Audience member causes scene, storms out of ‘Rent’ for most ridiculous reason imaginable
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“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, 2022It 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.
