There's a School Edition of What?

A recent trend among theatre companies is the creation of "School Editions" of popular Broadway shows. Those are versions of the show that are only available to groups that work with school-age kids - the shows aren't available to regular community theatre groups.

One of the first shows adapted that way was Les Miserables (at least that I'm aware of - correct me if I'm wrong). The creators of the show adapted it for younger performers and trimmed it down a bit - from almost three hours to just over two. The end product is still a great show, although the content may be a bit mature in places for young kids.

That show has apparently been enough of a success that additional shows are now available or will soon be available. And there are some surprising titles on the list, including Sweeney Todd: The School Edition and, just announced: Rent: The School Edition. Another one we can expect in the near future (I suspect) is a version of Phantom of the Opera (which Capitol High School is working on now as part of a test run).

I'm not sure how I feel about this trend - on the one hand, it's great that young performers get to stretch their skills and tackle some of Broadway's most challenging shows - but it's hard to see how Rent and Sweeney, which are very much written for adult audiences, can be adapted to become acceptable for young audiences.

I'll admit that I'm more of a prude about such things, and certainly what plays well on the east or west coast doesn't exactly go over as easily in the heartland - but is this a good idea? I'm not sure.

There is another show just announced that I find very tempting - but I'll save that one for the next entry.