RENT at Hollywood Bowl (with REVIEWS) — Page 8

First of all, thanks for taking the time to read my blog, those who did.

@Dame - The reference to "sold out" came from the conversations I had with the PR lady from LA Phil who provided us 2 pairs of tickets to give away at Musical Mondays in LA. Outside of that, I did not check my facts, so I apologize. I did, however, say that there were over 50,000 people there, not that there were over 52,000 people there, which would be the capacity.

As far as the "would Larson have let Mimi live another draft" question. I am of the understanding that this debate has gone back and forth since shortly after Larson's death. There are contradicting statements made on the subject by almost everyone involved in the original production. I have always CHOSEN to believe that Larson would have ultimately made the decision to kill Mimi because, well...I like to think he was smarter than letting us live with that horrificly written ending. But, I will never know...

@ Phyllis Rogerz Stone "whose rent keeps open our shop" has got to be one of the most hilariously horrible lyrics of all time. "Come on guys, chill" has also always made me cringe, but it is at least period appropriate.

---

I think there would have definitely been some major changes. I just can't see a production meeting where someone wouldn't say "So, Jon, about that ending? Can't we just kill Mimi?" I mean, Roger has his closure with the song, she apologizes about Benny, and she is REALLY sick. I have always imagined that even when she lives, she would die in the next scene if there was one! It's not like she is suddenly AIDS free!!! LOL. I don't know. I just think he would have seen it for the clunker it is before they opened.

---

My favorite thing about "Today 4 U" is that Angel's basically admitting her music will drive living creatures to suicide.

---

My favorite thing about "Today 4 U" is that Angel's basically admitting her music will drive living creatures to suicide

This is going to make me laugh all night.

But she still lives and the homo still dies.

I had to bring up the reviled Sarah Schulman, but I've always thought she made some good point. And I'm a fan of ReNt, but I've always kind of felt like the experience of seeing it transcended the material and it's not till late when you're mulling things over how bizarre and off a lot of it seems.

But the larger issue has to do with the representation of AIDS, gay people, and urban gentrification. These three areas have been massively misrepresented in mainstream entertainment and media, and Rent is the epitome of that misrepresentation.

It's true not only with Rent, but with all the iconic works about AIDS. The political movement of AIDS activism—which is an integral, organic part of the history of the crisis—has been removed from most of the mainstream storytelling around AIDS. [In these pieces,] gay people are always alone and self-oppressed, and have no community, and are dependent on some kind of other—a benevolent straight person, a homophobic lawyer, or even, in some cases, a woman—to take care of them, because they're so self-hating that they cannot take care of themselves.

That's the official story. The real story of the AIDS crisis is the story of a group of despised people who had no rights, who came together, saved each other's lives, and changed the world. And that is not the story you find in any of these mainstream depictions.

http://www.slate.com/id/2131017

Updated On: 8/11/10 at 11:41 AM

First of all, I don't have to try to be funny. I am funny. Secondly, I'm just kidding.

And I don't give 100% weight to Sarah Schulman, but part of ReNt's mythology is tied up in all the people making claims to it, and think enough credible evidence has been provided that Larson had a lot of help in shaping it. And I don't say that to besmirch the memory of Jonathon Larson. He couldn't have seen his death coming? Who knows what might have happened or who might have been credited or compensated or whatever.

I just want to go on record as saying that as much as I needle it, this show will always mean something to me. It was the big ticket in town when I moved to NYC when I was (very very) young and I'd already been a fan of the cast recording. The first time I saw that show, Marcy Harriell was Mimi and has been my favorite Mimi ever since, although Renee Elise Goldsberry did come very close to supplanting her. The first time I saw her do "Out Tonight," I cried because it made me so happy. I was totally gay for ReNt for years and honestly, it doesn't take much to get me totally gay for it again. But even then my friends and I would laugh about its flaws.

So, to your questions, it's not so much that ONE fact that Angel dies and Mimi doesn't, Broadwaygirl, but for me, Angel (and to a somewhat lesser degree Collins) has always been one of the biggest problems of the show for me. In a show that's rife with problems. Of the three main couples (hell, throw Mark and Benny in, too) I have always found Angel to have the least depth. Others will disagree with me, I'm sure, but I always found that role so oddly played. Angel was unlike any drag queen I ever met. Angel was unlike any drag queen ever. She was so .... nauseatingly wholesome, and I know that's due to the way she's played to some degree, but clearly that's how the ReNt powers that be. When Shaun Earl first did it on Broadway I thought he was doing something different with the role. He actually allowed some camp in, I guess. I dunno how to really describe it. It was just ... different. In a good way.

Years later I saw him do it on the tour and he was back to the same squeaky clean Angel they ALWAYS make them play. I shook my head and said, "Sh*t, they got to him!"

Her name is ANGEL, for chrissake's. It's all just too much. The lesbians are always crabbing at each other and Mimi and Roger are a total disaster, and yes, isn't it NICE to that the two gays are so stable, but again, there's just no depth there. Even Angel's getting paid to kill the dog doesn't ever seem cruel. I could over - and have - over analyzed the character to death, but you get the gist.

But as I've said many times and many ways, if it's a good production, none of the flaws really matter. Even though I'm even older than Daphne Rubin Vega was when the show opened, it can still find it to be transcendent.

Don't worry Phyllis, I found it funny. Just wanted to make sure I was laughing with you, not at you.

I agree with you about Angel almost completely. I think the angelic (ha) characteristics of the character are a little heavy-handed and the pure perfection that is supposedly portrayed seems thin and contrived. That being said, Angel was never the piece in RENT that I connected with, and I suppose--in the spirit of what you said--the power of the piece for me when performed well allows me to overlook such flaws (which, as you said, are copious). I think I've kind of come to accept that Larson wanted Angel and Collins to be wonderful, and believe it as I watch it.

Phyllis (and others),
RENT was my gateway into the theatre world. I saw it about 14 times between tours, and Broadway. I can honestly say that I have never though of Angel in that way before Phyllis, its very interesting. I guess I always saw Angel as the one who was just so completely ok with who she was, much more so than the other characters. (And let me preface this by saying Angel is in no way my favorite character). She was happy with herself and grew to accept her life for what it is. Never having been terminally/seriously ill (thank god), I can only assume that after you've been sick for a while--you realize whats important in life. Which is obviously being loved and giving love. You make peace with your disease (to some degree) and realize the little things don't matter.

I figured that Angel had reached this point before we even meet her. She helped Collins reach this point. And Mimi and Roger are far away from this revelation. Sure, Angel is a little too good to be true. But I think we needed that in this cast of characters. The rest of them were so conflict ridden and (for lack of a better word) messed up, we needed someone to be stable for us. To help and guide the rest of the characters through their "journey" in the show. While the whole show does have flaws, I think that very little would be changed about Angel had Larson survived.

I hope this made sense as much as it did in my head. I'm only 1/3 of the way through my mornign coffee.

I'm actually going to see a production of RENT tomorrow night, albeit a school edition production, I'll have to be paying extra close attention to Angel now.