after comparing the picture from the RENT promo photo with the pictures on the Broadway in San Francisco Website of their 3 main theatres (Curran, Orpheum and Golden Gate), it doesnt look like any of them are the theatre used to film "Seasons of Love".
The Curran us the most unlikely that it woul dbe based on the seating layout in that theatre. Their orchestra section has only 3 blocks of seats, one n the cent with 2 on each side separated by aisles. The RENT photo clearly shows 2 center sections and 2 extreme side sections for seating, with 3 aisles separating all of the seating.
The Golden Gate Theatre is a narrower theatre than the RENT picture would indicate, with 3 wide seating ares in the orchestra and 2 thin ones on the side. Also the walls seem much plainer compared to the walls in the RENT picture.
The Orpheum seems to be the closest fit to the RENT picture. With the 4 seating areas looking more similar to the picture and having a more inate wall design. But that theatre also seems much smaller than the one in the RENT picture.
Based on the pictures on the Best of Broadway in San Francisco Site:
http://www.bestofbroadway-sf.com/index.asp, i'd have to think that it was none of these 3 theatres used for the Seasons of Love scene in the RENT film, unless there was considerable set dressing and rearanging done by the production.
There are other clues if you look at the lighting structures in the photos of the theatres and those in the RENT photo, the Walls and their design, the placement of the mezzanine, balcony.
I'd be hesitant to think it was the Pantages in LA because of the abundant use of curtains on the side walls of that theatre, and it is definately not the Ahmenson in LA because that is a VERY new theatre as far as its interior structural design...
so anyone know for sure which of these 3 it was or if it was a different theatre in a different city all together?
--monkey
Best of Broadway, San Francisco