Hey everyone, I just got back from an awesome night! I'm sure Emcee will be a better writer/storyteller than me, but I'll try my best. Okay, here we go
So after getting the double whammy that I wasn't gonna make it to the Rent set tonight and that my best friend wasn't coming to visit this weekend, I decided I needed to see a show tonight to cheer me up. I usually take the train, but I missed it, and I just started feeling empowered, and for the first time, I just took the car and drove into the City. It was pretty awesome knowing I could do that. So I get to Times Square and start to think of what I want to see. I decided I wanted to see something really good, so I tried Spelling Bee cancellation and kept debating whether to do that or see Musical of Musicals on TKTS. Finally, I decide to go towards Spelling Bee, and I didn't get tickets. At this point, I'm really, really upset with everything that's been happening. With not much else to do, I figured I'd go down to Canal St to see if maybe I could hear stuff from the closed set, I was pretty miserable.
Okay, not some exciting stuff. As I walk down, I notice something that I am soo happy I saw...the moondance diner! I couldn't believe I just randomly saw it there. I walked over to the front of it and took a picture, and then took a picture from farther away. Finally, I walked in and of course I was asked if I could be helped and I kinda had to explain: umm, no see Jonathan Larson used to work here so would it be okay if I just looked around for a minute? They seemed kind of confused but let me anyway. I saw the serving counter and the seats, the familiarity from Broadway: The American Musical. I just had so much chills walking through there. I finally walked out, back to Canal Street and for like 5 minutes, I just started to cry--not quite bawl, but significant tears. At this point, I decided whether or not I heard Rent, it was worth it to make this trip because just being in that Diner meant a lot to me.
So I keep walking, and then I see lots of wires and lights, so I know they must be in the area. After much more walking, I finally came to it where a couple of bunch of people were standing behind the monitors and I couldn't believe it--and then I saw Emcee and TGIF and other cool people, and hung out with them while we watched what I think might have been the opening scene being shot. It was pretty awesome to see what it looked like, and I just go so excited and thought it would be really cool to see the scene in the movie and know I was there.
So as we're watching the screens, Idina comes walking by in the middle of the street, so we start taking pictures and then she just starts hugging a lot of the crew and hanging out a bit. So I was kinda like hmmm, should I ask her to take a picture, and I finally got some guts and very, very timidly tip-toed over. I got to a point where there were 2 men between us, and it kinda took me 5 minutes to actually say excuse me, and then I was standing right next to her. She hugged someone, and finally I asked excuse me Idina, could I possibly take a picture? and she was like sure! and it was great...she was so sweet. I told her how great she was in Wicked, how I went to her last show and cried, and how I cried when she won the Tony and she laughed and said yup, I did too. So then she basically said well, thanks a lot, you're so sweet, it was great to meet you. God I was so proud, I used to be soo shy and I actually was able to walk up to her myself and talk, with minimal shaking. I was so proud of myself.
So then we kept watching the same opening scene over and over. We heard a tiny bit of the opening of "Rent" of Anthony singing, from what I heard it definitely sounded different from the cast recording, but very good. It got funny at one point, as they were shooting Anthony on a bike shooting and then holding his camera--he dropped the camera on two takes in a row, it was pretty cute and funny. Finally, they rapped up that scene and Anthony walked by(everyone else had talked to him earlier) and then he signed for a couple of people so we decided it was okay to ask for pictures. But he was wearing the scarf, so I have a pic of him with the scarf, I think that is so awesome! He too is so sweet, I told him how much it means to us that he posts here and he said oh he loves it so much too.
So we basically left after that, it was getting late, and we were pretty numb and cold. Of course I wish I could have met Adam *sigh* but seeing what short I got to see was great, I'm so happy everything mysteriously worked out for me. I have to say, as soon as I saw the lights, the movie started seeming more real to me and then to see some of it filmed...I just cannot wait for it to come out. I am so excited.
Edit: I forgot one more thing. We all took home a little nice souvenier...a copy of the no parking signs b/c Rent was filming. Hey it said till 11PM, we picked them off after 11, so it was all good.
It was a great night, thanks for all the advice guys! Now if I could only learn how to put the pictures from my digital camera into the computer(I just learned to use the camera last night)...grrr
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
Updated On: 3/18/05 at 01:23 AM