staged the last scene without Mimi waking up. Somebody saw the invited dress and reported it: MTI informed them they had to either put the ending back to what Larson wrote or close the show; they re-rehearsed the scene at the last minute and restored the original ending on opening night. The president of MTI issued a statement about it and the incident got national coverage--which should have served as a warning to others. BUT: Amazingly, there was a production of the show earlier this year at NYU Tisch where they did the same thing and got away with it! I saw it on the last day of the run and was outraged; too late to do anything. |
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| Link | RENT Towson controversy |
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