My Rent Rant- Page 3

[karlean7]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 4:03pm

The only thing I can think of that really makes Rent a period piece is "What You Own", because he refers to the end of the milennium.

Honestly, though, Rent seems incredibly pertinent to the modern era, to me at least.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 4:06pm

pertinent to today is a TOTALLY different thing than being a period piece. Period pieces can be pertinent, too.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 7:44pm

Oh, good lord

[karlean7]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 7:57pm

My apologies. I misspoke.

I think that Rent, with a few exceptions (being basically those lines from What You Own, and the AZT stuff, which, while still being perscribed, is no longer the standard), is just as modern (current, hip, what have you) today as it was 9 years ago.

There. I'm done. Whoo!

[b-way buff]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 8:25pm

rent is the most amazing show to ever grace the great white way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyone who doesnt like it needs therapy!!!!!!

i think i made my point!!!!!!!!!

[Plum]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 8:38pm

I could probably use some kind of therapy, but not becaues I don't like Rent.

I wanted to like Rent. I had several Rent-head friends in high school, had heard a lot about the show, and was just generally really looking forward to it when I first went to see it about 4 years ago.

I didn't like it.

Why, you ask? The characters outside of Angel could never manage to be compelling for more than 30 seconds at a time. Though I'm a sucker for Will I? and I like The Tango: Maureen in performance, a lot of the music and especially the "recitative" was just not fun to listen to. The sound was over-amplified, which I absolutely hate, and the actors couldn't enunciate to save their lives. Which I suppose added to the "rock concert" (ha!) atmosphere.

I thought I was missing the point since I hadn't seen the OBC. So I got the CD, and lo and behold, the only difference was that I liked Collins.

I was squarely in Rent's target audience- a 15-year-old suburbanite girl. But it didn't happen. And that ending was such a cop-out I can't even begin to express it.

There. That's my Rent rant, or at least part of it. I wrote out the whole thing months ago and it made me feel much better. :)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 8:41pm

Still luv ya Plum.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 8:46pm

I think I am in love with you...

[bythesword84]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 9:13pm

I'm sure everyone here has heard time and again that I can't stand Rent, and numerous times I've been asked to say why, so here it goes...

I can't understand why Rent is viewed as this huge piece of wonderful theater. I can understand that it was "new" style of theater at the time and everything but, and no I don't hate Jonathan Larson, I don't think it would have gotten so much attention had he not died. As a matter of fact, I enjoy Tick, Tick...BOOM! and I think it is written much better than Rent. I can't figure out why his legacy is going to be based on something which is completely unoriginal. I felt as though all he did was take La Boheme and rewrite it in Sondheim style with a rock background. I don't see what the point of this was, and I think that TTB is a much better representation of his talent because all Rent makes me think is, what is the point of all of this? Did we need this updated version of a classic? Not really.

There were several times in the show when I was dying to get up and walk out, and if I believed in doing that sort of thing I would have done it. Musically, the only song I even found remotely interesting is One Song Glory. As a matter of fact, when I went to see the show and that song was being sung I thought to myself, "Okay, maybe I was wrong and this show is going to actually be good." I didn't think it was. I thought it was making a lot of attacks at the establishment, whatever the establishment is defined as by the various characters. Okay, that's fine. You can attack whatever you want as long as you back it up with a solution. Nothing gets solved in this show, they say how they feel but nowhere do they talk about how they think it could be fixed.

Plum may not have talked about the ending, but I'm going to go into it. What was that about? What point was there to that and how can anyone say there is a good message to the ending? First of all, if they had let Mimi die, which they should have because that's the way the story goes- their whole theme of "no day but today" would have been a lot more poignant because it would have shown she lived life how she wanted to live it. Second, by bringing her back they falsely make it look as though you can do whatever you want to your body (ie heroine) and it'll all be okay in the end, and that's hardly the case. Third, it just does not go along with the rest of the show. She's getting sick, she's getting sicker, and then all of a sudden she's completely okay as if nothing ever happened? For a show that is supposed to represent "real life" that is the farthest thing from it that I can possibly imagine.

[VivaBohemia]

Posted: 9/21/04 at 11:52pm

Well I can definately rule out that all Rent fans are 13 and live in Nebraska.

I am 22 and I live in Maryland.

I've been a fan of musical theatre since I was 7 (Okay, Cats was the first show I liked, give me a break I was seven and it was seemingly about Kitty cats. ::pause::)

I think the problem with Rent and theatre-goers is because it isn't "Classic Theatre". And some people adore it, and some people think it's crap. Personally, it is one of my favorites, along with Les Mis, and Sweeny Todd. Odd? Maybe.

The truth is, no matter what show, band, actor, ect. You will have your fans who appreciate the item in question for what it is, and you will have the masses of brooding, hormonal teenagers thirsty for a hot, sexy male or female. Its just there.