Original RENTHEAD or 'Newbie'?- Page 2

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:50pm

Thanks for that though guitargeek. I agree. That's what I was saying about Seasons of Love. Somebody said ew when Angel and Collins kissed after I'll Cover You, and I wanted to throw and shoe at them. But I wasn't sure who it was.

[ihearttheatre]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 10:53pm

I'm a newbie- saw the show for the first time last March and fell in love.

Actually, before I saw it, I had absolutely no idea what it was about. I definately had no clue how much it would affect my life. Looking back, it's really amazing for me to think about how different my life would be and I would be as a person had I not gotten those tickets.

[BroadwayBeauty08]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:00pm

I know how you feel. I heard about Rent about a year ago from mini me (her name is the same as mine lol)and i was like.. eh who'd want to see a show called RENT and it dident phase me at that time and then when the movie came out i thought id give it a try and i was hooked.
And if being a RENThead is about seeing the OBC then im so totaly ****ed becuase i was like 7 (dident obc leave during 97) so yeah.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:01pm

I've been a fan of the show for ten years, having first seen it when the OBC was still there. Have seen it 50+ times since so pretty much every castmember who's ever been in it! My problem isn't with newbies, per se, but it IS with people who don't inform themselves, people who don't realize that Rent IS the stage show and that the movie is just an adaptation and not nearly as important, people who gush and squeal over how hot the actors are, people who think that Rent is all about making icons and wallpapers and banners and quizzes, people who don't read the Rent sites to educate themselves about the show and the actors in it but instead to do all those things I mentioned previously, people who complain about the 'old' fans being elitist when really all we want is for lots of people to newly discover the SHOW itself, the stage show, the actors who are in it now, and for the show to sell more tickets so that it stays at the Neder for more than the next year, and for tours to continue crisscrossing the country so that the newbies can actually see the real thing.

[Stater2002]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:07pm

I have also been a fan since late 1996. I saw the OBC in March of 1997, and am so happy to have had this wonderful ride with such a fantastic show!:)

[focusingonmoviesmatt]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:22pm

This sounds dorky but anthony called me "old school" so i would have to say orginal renthead.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:24pm

I became interested in Rent shortly before its Broadway transfer. Not only from the hype, but also from all the pre-show publicity and how "different" it all sounded, even before I heard it.

I bought the cast recording right after it came out, but I didn't get to see the show until July 1999.

I've seen it 7 times. But don't call me a Renthead.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:25pm

I can't help it I live in cali for pete sake!!!

You do know California has hosted all the national tours at one point or another, right?

...well, you do now.

Updated On: 1/8/06 at 11:25 PM

[BroadwayBeauty08]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:25pm

i think the movie helped me relize RENT was auccually good and not some flousy musical i thought it out to be. so im really glad the movie came out of it now i can be a RENThead with all you fine people lol

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:31pm

"I'm supposedly a newbie since I didn't see the obc and didn't even hear about the show until the movie. I can't help it I live in cali for pete sake!!!"

I just dislike when ANYONE uses lame excuses like this one. I know Rentheads that live in California. California had the first West Coast production of Rent and the tour has gone there quite often in the past 10 years. You had the opportunity to see the show, you just didn't bother paying attention. At least own up to it instead of complaining.

"if the first song that comes to your mind when someone says RENT is Seasons of Love, that is not being a RENThead. lol. I'm sorry. I love that song but it's not my favorite from the show."

I'm so about to make this my sig line. I hated when all these personal reviews were put online where people said the only good part of the movie was the first 3 minutes. It really bothers me that SOL is the most popular song from Rent, because it's not even one of the better ones. It's just the one that is so separated from the plot that it makes sense out of context.

Back on topic, I have been a fan of the show since Fall of 2000.

Updated On: 1/9/06 at 11:31 PM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:38pm

I just dislike when ANYONE uses lame excuses like this one. I know Rentheads that live in California. California had the first non-NYC production of Rent and the tour has gone there quite often in the past 10 years. You had the opportunity to see the show, you just didn't bother paying attention. At least own up to it instead of complaining.

*claps*

I love you.

Did you know that California even has functional airports and planes, many of which go to the Tri-State area? Apparently, many are unaware of this minor detail.

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:38pm

Hehe I'm glad you liked my line.

Location has nothing to do with being a RENThead. There are RENTheads in like... I don't know. Europe and stuff. And I still maintain time has nothing to do with it either. Oh well.

[Malice]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:38pm

Been a bonafide Renthead since the first time I saw the show in previews in April 1996 and have been hooked ever since.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 1/8/06 at 11:56pm

orangeskittles, although it's true that California is probably the most visited state by the tours over the years, it didn't have the "first non-NYC production of Rent". That honor went to Boston where the Angel tour began in November '96. The Benny cast began in LaJolla but that wasn't until July of '97.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 12:03am

Oh, right, sorry. I fixed it in the other post. I guess I was just thinking it was the first because Daphne left the show on Broadway to be in it.

[Broadway4Life2]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 12:54am

Thanx everyone for replying. Now I do realize that I should've been more open about seeing the show and not giving some stupid excuse that i live in cali haha. Tho I wasn't even interested in theatre ten years ago so I guess that's another reason for not seeing it. About everyone being obsessed with seasons of love I agree. It is so annoying to see my friends sing it totally wrong. They're only interested in RENT becuz of that song. They ask me to sing it ALL the freakin time!!! Plus, they're sooo CLUELESS about the story. I always have to try and explain it to them when they still don't get it.

[Fantabulous428]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 1:52am

I have one question - or favor. Can people please start proofing their posts or just spelling words correctly? Don't want to really start anything up, but my eyes are starting to hurt from the way some people post. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why newbies have bad reps around here.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:09am

I have one question - or favor. Can people please start proofing their posts or just spelling words correctly?

HAHAHA!! Good luck with that. Trust me, I know.

But maybe with our combined forces, something can be done.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:17am

I usually tend to take a more elitist approach to the term Renthead. And no I do not call myself a Renthead after seeing the film, being a fan for years, and seeing the show 4 times, winning lotto, ect. I feel as though the true Rentheads are those who really established the fanbase and are kinda the "elders" on the subject like LizzieCurry seems to be.
I dont think people cant be fans cause this show was put out there to get a vision/a message across and to bring people together in loving this show. I guess I just take the term Renthead and apply it as a kind of honor for sticking around so long. I wouldnt even think to call myself one and I guess it bothers me when people hear the movie soundtrack like a month ago and are calling themselves Rentheads, putting themselves up there with people who have stuck with it a decade ago. That I find unfair and thats why I dont like the term to begin with.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:32am

While I think that you have a point that everyone should theoretically be able to see a show live while it's on tour, it doesn't always work out that way. Shows are expensive, and particularly if people live far away from a major city/are minors and don't have family members who value theatre/whatever the case may be, it's not really fair to expect them to have been able to catch even a touring production of Rent. You might believe that to call yourself a RENThead you need to have seen it live, and I won't even argue with that, but it's not as simple as, "You have no excuse for not seeing it while it's on tour."

Although, if I'm misinterpreting and the issue is instead that she said she hadn't heard of Rent before the movie, then I think that's a more valid point. I just don't think it's fair to say that someone can't be a true fan of a show that they've never seen. (And I have, for the record, seen Rent... there are just a lot of other shows that I've wanted to get to but couldn't.) Updated On: 1/9/06 at 02:32 AM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:42am

But then people should say "I haven't been able to see it onstage" as opposed to "I don't live in New York, so I can't see it."

It's just better to be honest about why you haven't seen it (like you just didn't know about it yet) than to make up excuses that aren't logical.

Updated On: 1/9/06 at 02:42 AM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:51am

Okay, that's totally fair.

I guess I've just been pondering this lately based on my trip to the Kennedy Center right before Christmas and noting that attending professional theatrical performances is something that's generally limited to the upper-middle and higher economic classes. Of course there are exceptions, and anyone can find a way to see a show if they persevere, blah, blah, blah... but with ticket prices and the cost of travel being what they are, it is REALLY difficult for most people to go to the theatre even if they are interested. So I suppose I was just sort of projecting. Updated On: 1/9/06 at 02:51 AM

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:51am

Exactly. When a show has as much exposure and as many tours as Rent has, "I don't live in New York" is a craptastic answer. Just say why. And if you're an American, don't give geography as an excuse.

[SirLiir]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 2:56am

I have to go with what Patronus said a few threads ago. Renthead is just a label. If you are a fan of the show, then you are a fan of the show. If you get the meaning, you get the meaning. I feel that creating this elitist atmosphere, you create a rift between casual fans and long time fans. There are many fans being drawn to the show thanks to the movie and though there are some 'newbies' who are not getting the message, I would hope a long dedicated fan would work to enlighten such a person about what the show is about. Of course, there are some battles that alas cannot be won. Rent does convey such a positive message, one I hope long time "Rentheads" can themselves live by. But honestly, is there any difference between a one year long Renthead and a 10 year long Renthead?

As for me, I am relatively new to Rent but since my initial exposure, I have really researched eveyrthing about it, seen the show several times, and enjoyed many a fine conversation about the show's meaning and symbology on this board. I would not call myself a Renthead or newbie Renthead. Just a fan of the show.
Updated On: 1/9/06 at 02:56 AM

[Kass983]

Posted: 1/9/06 at 3:00am

I think to call into question a person's honesty about this subject is a bit extreme. California is a big state with many areas that aren't geared towards theatre. When you live in an area that doesn't promote theatre and have family that doesn't attend, your exposure is extremely limited.

It may very well feel to the original poster, as it did to me, that the show just wasn't around where they lived, though it may well have been. I'm only aware of the tour coming through my area twice. The first time I never saw a thing about it. The second time I was out of state. And just as with a concert, just because something is showing doesn't mean that you can afford to see it, they don't tend to give much notice.

I'm not picking at anyone, please understand, all I'm saying is that I think people in bigger cities with more focus on theatre perhaps may not realize how isolated the rest of us feel and often are.

And just for the record, I live in a state where the prominent business man of the moment, (owner of the Utah Jazz), will not show Brokeback Mountain at his movie theater because of content. RENT the movie is currently only showing here at a bar/movie theater and I'm happy I'm over 21.