I apologize in advance, but..........

[Percy1969]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:04pm

I’m going to apologize in advance for what is likely to turn into an exceptionally long, somewhat incoherent ramble. You see, this weekend past, I finally did something that I had wanted to do for years. I saw Rent…..sort of. I’ve always been of the opinion that musicals don’t really translate well to the screen, and my real plan was to see it on the stage. As I saw the likelihood of that diminishing, I rented the movie. I fully expected to be somewhat disappointed, but before the weekend was over I had watched it in it’s entirety three times, and selected scenes a number of other times. I guess you could say I was mesmerized.

For a true “renthead”, I suppose this reaction isn’t particularly surprising. Obviously, there exists a HUGE number of people who have been similarly moved by Mr. Larson’s creation. It’s run has been quite impressive, and one doesn’t have to look very hard on the internet to find information on nearly every aspect of the show. However, although I fall into an age range that corresponds with the characters (I would have been 19 in 1989, the same age Mimi claims) I doubt very seriously that I match up very well with the profile of the typical fan. To give an idea, I present a few statisitics:

• I lived my entire young life in a town of ~2,000 people in south central Kansas.
• Since I have been old enough to vote, I have been a registered Republican (although the intolerance of the religious right frequently makes me embarrassed to admit that fact)
• I am a degreed and practicing chemical engineer, who has worked mostly in the petroleum refining industry.

All that aside, I have always loved musical theater, an appreciation I picked up from both my parents. As a kid, I taped a stage production of Camelot starring Richard Harris that was created for HBO and must have watched it a thousand times. My opportunities were pretty limited, but I took every opportunity I could to indulge my habit from dinner theaters, to high school productions, to cheesy film versions. On a few occasions I was able to attend productions put on by the Wichita Music Theater (for those of you who are unaware, Wichita is Kansas’s approximation of all things metropolitan, unless of course you count Kansas City, which is mostly in Missouri. *laugh*). Some of the fondest memories of my youth surround my participation in musicals. As a 6th grader, I was Oliver Twist in my town’s high school production of “Oliver” (I was cast despite not yet being of high school age, because the guy who was slated to be Oliver unexpectedly and tragically hit puberty over the summer, and grew to be in excess of 6 feet. The director was scrambling to find a replacement *laugh*). I also played George M Cohan, in “George M”, and was cast in the leading role of “They’re Playing My Song” both highschool productions.

Ok…….so by now you’re probably wondering: “What’s the point?” Unfortunately, I’m not really sure that there really is one, other than to say that I can’t get this damn show out of my head. I cannot remember anything affecting me so powerfully except possibly Les Mis, (which I am happy to say, I did get see a traveling Broadway production of). I keep replaying the songs and images in my head, and I am consumed with regret that I haven’t seen it “live” (somewhat ironic I suppose given that one of the central themes of the show is to “forget regret”). The creators and cast of this show elicited an overpowering emotional response. I was left with the feeling that I know these characters, know them in fact as if they were very dear friends of mine…… friends I haven’t seen in a long time and whom I miss terribly. All this from a guy for whom AIDS was basically a “boogey man” used to frighten kids into adhering to abstinence (didn’t work *wink*).

Part of the obsession that has ensued my seeing this production has taken the form of seeking out and reading as much material about the show as I can find. During this little data finding mission, I inevitably stumbled across reviews for the movie, and I was somewhat stunned to find a fairly large number of negative reviews. I say “somewhat” because upon reflection, it wasn’t so different from critical reviews I’ve read of other movie musicals. Most of them focus on the “un-realism”. One reviewer in particular wrote about how “ridiculous” it was for an AIDS support group to suddenly “burst into song”. These people make me shake my head. Of course it’s not realistic in real life……it isn’t real life. It’s a musical production, a production in which songs replace dialogue. In doing so, they lose their “reality”. However, the idea is not that they be realistic but rather that they reflect “reality”, and hopefully do it in a manner that escalates the poignancy of a given situation. Music speaks to people on an emotional level that the simple spoken word can never hope to attain……or I should say speaks to “some” people. Some people obviously lack the capacity to “receive that transmission” much like a person who is color blind cannot perceive colors, or a person who is deaf cannot hear anything. These people are effectively “handicapped” when it comes to this medium. I find myself wishing to read the reviews that these people wrote for say The Lord Of The Rings for example. They must have been quite scathing. Afterall, a world in which elves and dwarves do battle with orcs is …..well ……somewhat ridiculous and not at all realistic. I’d also like to see their thoughts on the works of Pablo Picasso. I mean c’mon, those paintings don’t look much like “real” people.

At any rate …….for those of you who have read this meandering little exercise, I thank you. Looking back at it, I guess the principal reason for it was simple catharsis. Like many people, I feel bound by life’s day to day trials, striving to find my way. This movie took me completely away from that for basically an entire weekend (and then some), and I’ve been haunted by it ever since. I struggle for the words to state how something can be so foreign to my own background and history, and yet contain so many aching familiarities. As far as I am concerned, all the people involved in the creation of this work deserve congratulations. To take so much pain, joy, anguish, and love and compress it into a few hours of entertainment is truly a remarkable achievement.

I know, I know……..I’m approximately a decade late here. What can I say? I work a too much, and I have no life. Your patience is appreciated.

[Chloe]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:38pm

I'm really glad that you enjoyed the movie so much, and hope you have the opportunity to see the theatrical version some time.

You don't mention whether you watched the documentary as well - I don't even know if it's available in the rental versions. If not, I strongly suggest you find some way to see it. It contains just about all anyone could wish to know about the creator and creation of Rent. If that's not possible, read "Rent by Jonathan Larson," a book with a lot of the same information.

[Percy1969]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:48pm

I don't believe the rental version I picked up included the documentary, but I'm planning on hitting amazon and ordering a copy anyway. I'm sure they've got it. Is Anthony Rapp's book a good read? Anybody know?

[Elphaba]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:54pm

hmmmm, first day, first post.....glad you liked RENT, but......generally you won't get the readership you'd like with posts that long.......and never "apologize in advance"........that alone will stop some people from reading

[Percy1969]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 5:58pm

Thanks for the advice. It probably won't surprise you to learn that it's not the first time I've been accused of "talking too much".

Like I said. Just had to get it out of my system. *wink*

[catsuit]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 6:05pm

Wow, it's great to hear that you enjoyed the movie. I still don't quite understand the reviews, I have seen the movie over ten times now, I am in love with it. (Although I suppose if you were not a RENT fan before, it may be harder to accept the movie despite it's flaws)

Yes, I STRONGLY encourage you to see that documentary. It is incredibly moving and has information on the making of RENT that I had not seen before. You'll love it.
Updated On: 3/16/06 at 06:05 PM

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 6:34pm

Anthony's book is phenominal!!

I'd post the link to the reviews but you probably shouldn't read them before reading the book.

It's a truly wonderful book and it's a quick read. It's 308 pages and I read it in less than 24 hours...something that is quite uncommon for me.

Go and enjoy it and then maybe you can post a review about that too. Your writing is excellent and flows well but I also do admit, it's a bit long.

[Chloe]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 6:49pm

The DVD of the movie is definitely available on Amazon, and a lot of other places as well. If you have a fairly large TV, I recommend the widescreen version so as not to miss anything.

Anthony's book is very good, though if you're mainly looking to find out about Rent, you should know that his book is more about his personal experiences than the show, though there's quite a bit about that too.

[grizzabella]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 6:50pm

Percy, as one who has occasionally indulged in writing posts which are much too long, I enjoyed your discussion of the RENT movie, and read every word of it. I also came to RENT late in life, so to speak, and found it moved me deeply. Let me second those who advised you to see the dvd documentary. It will give you lots of information. And by the way, welcome to the boards. It's always a pleasure to read such an articulate poster.

[best12bars]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 7:05pm

I agree with Grizzy, Percy1969.

Welcome to the boards!

[Katurian2]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 7:14pm

whoa- I'd grant you a RENTHEAD badge for just typinga post that long on the show.

[Percy1969]

Posted: 3/16/06 at 7:27pm

Thanks for the help and the kind words. I'll be hitting amazon.com for both the collector's edition DVD and Mr. Rapp's book.

Before posting next time, I'll endeavor to come up with a Reader's Digest version. *laugh*

Y'all take care.