Seasons of Like. Not Love.

For some reason I have fallen almost two weeks behind in my blogging schedule, therefore I am just now getting to a recent trip a few friends and I took to see Rent.  As many of you know, the show is closing at the end of the summer (not June 1st, like first announced) after a twelve year run that changed many people's lives, including my sister and me. 

I first saw the show in the summer of 1997, with all but one member of the original cast.  Each subsequent viewing  (five or six in total) never met the energy, or emotional impact, that that first time had on my eleven year old self.  But that didn't change the fact that I could enjoy Rent performed by just about anybody. 

The nostalgia factor holds a lot of weight with this show, and while the cast that we saw a few weeks ago wasn't perfect, there were some fantastic performances.  One of the things I found most bizarre while I was watching it was the fact that all of the performers on stage were people that grew up with Rent in their lives.  The first few times I saw it, there was a freshness and vitality that, while mainly attributed to the urgency of the message when the show first arrived, seemed a little absent a few weeks ago; it must be surreal to grow up listening to a cast recording, only to come into the show during the tail-end of its initial run. 

With that said, several performers were able to break the mold in little, but effective, ways.  We were lucky to witness Adam Kantor's first performance (and Broadway debut) as Mark.  He gave an assured performance in one of the more difficult "wallflower" roles.   Angel (played by Justin Johnston) found humor, and stylistic dance choices, that were the best I've seen since the original. 

Not to say that all of the performers who broke the mold of the original cast were successful; American Idol's Tamyra Gray struggled to find a vulnerability in Mimi that is essential to the role.  Her acting choices looked very much like "choices" and not as instinctual reactions to the events happening on stage.  Everything about her Mimi, down to the chopped haircut that replaces the curly tresses fans have come to expect from the character, looked like heavy-handed efforts to "change." 

As Rent enters its final months, I find myself having many conversations with friends about the impact the show had on each of us.  It's hard to imagine a Broadway that doesn't include 41st street's grunged up Nederlander theater.  It leaves me pondering the following questions:

At what point does a show bow out with grace?  Has Rent worn out its welcome?  Or should it stay around awhile?

Comments

[Natalie D.]

Your video was fantastic! I really enjoyed this post. I have never seen Rent on Broadway, only the movie. I wonder if I should make a point to see it before it comes to an end.

[Jes]

UNBELIEVABLE! Unbelievable. You are your father's son. Gone With the With, move over. Matt Murphy will someday rule the world!

Oh my goodness, I need you to come give Anya and I some feedback on our new piece. We had a break through last night which kind of made us feel like geniuses, which probably means the whole thing is crap. There is text, there is latin music, and the whole thing may just end with a huge tickle fest. Um, but since we cannot have you, we are settling for your dad. He is coming to see it on Sunday. YIKES!

[Kate]

Rent is bloody awful drivel. Anyone sad enough to state that that crass, derivative shit changed their "life", didn't have much of a life to begin with.

[jolene]

whoa, all this negativity... I love Rent, I can't believe Justin Johnston is still there. I've seen him several times beginning from a few years ago, and I really liked his Angel (does he still do the Irish step dance for "It's a happy new year"?). Mark is a hard part to be displayed on stage consistently, and it's so frustrating to see a poorly done Mark without the humor and urgency. I'm glad this new guy was good.

Hm, I'm a bit torn... it was great to always have Rent around to drop by and see, but after the initial shock of it closing, and when they started making casting choices like Drew Lachey and Tamyra Gray, I'm a bit torn. I'll be happy if they replace it with an equally cool show.