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'Rent' Revisited
In the 13 x 525,600 minutes since "Rent" first premiered on Broadway, the economy has gone from middling, to wealthy, to so-so, to pretty great again, to absolutely horrific. And, of course, we still don't have a cure for HIV & AIDS. Although "Rent" played its final performance on Broadway last spring (it was the seventh longest-running show in Broadway history), never before have this musical and its themes of love and compassion felt so fresh and relevant as they do right now.
Set in NYC's East Village in the early 90's, "Rent" is a modern take on Puccini's opera, "La Boheme." It tells the story of a young group of artists and friends struggling for their identity and purposes in the world, while navigating the plague of HIV& AIDS.
Back in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre for an almost two-week run, the latest national tour features three standout performers from Jonathan Larson's original New York production; leads Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, who also starred in the 2005 movie, and solo vocalist Gwen Stewart (aka - the one who hits the BIG notes on "Seasons of Love").
Revisiting the show for the first time since the aforementioned big screen production directed by Chris Columbus, I remembered again why this is my favorite musical of all-time. It redefined the definition of the genre, it was the soundtrack to my 20's, and it has more heart than just about any musical that's come since (although, some have come close... see "In The Heights," and "Avenue Q").
Anthony and Adam have never sounded better, and there's not a weak link
in the rest of this cast. Although Gwen didn't sing on her opening
night in LA, her understudy didn't miss a note. Every time I see the show, I find something new that I take away. Sometimes it's the love between Collins and Angel in "I'll Cover You," or it's the carpe diem passion of "Another Day"; other times it's the iconic "Over The Moon" monologue by Maureen, or the cultural inventory of "La Vie Boheme."
This time, for me, it was the overall sense of family and community that's formed amongst friends during hard times. I found myself watching and listening to the homeless members of the ensemble in the show's background, as intently as I paid attention to the lead characters. Seeing the show could remind anyone that your life could be only one layoff away from hard circumstances.
Of course, the biggest news surrounding "Rent" in the past few weeks has been several high schools' reluctance to produce the musical in the first year that it has been available by Larson's estate.
Of course, any parents' council that stands against it probably doesn't realize that it will save the most ostracized of students' lives.
After LA, the tour hits major markets including San Diego, Minneapolis, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin, DC, Denver, Seattle and Boston. For the full list of tour dates, CLICK HERE.
If you haven't seen it.... there's no day but today, to go.
If you have, revisit it again.
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