I haven't yet seen the California Arts Academy school edition of "RENT," now in its last weekend at the Severance Building, but this show certainly got a lot of buzz during the Rogue Festival. (CAA cleverly positioned this production as both a Rogue offering and then a standalone show, which certainly helped expand its audience base.) Beehive commenter Stephen had some issues with the sound design, but he gave the show a rousing recommendation on the reader-review Rogue Beehive post:

RENT the junior edition features some amazing talent, both in the cast and band. I was worried the 'junior' edition would cut too much from the meat of the show, but amazingly all it does is cut the cuss words (replacing them flawlessly...only huge fans will notice, and still won't care). Also cut the orgy number, but duh, of course they did ... Director Daniel Chavez has stretched these kids to a new level for each and every one of them, and it's very impressive.

Here's the info:

Friday, March 13, 8:00pm
Saturday, March 14, 8:00pm
Sunday, March 15, 2:30pm

$12, for ages 15-up. At Cal Arts Severance Theater, 1401 N. Wishon, at Floradora.
(559) 222-6539 or http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/54678

On the jump: The choral music of Brad Hufft at Fresno State, a second look at "Footloose" and curiosity about the Vienna Choir Boys.

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WORLD PREMIERES: Fresno State composer Brad Hufft will be presenting world premieres of three of his concert pieces on Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. in the Fresno State Concert Hall. A description:

First will be Snowflakes, a setting of a Longfellow poem for choir and celeste. Second is Forever More, three Old Testament Psalms for a capella choir.

Finally, will be The Condition of Music for choir, cello, and percussion. The text for this piece was taken from the book of the same name by Eric Selland, "what poet Cole Swensen refers to as a "hybrid work" - a work that exists on the boundaries between different genres and styles1. The full range of Selland's influences, from American and European Modernism to Japanese forms, comes into play here in a text made up of non-linear prose narrative, poetry, and fragments. Selland's work should be read like a dreamscape. Something intuitive and imagistic rather than rational. Meaning is ultimately not what's on the surface but the accumulation of fragments and impressions which take on new relationships in time. The poetry is itself a kind of music."

Tickets: $6, $5 seniors and students. Check the Fresno State music department's Web site for info.

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CUTTING LOOSE: I snuck back to the Good Company Players production of "Footloose" on Wednesday night -- the start of the last week of the show's run -- to prepare my upcoming Sunday Spotlight column and got to see how much this musical has grown and matured over a two-month period. Daniel Rodriguez and Caitlin Stevenson turned in a couple of fine performances as leading man and lady, and the supporting ensemble seemed razor sharp. I was really taken on this second viewing by two scenes in particular: the sweet duet of "Almost Paradise" between Rodriguez and Stevenson, in which the relationship between the characters kicks up to a higher level; and in the explosive confrontation scene between Rodriguez and Mark Halverson, who plays the rigid minister in the show. Both scenes seemed so fresh and in the moment that I forgot for a second that I'd seen them before. It's a rare privilege to see a community theater at both the beginning and end of a run, and sometimes the payoff is tremendous, indeed.

The last performance of "Footloose" is 1 p.m. Sunday at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater.

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BY THE WAY: Did anyone happen to catch the Vienna Choir Boys concert Thursday night at the Saroyan Theatre, sponsored by the Fresno Philharmonic? I was too zonked after a tough week to work the performance into my schedule. Is there anyone who attended who'd like to offer a reader review? You can leave it as a comment on this post.