RENT - The Movie

In 1996, I had the pleasure of seeing RENT on Broadway with the original cast. The hype of the show had already hit a frenzied and fevered pitch. "Rentheads", as they called themselves, seemed to be everywhere. The show was the darling of Broadway, winning several Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The show's creator, Jonathan Larson, had died tragically on the eve of his show becoming a hit. Everyone was talking about the show. Everyone loved the show.

I felt like I was in the minority: I didn't like the show. And what made my dislike of the show even worse, was the "Renthead" mentality that this was the greatest show there ever was. Everywhere I turned, teenage theatre geeks were singing it, screaming it, eating it, living it, breathing it and sleeping it. I couldn't get away from it. It seemed to follow me everywhere. I began to loathe RENT. Fortunately, as time passed and I got older, my grumpy attitude towards the show softened...but only slightly. Mainly because people slowly began to talk about something OTHER than RENT.

It has now been 10 years since RENT bowed on Broadway and the movie version of the musical was in theaters last Winter. When a group of about 10 theatre friends (including my wife) announced they wanted to see the movie in the theatre, I declined the invite. Mr. Sour-Puss had resurfaced along with the Rentheads I thought had disappeared into the past.

Last night, while trying to find something on the tube to watch, we came across RENT on Starz-on-Demand. I decided since it was basically free, I'd break down and watch it, hoping I might realize that I was horribly wrong in my criticism of the show and I would find that I was truly a closet Renthead.

Well...I was only partially right. I told my wife as the movie began that I wanted the option of turning the channel if I began to lose interest. Never fear, I finished the movie. One thing I loved about watching it was getting the chance to see these same artists, now 10 years older, perform the same roles on film. I enjoyed the film. Did I love it? No. Did I hate it? No. To me, the movie simply did not have that gritty, edgy feel that the stage production has. On film, it is difficult to capture the sheer energy and passion of the performers in a show like RENT. I missed the "operetta" feel of the show, as much of the spoken dialogue on film was sung on stage. One of the most moving moments on film, for me, was during one of the later LIFE SUPPORT scenes as the camera panned around the room and slowly people began to fade from the scene, victims of AIDS.

There is no doubt the subject matter, music, emotion, imagery and passion of this show comes through loud and clear. But for me, I still don't understand what all of the hype is about. I don't believe that I am an old fuddy-duddy or cannot be moved by a piece of theatre. Trust me, I cried when I saw this in the theatre and there were moments of the movie that brought back some of those same feelings. I just don't feel that this show is the be-all, end-all of musical theatre. Does it have heart and soul? YES! Very much so. But so do so many other musicals that come and go on Broadway.

RENT is a show whose life will eventually come to an end, but not before its impact will be felt in a society that has evolved so much in the last 10 years that the subject matter will no longer be shocking to a certain segment of the population. In the meantime, we should all take advantage of the 525,600 minutes each of us are given every year and make the most of every one.