Original sentence: In 1998, at age 28, a retooling of the play in Atlanta (first at the House of Blues, then at the Fox Theatre), became a great success.Perry persisted, and over the next six years he rewrote the musical repeatedly, though lackluster reviews continued.The musical initially received a "less than a stellar" reception and was a financial failure
Edited sentence: Also during this period of financial difficulty, Tyler became active in a local Christian church.Appropriately enough, these first successful performances took place in a former Atlanta church that had been turned into a theater.During these years Tyler’s determination to succeed as a playwright sustained him through periods of poverty, hunger, and even homelessness.In 1998, at age 28, after his mother had begun to voice her concerns about the direction of his life, Perry decided he would retool the script of Changed just one more time.Much to his surprise and delight, this final version soon began playing to sellout audiences.Over the next six years he rewrote the musical numerous times and paid to have it performed again and again, though lackluster reviews continued.The musical initially received a "less than a stellar" reception and was a financial failure, but Perry’s initial lack of success as a playwright did not deter him