An audience member who clearly didn’t do their research stormed out of a recent performance of Rent in the UK, aghast that show “was about gays.”
The pearl-clutching theatergoer was seated for a matinee showing of Jonathan Larson’s 1996 musical at the Carriagework Theatre in Millenium Square, Leeds. The play is an adaptation of La Boheme set amid the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City. It centers on a group of young artists, many of whom are queer.
According to a statement from community arts group Bite My Thumb, the audience member caused a scene during the Act I song “Today 4 U, Tomorrow 4 Me,” sung by the character Angel Dumott Schunard, the percussionist drag queen.
Related: Twitter goes nuts over high school production of ‘RENT’ with this APPALLING twist
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“On exiting the individual turned to a member of the front of house team and declared ‘I DIDN’T REALISE THIS SHOW WAS ABOUT GAYS’,” the statement reads.
“All the cast, creatives and backstage crew of the production were utterly disgusted to hear about this display of small minded ignorance. As a theatre company, we purposely chose Rent to give a voice to the LGBTQ+ community and educate on the horrors of the AIDS epidemic.”
A statement from us about a horrible incident during our matinee performance at @carriageworks_ pic.twitter.com/WZeTJFvOPp
— Bite My Thumb (@bitethumb) March 13, 2022
It continued: “In a bid to take a single individual’s hate and create something positive from it, Bit My Thumb will be donating a percentage of that performance’s box office to a LGBTQ+ charity that will be decided upon by our cast.
“So thank you to that close minded, out-dated person. Your appalling attitude now means an underfunded LGBTQ+ organisation will receive a donation it so desperately needs and will put to good use.
“Hate is always foolish and love is always wise.”
Mister P
I am excited that I am going to see Rent this weekend. Part of the final tour.
Cam
It almost seems like they were trying to cause a problem during the show. Rent has been around for 25 years, and any discription of it would include the various actors roles and the fact that some of the characters had AIDS and that one was in drag.
Also that song comes pretty far into Act 1 and Collins and Angel have already met and were quite obviously a couple, so why wait for that song if they were REALLY so offended?
Man About Town
Exactly. It reminds me of a Bette Midler concert I attended at Radio City Music Hall in 1991. During Intermission, we heard a woman say “Her act is just disgusting!” We were like, did she think she was at an Amy Grant concert?
THAT Steve
Amy probably would have offended them too. She is not a Chistian diva when she performs.
carllonghorn
Always interesting to go to a play like this and have people surprised by the content. I am not sure how people just wander into theaters without any clue what to expect. We went to the Broadway in Austin performance of Book of Mormon right before the pandemic, and the people next to us were flabbergasted by the play and left when it became apparent there were gays, there were lots of swearing, and there were questions about religion. The lady told me on the way out, “This is just trash – all these people are going to hell.” I couldn’t resist saying, “So you didn’t know if was by the folks who did SouthPark, huh? Bye.”
hoosier1969
My late partner and I had the people behind us do a similar “act” at intermission for “Kinky Boots” Everyone around us applauded as they huffed down the aisle to the exit.
rand503
they probably thought it was a real religious show.
Gourmet Guy
Stupid people should not be permitted to attend live performances. They should stay home at all times, drink beer, burp, and watch idiotic television shows.
[email protected]
I had a similar experience when seeing Hedwig and the Angry Inch in Chicago.
A couple who sat next to me were handed free tickets on the street to see the performance.
One of the couple asked at the end if I knew what the subject was of the musical before I saw it.
They were disappointed there was no intermission they would have left earlier if they had known.
Peter
My guest and I walked out of the theatre at intermission when “Rent” was touring many years ago. I wholeheartedly endorsed it’s messages; I just despised the music, which was screamed at us and couldn’t be understood. I’ve seen bits and pieces of it since online; I still wouldn’t go back.
Mr-DJ
I would not be surprised if you also found that the tickets were actually GIVEN to her..!
Essie
Several years ago I walked out of that musical where a line men turned and dropped their pants. (Can’t remember the name.) I was offended at their white, fat asses AND the show had been pretty awful up to that point. It happened at intermission. I didn’t make a scene, I just didn’t return. I had been given free tickets. I saw “Rent” in Toronto and very much enjoyed it.
storm45701
“The Full Monty”? LOL
nm4047
been many a production I’ve walked out of due to poor performance or production, generally don’t say yes to something I’m not at least familiar with. Each to his own.
triryche3
I would love to see “Rent”! **Every** time it comes near me something happens that makes it so I can’t see it. I have the extended “Rent” Broadway soundtrack & have seen the movie though.
Bosch
“I DIDN’T REALISE THIS SHOW WAS ABOUT GAYS”
Uhm…. You’re at a musical.
lvbronco
My two memories of seeing Rent on stage: I remember seeing Rent at the McCallum in the Palm Springs area where the audience was made up of mostly of the silver haired set who had season tickets to the Broadway series. I’m sure they really didn’t know anything about Rent. It wasn’t long before I witnessed a number of people leaving the theatre, although they didn’t make a scene.
I saw Rent again in Las Vegas at the Aladdin Theatre as part of a Broadway series. At the end of the show the audience was invited to a nearby night club to party with the cast. Never had so much fun! At the end of the evening the cast clapped hands with those of us around them and they sang “Seasons of Love” acapella. I had tears running down my face.