I had an alumni (Cait Fairbanks) who was in the off-Broadway production of "Heathers" (she was 20 at the time) so I took a group of high school students to see her in the show, as they had done Beauty and the Beast with her in her senior year. Well, of course--They loved it! We were well aware of the show contents and the music so we weren't unprepared. There were some other high school groups there and some left at intermission as the chaperones felt it was not inappropriate for them.
However, when we talked about if this was something we should do at our high school they thought the students would love it but the general public (ie- parents, teachers etc.) would not. Although it does have a message about bullies in it--it does have a lot of violence, on stage sex-partially clothed, language, homosexual humor and some raunchy humor. Now, we have done Laramie Project and Spring Awakening (the play version) this year so my community is not very conservative yet I would not produce Heathers at this time.
Kiss Me Kate --one of the main differences is the song Too Darn Hot---the new version has a better orchestration and also has stronger supporting characters. We had alot of fun doing the show however, the set is difficult as you flip back and forth between the stage and the backstage very quickly. It took some inventive set design and a well rehearsed stage crew!
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Kathy Cannarozzi-Harris
Chairperson Of Visual And Performing Arts
Laguna Hills CA
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Original Message:
Sent: 07-26-2015 15:06
From: Jennifer Jordan
Subject: Kiss Me Kate/Heathers
Hello,
I am wondering if anyone has read/produced and knows the differences between the two versions of "Kiss Me Kate" - the original 1948 and the 1999 revision. Also, I am looking into "Heathers" the musical as an option and wondered how racy it is and if anyone has been able to present successfully for a high school-aged musical in their neck of the woods--edits?
Thanks.
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Jennifer Jordan
Drama and Dance Director
Miss Hall's School
Pittsfield MA
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