RENT Live

[sam_gordon]

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.

No, I did not do my own sound mix. lol

I'm guessing the issue might be with how your soundbar decoded the surround signals. I did not listen closely to see if they put sounds on the wrong channels, but in a typical 5.1 mix, you have the following channels:
Left Front (usually "effects"... explosions, applause, "natural sound" that happens to the left of the screen)
Right Front (same as above, just things happening to the right of the screen)
Center (most dialogue, any "primary" sound)
Left Rear (again, "effects", but those that should be heard behind the listener)
Right Rear (same)
Subwoofer (low frequency... think engines, not voices)

All of these should be spread around the screen/viewer:

I don't know that soundbars have six speakers in them (they might), but assuming they don't, the soundbar has to "combine" channels together to go through the speakers it does have (same with stereo speakers on a TV). I wonder if something got encoded incorrectly and the soundbar was pulling "more" from the music channels than from the "voice" channel. Now, I agree, this is a problem on Fox's end.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Whiny Gen X slackers!!!

Get off my lawn!!!

Ha ha! That's exactly what I was thinking when I was complaining up-thread that I'm just too old for this musical!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Whiny Gen X slackers!!!

Get off my lawn!!!

Didn't you hear?

They don't exist.

 

[Ariel484]

I wonder if future live musicals will have understudies??

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Didn't you there?

They don't exist.

Hmmm, I can't tell if CBS or Buzzfeed News is the one claiming Gen X doesn't exist. Maybe both?

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'm a huge RENT fan and I was pretty disappointed, too. I didn't think any of the lead vocals were great, personally. Angel especially. And none of them seemed to care about what they were singing. It was similar to a high school production, though I've been to high school productions with better talent.

Agree that the live audience was hugely distracting.

All in all, not a great production but I won't lie and say that the original cast number at the end didn't make me hugely emotional. I figured they were sitting backstage shaking their head at the whole thing

 

[cabanafrau]

Now I'm wondering if I should even bother watching the recording on my DVR? I was hoping that by watching a live production I might manage to finally appreciate what so many see in this show, because the film version simply didn't give me the feeling I expected.

 

[gary1955]

from what I read there was a live performance at the set and the broadcast showed just the last 15 minutes or so. I wonder if that was recorded and if it will be shown one day. maybe as a DVD extra.

the second thing I was wondering is where the set was built. I haven't been able to find that bit of information.

I have not seen a full production, only bits from award shows and talk show appearances so I went in without any expectations. I enjoyed the show.

the audience was disruptive at times, but there were a couple of times at the end of songs when they were absolutely silent. I wonder it there were visual signs or production assistants to cue the audience to be quiet.

 

[Colleen27]

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.

TV speakers here.

Now I'm wondering if I should even bother watching the recording on my DVR? I was hoping that by watching a live production I might manage to finally appreciate what so many see in this show, because the film version simply didn't give me the feeling I expected.

The movie sanitized the story a fair bit, stripping it of quite a bit of its depth and meaning IMO. I enjoy the film well enough for what it is (movie versions of musicals are, to me, largely a way to introduce the kids to theatre before they're old enough to go), but the differences are like comparing a Brothers' Grimm story to the Disney version. The live version was closer to the stage show but lacking some of the grittiness and simplicity that made it so memorable, and the cast wasn't nearly as good as either of the touring productions I've seen. The 2008 DVD of the Broadway production would be a better representation of what made the show what it is, IMO.

 

[Colleen27]

Didn't you hear?

They don't exist.

If that isn't the most Gen X thing ever, I don't know what is. It is right up there with What You Own from Rent, which strikes me as the most Gen X song ever written.

 

[xjillianpaige]

I wonder if future live musicals will have understudies??

I doubt it. Part of the strategy for promotion is who is in the cast. They all have at least one big name to draw people in.

 

[DizMinMouse]

My DVR recording was really messed up. A good part of the recording was scrambled. I read online that apparently that was a problem on many parts of the east coast. I was sad that I missed so much of the show. I just found that it’s on Fox On Demand though so now I have my TV plan for tonight after work. I hope the networks keep doing live musicals. They are so much fun to watch.

 

[Clio]

Rent is one of my favorite musicals. I've seen it several times at Playhouse square in Cleveland. This version wasn't my favorite.

 

[gary1955]

https://www.vulture.com/2019/01/rent-live-video-footage-that-fox-didnt-air.html

this web page has some cell phone video of the actual live performance and some FOX video of the "live concert".

I think I would have liked to have seen this instead of the rehearsal video.

Edit: https://twitter.com/RENTonFOX came across more on their Twitter page