RENT Live

[DizMinMouse]

The first 10 minutes or more were scrambled on my recording so I hope it’s available on demand or something. I missed a couple of my favorite songs I definitely have the Rent bug again now so I’ll need to watch “Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway” and the movie version asap this week to get my fix. I have trouble choosing my favorite Broadway show of all time but Rent is definitely in my top 2 along with “Next to Normal”. Have a great day all!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

I started watching it, but turned it off after about half an hour. Obviously, I'd heard marvelous things about the musical, so I was looking forward to it. But then when I was watching it, I couldn't get into it--get a job, pay your rent, stop whining! Maybe I've gotten too old for this kind of thing, I don't know. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters and their non-problems. I was very disappointed--I loved the live version of "Jesus Christ, Superstar".

Just curious, why you call them non-problems? I mean back in 89-90 hiv/aids was a huge problem, treatment options and life expectancy weren’t what they are today. While it’s a choice to start using drugs, heroin addiction is a real problem. Back in the 80s somebody like Angel would have had a much harder time getting a job. It would still be difficult today, but not in the same way.

It’s based on La Boheme so the theme of the “starving” artist is strong. I can see if you can’t appreciate that and just think “get a real job” then yeah, Rent is probably not for you. This above sentence may seem a bit snippy in text but it isn’t meant to be, I couldn’t think of better wording. I guess I just mean it’s not a theme everybody will enjoy.

Rent is one of my favorite shows, I’ve seen it probably 20 times. It debuted on Broadway when I was in high school and we’d go every weekend we could to see it. I don’t know if it was just closer to the time it was written and movies like Philadelphia came out and it was closer to the mindset of the time it took place or I was just 16 and not thinking about such things. I will say something about the show didn’t age well. I think it’s because we’ve seen a lot of social change (and treatment advancements) since then and in 2019 the characters just don’t really come across as really disenfranchised (except maybe Angel, they all have family and most of them are educated). Things are far from perfect, but characters like Collins wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow today. I think the story of these characters in 1989 is a lot different than the story of these characters in 2019 (I have no idea if that makes any dang sense, but hopefully it does).

tl;dr I don’t totally agree but I see your point and shows are totally subjective anyway.

 

[goofy4tink]

I kept thinking through the performance about how this was actually a rehearsal that wasn't planned to be broadcast. So while I enjoyed parts of it, I have to think some energy was lost because it was a rehearsal.



Haha. Did you see the end? That wasn't something you could man up through! I had to laugh, his cast looked like duct tape to me.

Yes, it was dress rehearsal. BUT...anyone in theater knows that each time you give a performance, it should be the best you can give. The people sitting in that audience, at the dress rehearsal, deserved just as good a performance as those at the live performance. There should be absolutely no difference in energy levels...at least not between a dress and live show. Ever.
I like Rent well enough. Not my all time favorite show. I think they did a pretty good job making it relevant last night...Seasons of Love was given actual context!!! And the ending was terrific. As I've always said, give 'em a big finish and they'll forget everything else!!!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

First, I hadn't heard this was happening.

Second, I hate this musical. I understand that Benny shouldn't have gone back on his deal or threatened them with no heat, but Benny has to pay for the building, right? He probably shouldn't have made the deal to begin with. Mark and Roger are taking advantage of their friend by living rent-free in Manhattan. But Benny then also wants to evict the homeless so he can build a cyber arts studio. I mean, that would help bring more jobs to the area, but maybe Benny should partner with the city to build affordable housing or a shelter instead. Many of the characters are horrible people. I mean, who do you root for? Maybe Angel, although there's the whole thing about the dog. Tom Collins?

 

[QueenIsabella]

Just curious, why you call them non-problems? I mean back in 89-90 hiv/aids was a huge problem, treatment options and life expectancy weren’t what they are today. While it’s a choice to start using drugs, heroin addiction is a real problem. Back in the 80s somebody like Angel would have had a much harder time getting a job. It would still be difficult today, but not in the same way.

It’s based on La Boheme so the theme of the “starving” artist is strong. I can see if you can’t appreciate that and just think “get a real job” then yeah, Rent is probably not for you. This above sentence may seem a bit snippy in text but it isn’t meant to be, I couldn’t think of better wording. I guess I just mean it’s not a theme everybody will enjoy.

Rent is one of my favorite shows, I’ve seen it probably 20 times. It debuted on Broadway when I was in high school and we’d go every weekend we could to see it. I don’t know if it was just closer to the time it was written and movies like Philadelphia came out and it was closer to the mindset of the time it took place or I was just 16 and not thinking about such things. I will say something about the show didn’t age well. I think it’s because we’ve seen a lot of social change (and treatment advancements) since then and in 2019 the characters just don’t really come across as really disenfranchised (except maybe Angel, they all have family and most of them are educated). Things are far from perfect, but characters like Collins wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow today. I think the story of these characters in 1989 is a lot different than the story of these characters in 2019 (I have no idea if that makes any dang sense, but hopefully it does).

tl;dr I don’t totally agree but I see your point and shows are totally subjective anyway.

It may well be that "1992 me" would have liked/appreciated it more than "2019 me" did. I should also say, I'm a huge Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, but I couldn't sit through "Cats". In that case, I knew the songs, and the acrobatics were amazing, but I found it to have no plot and be a big, fat waste of time. OTOH, I could see "Phantom" every day of the week, and just love it. Different strokes!

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

It may well be that "1992 me" would have liked/appreciated it more than "2019 me" did. I should also say, I'm a huge Andrew Lloyd Weber fan, but I couldn't sit through "Cats". In that case, I knew the songs, and the acrobatics were amazing, but I found it to have no plot and be a big, fat waste of time. OTOH, I could see "Phantom" every day of the week, and just love it. Different strokes!

At least we can both agree Cats is awful lol

 

[DopeyDame]

I started watching it, but turned it off after about half an hour. Obviously, I'd heard marvelous things about the musical, so I was looking forward to it. But then when I was watching it, I couldn't get into it--get a job, pay your rent, stop whining! Maybe I've gotten too old for this kind of thing, I don't know. I just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters and their non-problems. I was very disappointed--I loved the live version of "Jesus Christ, Superstar".

Yup, you're too old. I am too! When it first came out, I looooved it. Listened to the soundtrack endlessly, know every word to every song. Now I'm a middle aged mom, and I'm all "call your flipping mom, get a job, and for the love of all that's holy start using protection"
As Peter Sagal tweeted last night "I'm 'the parents are the real heroes of Rent' years old"

 

[AlohaNow]

I have to say that some of the Tweets last night were legendary. I love reading Twitter during big TV events. It was hysterical and I fell off the couch once or twice from laughing so hard.

Fox did not do a good job of promoting the show. I was trying to Google up some info, just the basic fact of whether it was happening in LA or NY, or some behind the scenes type pre-hype stuff. Maybe I’m just bad at Googling, but I couldn’t find much of anything! So funny to compare that to when it became a hit in NY, when you could not get away from the Seasons of Love ad on TV because it was run endlesslyyyyyy.

Rent will always have a sort of ‘frozen in time’ quality because of A) the subject matter and B) the fact that Mr. Larson passed away before he could see what a huge hit it was.

I don’t know of any production company that would take on Les Mis Live due to the sheer cost! That said, it could happen, and I’d definitely watch it!

 

[gometros]

Totally underwhelmed by last night's performance I've seen Rent in the theater when Antony Rapp (Mark) and Adam Pascal (Roger) came back the a seedings stint, and the movie. The vocals were not nearly up to snuff and that audience? OMG. I thought I was watching American Idol or SYTYCD with all those screening teeny boppers.i was impressed with Vanessa Hodgens, Jordan Fisher and Brennin Hunt, but the person who played Angel was awful, voice kept giving out and Brendan Dixon is no Jesse Martin. The girl who played Mimi was okay, I just don't like her interpretation of the character. Staging was interesting, but the sound and acoustics left a lot to be desired.

 

[dazedx3]

I agree, the audience was very annoying. Were they asked to react like that? I really wanted to like this production, but it was disappointing.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I agree, the audience was very annoying. Were they asked to react like that? I really wanted to like this production, but it was disappointing.

I imagine they had to have been, especially during What You Own... they’d start screaming right on cue when Roger or Mark were singing. However that was definitely a segment from the dress rehearsal, so I imagine that the director or producers probably (hopefully) would have realized that it just didn’t work had they had the chance to do it live.

 

[PollyannaMom]

"Eh..."

I watched it today, but didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. After a while, I kind of just listened while I did the chores, and then I gave up and fast forwarded to "Seasons of Love".

I do hope they keep doing these live musicals, though. - The idea is fun!

 

[Lynne M]

It was such a disappointment. It felt like a high school production. Actually, that's not fair to high school productions. I'm sure it's been done better in schools.

- The sound balance was AWFUL. How is that even possible in 2019?

- The frenetic camera movement was annoying at best, nausea-inducing at worst. What the heck was all that swooping around during "Will I," which is a quiet, intimate piece?

- Speaking of intimate, that's how I would have described the show when I saw it on Broadway. And it suited the show, which was about personal relationships, and the set design made the audience feel close to the characters. On the TV production, the characters were lost in the ginormous flashy sets. Example: "La Vie Boheme." Watch that scene in the movie. You'll see what I mean.

- It wasn't necessarily a bad idea to have an audience. It was a bad idea to tell the audience to shriek like tweens at a pop concert.

- I know that they try to have popular performers on these live musicals to pull in the audience. But that's how you end up with singers who can't act, and actors who are weak singers. I'm pretty sure the supporting cast was made up of musical theater pros like Keala Settle (soloist in "Seasons of Love"), and it was more than a little jarring that the supporting players were stronger singers and actors than some of the leads.

OK, /rant off.

 

[RN2003AZ]

Just curious, why you call them non-problems? I mean back in 89-90 hiv/aids was a huge problem, treatment options and life expectancy weren’t what they are today. While it’s a choice to start using drugs, heroin addiction is a real problem. Back in the 80s somebody like Angel would have had a much harder time getting a job. It would still be difficult today, but not in the same way.

It’s based on La Boheme so the theme of the “starving” artist is strong. I can see if you can’t appreciate that and just think “get a real job” then yeah, Rent is probably not for you. This above sentence may seem a bit snippy in text but it isn’t meant to be, I couldn’t think of better wording. I guess I just mean it’s not a theme everybody will enjoy.

Rent is one of my favorite shows, I’ve seen it probably 20 times. It debuted on Broadway when I was in high school and we’d go every weekend we could to see it. I don’t know if it was just closer to the time it was written and movies like Philadelphia came out and it was closer to the mindset of the time it took place or I was just 16 and not thinking about such things. I will say something about the show didn’t age well. I think it’s because we’ve seen a lot of social change (and treatment advancements) since then and in 2019 the characters just don’t really come across as really disenfranchised (except maybe Angel, they all have family and most of them are educated). Things are far from perfect, but characters like Collins wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow today. I think the story of these characters in 1989 is a lot different than the story of these characters in 2019 (I have no idea if that makes any dang sense, but hopefully it does).

tl;dr I don’t totally agree but I see your point and shows are totally subjective anyway.

This is spot on and similar to my story. When Rent open in 1996 I was a sophomore in high school and my then boyfriend bought us tickets to the Boston tour. I was mesmerized and since then have seen the show in multiple venues including the final month on Broadway. In the 90s this material was raw and controversial, and accurate for NYC and the artistic community.
I have never been a fan of the movie and was not optimistic about this live version. The original cast had so many powerhouse voices that subsequent casts have a huge history to live up to. In that respect I feel very critical and have yet to see a full cast that blows me away. I had to DVR last nights show due to working and will watch it tonight. I’ve seen a few scenes and like others have said, these voices just don’t cut it. Now if Neil Patrick Harris had reprised his role as Mark...

 

[Cubbiecakes]

Being a starving artist doesn't mean your art holds any greater meaning, it just means you're terrible at being a human that can take care of yourself.

Honestly, Benny is the only main character in the show who makes any sense. The others are all drama queens, immature children, or self-important narcissists.

 

[xjillianpaige]

I think the sound balance was better once it went live for the final scene. And the audience was better behaved.

Overall I think this didn’t meet expectations. I still had a ton of fun watching it and singing along and watching, but I do have complaints.

The staging was cool. I liked the casting overall. I feel really bad that they put so much work into it and didn’t get to perform live the way they wanted to, but I’m finding videos of them singing with the aired footage and doing a “stripped down” performance that seems cool to have been able to witness.

The sound was off and the audience obnoxious until it went live at the end. They didn’t promote this well at all. I’m conflicted on commercials. I liked how they broke the 4th wall in Grease by having commentary and behind the scenes during commercial breaks, but having just commercials felt too abrupt. I prefer they acknowledge the 4th wall in some way when they have to take you out of the performance for commercials.

 

[Colleen27]

We were pretty disappointed. Rent is one of my and my younger DD's favorite shows and I just took her to see it on stage for the first time a couple weeks ago, so we were really looking forward to it, but some of the casting just wasn't right (The kid who played Mark is undoubtedly talented, but he utterly failed to capture Mark's awkwardness), the sound mixing wasn't great, some of the minor changes they made to accommodate a network audience were jarring, and it lacked a lot of the emotion of the stage show. I wonder, in hindsight, how many of the issues with voices getting lost under the music and some of the performances feeling a bit flat/listless were because they had to broadcast a dress rehearsal rather than doing the live performance as expected.

 

[sam_gordon]

For those of you complaining about the sound mix... do you have a dedicated 5.1 (six separate speakers) sound system or were you listening via soundbar/tv speakers? I have surround sound and had no problems with the mix.

 

[DopeyDame]

For those of you complaining about the sound mix... do you have a dedicated 5.1 (six separate speakers) sound system or were you listening via soundbar/tv speakers? I have surround sound and had no problems with the mix.

That's interesting. We have a soundbar, and the sound mixing was really off. Many times you could barely hear the singing over the music.
It almost sounds like you were able to do your own sound mixing since you have all the different speakers.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Whiny Gen X slackers!!!

Get off my lawn!!!