Theatre: RENT
Let me first say that I’ve never seen a professional production of a musical. I’m basically a newbie to this theatrical world, so I will critique this in the point of view of an average person with no clue about musicals.
I first heard of Rent back in 2005 when I use to work at a movie theatre. They actually made a film for this musical because it was that popular. I remember it being a big fuss when it came out and paid no attention since I had no interest in it whatsoever plus I heard groaning reviews about how it didn’t stay true to the original theatre production. With that knowledge I automatically brushed it off.
So here is the story behind RENT cited from Wikipedia:
Rent is a rock opera with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of AIDS.
Main characters
* Roger Davis, an HIV-infected musician who is recovering from drug addiction; his girlfriend April killed herself after finding out she and he had HIV. He is Mark’s roommate.
*Mark Cohen, a struggling documentary filmmaker, the narrator of the show. He is Roger’s roommate and Maureen’s Ex-boyfriend.
* Tom Collins, a gay anarchist with AIDS. He is described by Mark as a “computer genius; teacher; vagabond anarchist who ran naked through the Parthenon.” Collins dreams of opening a restaurant in Santa Fe, where the problems in New York will not affect him and his friends. He was formerly a roommate of Roger, Mark, Benny, and Maureen.
* Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III, Landlord of Mark, Roger and Mimi’s apartment building and ex-roommate of Mark, Collins, Roger, and Maureen. Now married to Alison Grey of the Westport Greys and is considered a yuppie sell-out by his ex-roommates. He also locks Mark, Roger, and Mimi out of their building and takes over the lot.
* Joanne Jefferson, an Ivy League-educated public interest lawyer[17], and a lesbian. Joanne is the woman that Maureen left Mark for. Joanne has very important parents (one is undergoing confirmation to be a judge, the other is a political figure).
* Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay, male transvestite[17] street percussionist with AIDS.
* Mimi Márquez, an S&M dancer and drug addict who has AIDS[17]. She lives downstairs from Mark and Roger.
* Maureen Johnson, a bisexual[8] performance artist; Mark’s ex-girlfriend. She is very flirtatious and cheated on Mark.
This musical was made back in the late 90′s when the Aids epidemic was a hot topic but now it’s actually been down played in the media. It was pretty controversial and garnered plenty of media attention back when it was first released. This musical would eventually be the 7th longest running Broadway show ever with over 5124 performances in a span of 12 years.
After experiencing seeing RENT, I can see why it was such a monster in Broadway. The musical was a delightful barrage to the sights and sounds. Visually, it was great seeing the actors so close and raw. It made their performance stand out a lot more. Their essence is more lively and captivating rather than watching them on the big screen. Live production means the actor must know each line to the tee because they only get one shot. On film they have the luxury of doing different takes but on stage it demands perfection on the first try. That’s talent!
For your listening pleasure you were treated to a wide range of songs that was masterfully composed with great understanding of harmonies and melodic arrangement that is pleasing to the ears. A lot of the songs in this play were memorable. The most famous one of course is “Seasons of Love” but there are other favorites that made my list like:
- “Tango Maureen”-Sung by Anthony Rapps character Mark along with the character Joanne. This is a funny song..haha
- “Will I?”-A sincere song with great harmonies
- “La Vie Bohème”-the whole cast sings this upbeat song
- “What You Own “— Roger and Mark sing this song with alot of energy and passion
The real treat of the show was having 2 of the orginal cast members of RENT actually performing! Adam Pascal who plays Roger and Anthony Rapp who plays Mark. Having these two actors in the show made the experience a whole lot better. They had a great chemistry going and it was obvious.
When I heard Anthony singing it kinda threw me off because I’m not use to hearing “theatrical singing”. I’m so accustomed to the “normal” styles out in public. But his quirky voice and how he sang just fit the character and there is probably no other way I could ever envision it any different. Kudos to you Anthony!
Adam on the other hand had a powerfull voice. In the musical he is suppose to be a rock star, but for some reason I wasn’t getting that picture. The way Adam sang was not being congruent with the rock style theme of his character. I think he sounded way too classical at times and not too poppy/rock enough. I watched the movie as well as early RENT footage to compare his performance and it was totally different. In the movie, his style matched the tone and pitch of his character, but this night he just seemed to remind me of an Opera style singer because his use of vibrato. This just says to me that Adam has evolved and has a wide vocal range. The dynamic he has with Anthony shines throughout the production. That natural chemistry is there and makes their interaction a lot more convincing.
Since you can’t go see this live, I suggest you watch the Broadway dvd production of it. If you can’t find that, then watch the movie version. They do leave out a few number of songs in the movie but it’s still good.
