Rent attendance anecdotes — Page 4

i was at the midnight showing last night in orlando, fl and it was a very good crowd. there was this one guy sitting in front of me who was so drunk and he was our preshow entertainment. he turned around and was like "i hear any one of you f*&#ers singing i'll cut all of you little b&#*&es!" quite amusing. he fell asleep though so he didn't disturb anyone during the movie. the crowd was full of fans (duh) and there wasn't any singing, well except for this little girl sitting behind me who kept singing and i kept giving her dirty looks until i got fed up and said "shut up please! thanks" there was a lot of mooing so i gave in and did moo. a lot of people were crying, during the two second silence right after i'll cover you reprise all you heard was sniffling and light sobs. it was a great night.

"he turned around and was like "i hear any one of you f*&#ers singing i'll cut all of you little b&#*&es!" quite amusing. "

Wow. Could you imagine a Rent Riot?!

---

I'm in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I just got back from a 12:40pm showing. My friend was late, and I was STRESSING OUT because I thought we weren't going to make it. I dragged him through the theatre and we got there at 12:31. When we got in to find seats, there were... about 15 people there. I was kind of saddened, but also glad, because we got prime seats right in the middle of the auditorium. A good mix of people, I thought. There were two girls in their late teens, early twenties who squealed when the "RENT" title came up, and a couple of pre-teens in front of me who came in late. I was very apprehensive about those two, because one of them had on plaid pants and a green sweater. I was like, "Oooh, if they do anything... I will CUT them." But it was a very quiet theatre. I heard lots of sniffles and purse-unzipping - presumably people looking for Kleenex.

I don't think Rent has a huge fanbase here in Halifax, which would explain why not many would cut school or work to go to see the movie in the middle of the day. I'm going again tonight with a bunch of others, and I imagine it will be pretty packed.

I couldn't get many reactions after the film was over, but my friend and I were the last two to leave, after the credits had rolled completely.

Ahh...

Edit: I forgot to say where I was! I was in a semi-large town (in CT). I went to a fairly nice theater where alot of people usually go. It's not uptight or anything....just normal....O.o

I don't want to bore you with my praises of the movie, so I'll just get right down to it.

(Well, before the movie started there was a question on screen about a musical that takes place in New York City's East Village. It was like: 525600 minutes, hint hint.)

For the time that I went (11:30) I wasn't expecting a lot of people because it was the middle of the day (and school was still in session..I got out early. ). There was quite a number, to my suprise. Almost all of them were high school/ college students. Of course, there were the 5 or so older people. Can't forget them!

I sat dead center and in the back (Go stadium seating) and I viewed the people below. They were very excited...and we did have a musical number because 'Popular' random played on the theater's radio. Now, after the many previews the screen turned dark and it went DEAD silent. No sound. No one moved. Until, that is, "Rent" appeared on the screen and there was a loud collective gasp. Every single person did it, including me. I have no idea why.

Now, random little tidbits during the movie:
At the beginning of Rent, alot of people were dancing in their seats. We laughed at the first voicemail and at "Merry Christmas, bitches!" And at your eyebrow raising. And Tracie's. There was laughing at "Pookie." "Shut up." And.....during Over the Moon....and....at the dancing in La Vie Boheme. I could hear people say: "And one pasta with meatless balls." "Eww." "It tastes the same." "If you close your eyes." And almost everyone said: "Mucho masterbation!"

Let's see...we all enjoyed "...that doesn't remind us of Muzeta's waltz." And Maureen in the background at Alexi's office.

Everyone loved: "You're going to break it!" "Happy New Year Mark!" "This is not my batmizfa!"

I could hear crying during I'll Cover You (Reprise). It was hard because I broke down. Which I NEVER do. And there was more crying in Finale B by everyone. There was hugging and everything at the end of the movie. And yes, a big applause.

Amazing.

Oh, I decided I would not move until the ending of the credits (by the way, that was a fantastic way to end them. Perfect. I did explain how that was significant to my friend.). So, after the instrumental, I started to sing along with I'll Cover You. People were leaving and I didn't care. And then, it was only my group left and I went all out for Seasons of Love. I was walking out singing the end, and the guy projecting the movie (or whatever he does) stuck his head out and looked at me. My guess what that he thought: Why the hell are they still in the theater?

It was an emotional and fabulous experience. Terrific, truely.

And I may see it again tonight, so if I do, I'll post that experience too.

---

Updated On: 11/23/05 at 03:04 PM

I went to the first showing of it in Houston at 10 am this morning. haha about 50 people were there.. all the hardcore Rent fans. When the music first started everyone gasped and cheered. There was a lot of clapping going on after some of the numbers. There was definately some mooing! It was fun and not annoying at all b/c EVERYONE did it. So no one was getting mad at anyone. My friends and I stayed till the end when everyone had left and sang a long to "Seasons of Love" while the credits were going on. It was so great!

I live in a tiny town in Michigan, and I went at 11:30 AM, sort of a strange time. Granted, there were only about 25 people there, half of which were me and my friends, but the response was very positive. I cried from the end of Without You to the credits, and I NEVER cry. It was full-on sobbing, too, and I wasn't the only one.

No applause, but lots of laughter. There was silence at the end of the movie, where you could tell everyone was just thinking. I heard snippets of conversation that everyone loved it.

I'm going again tonight, probably 7 or 8, so there should be a LOT more people there. I'm going with my mom, who's pretty open-minded, but it's still a little iffy. We'll see what she thinks.

My vote? Two very enthusiastic thumbs up...fine holiday fun! (Thank you, Clueless).

Updated On: 11/23/05 at 03:40 PM

Not from a "first-hand" account, but from a review on orlandocitybeat.com (the entire review is in the All RENT Reviews forum):

For fans of musicals, the most important elements are captured by this film. The singing and dancing are flawless, and -- if that's your thing -- good reasons to see Rent. Apparently, that's a lot of people's thing, because people actually clapped in the theater as if this were a real live performance. Psst -- they can't hear you.

I just (well, almost just, about two hours ago) got back from the first showing at the mall. I live in a small town on the coast of Massachusetts. It was shown in a small theatre (about 200 seats) which suprised me, but the theatre was full. My mom and I had to sit in the second row, way up close - "all the better to see you, Anthony" says my mom.

It seemed like mostly teenagers (maybe a fourth of the people there were adults), and I know many of them were already fans of the stage show, though the girls behind me weren't. As soon as the lights came up, they vowed to get the soundtrack as soon as possible.

Like YessicaB said, there was no clapping (until the end), mooing, or singing (though I'll admit I did all three as unobtrusively as I could). Right before the movie started, someone yelled out, "Please don't sing!" and everyone laughed. The audience was very good and handled the subject matter appropriately. I'd never seen an audience so quiet and attentive during a movie. Not that they were quiet the whole time - plenty of laughs ("Merry Christmas, bitches!" and "This isn't my Bar Mitzvah!") and lots of sniffing and crying (especially before/during Angel's eulogies).

When my mom and I went into the theatre, there weren't many people at the box office, but when we came out, there was a huge line waiting to get in and huge lines at the box office. I recognized a lot of friends and literally all of them were there to see Rent.

I have to say, I'm glad I live in a strongly Democratic area, and that people were very open to the gay couples in the film. There were no snickers or "oooh"s when Angel and Collins or Maureen and Joanne kissed.

I'd say the response was overall very good, and from what I saw the box office was definitely selling out on Rent tickets.

AMAZING!!!!

The audience was great (at 1245pm) they were laughing at all the right times (especially during tango )and there wasnt a dry eye from without you on...I am going agian at 10 tonight and bringing some friends of mine who are not big musical fanatics so I will be sure to let you know how they react to the movie...but so far everything I have seen has been positive and I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT AGIAN!

There hasn't been a lot of buzz about RENT here. (I live in So. Cal) But, I will report back after I see the movie if I can.

---

Bananas is definitely a word to describe it! It was wild! What a great experience.

At the Philly advanced screening, it was very much sold out--all seats filled. An Eagles player and his girlfriend sat in front of me. The audience ate it up and loved it... Clapping after Seasons of Love and the end of the movie... A LOT of crying, some after Your Eyes and ESPECIALLY when everyone stands up during the "I'll Cover You" reprise. I never cry in movies, and I balled during this!!

I saw it again today in Pittsburgh, an afternoon show at 1:45. The theater was pretty full for a matinee--except for the more expensive VIP seats. the audience definitely liked it, but not as much laughter or tears. I'm sure at the advanced screening it was more Rent heads. The great thing that I noticed at both screenings though is it's everyone of all ages.. parents, young adults, some teens.. saw an elderly man who sat in the FRONT ROW by himself.. his neck had to hurt.

Everyone definitely loves this movie.