Rent by Jonathan Larson is a widely popular Broadway show, premiering in 1996 and closing in 2008, lasting a long twelve years on the stage. RHS announced this to be our school’s musical back in June, only to have it changed to Mean Girls just earlier this month. The comparison between the two is a long shot- so, why did it change? How did the cast who auditioned for Rent feel about their roles becoming not so permanent? Let’s find out.
Nick Scaglione originally auditioned for Angel Schunard of Rent, a street drummer living with AIDS in the streets of New York. He has now secured the role of the infamous Damian in Mean Girls. When asked how he felt about the change of the play to Mean Girls, he stated he felt “a lot of emotions.”
“I was annoyed and sad for the cast of Rent who had already recieved previous callbacks for the character they wanted. But, time went on. Everyone now enjoys the musical and is there to have a good time.“
Q: What was the audition process like?
A: “It really varies by person. You can feel butterflies, or confidence, or fear, it depends on who you are.”
Q: How do you feel on stage? Would the feeling be different with Rent vs. Mean Girls?
A: “Of course, both plays have similarities and differences, but I think Mean Girls is a better fit. One is about an AIDS epidemic while the other is about high school girls who have an attitude. The feeling I get on stage would differ because for Rent I would be playing a street drummer while in Mean Girls I’m going to be playing a gay kid at school.”
“Come see it- it’s good!”
The RHS production of Mean Girls will premiere either March third or fourth, so clear out your schedules to come out and support the amazing cast (regardless of the show they put on!)
