<p>I just returned from the Rent sneak preview in our area :) I am not a huge Rent fan, but I thought it was an excellent movie, and the performances were great.</p>
<p>I saw some elementary age kids there, and if mine were still that age, she would NOT have been one of them. But then - even if the movie were G, I wouldn't have a 7-year old out at a movie until 10 PM on a school night !!!</p>
<p>Men kissing men, women kissing women, Idina mooning, and a drag queen - I expected these, but what I would even more prefer not to have a preteen viewing was Angel's disease progression, or the visual image of someone shooting up with heroine. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Wow - I did not mean to start a huge controversy with my post. Also, I was not saying all Christians or all conservatives are bad people who don't get shows like Rent - not at all! I think Christianity is an admirable religion - as I said, it preaches love, compassion, and forgiveness, which is wonderful - and I was expressing alarm that such a religion was being used to condemn a theatrical expression of love, which I consider Rent to be.</p>
<p>Conservative or not, there is not much in Rent to disapprove of, in my opinion. Drugs are mentioned, but they are shown as a destructive thing that can ruin lives - they are not glorified AT ALL. The homosexual relationships in the show are real and human, and they never stray into the realm of stereotype. It's a show about friends who love each other and try to help each other in times of trouble. I just don't see why anyone would object to that.</p>
<p>I apologize if I offended anyone, and I certainly did not intend for that to happen.</p>
<p>My d, who has seen the play at least a dozen times, said she cried and cried. She thought the tears had to do with the actors not doing a curtain call ... it made it all seem more final. </p>
<p>I didn't get any more details since I want to see it with her this weekend.</p>
<p>Saw the movie today with two of my Ds, a couple of their friends who hadn't seen the show before, and a couple of family friends who are former castmembers, plus a theatre full of people, some of whom were obviously familiar with the show. I won't give away too much but all of our group loved it, and it appeared that most in the theatre did, too. I thought that Chris Columbus did a wonderful job translating this beautiful story to film. The performances were very good and the music sounded great. We all went out together for drinks and coffee afterwards and discussed each detail which was a lot of fun. We all felt that wonderful 'high' you get from this show, even those of us who have seen it dozens of times and those who had performed in the show for hundreds of performances. I can't wait to see it again! :)</p>
<p>I know this statement will make me unpopular, but I saw the Broadway production of Rent and HATED it. I mean, wanted to leave at intermission. I just brought my d home from college and took her and her sister to see it in the movies, and LOVED it. Hard to believe...I don't know what made it different from the stage version, but I can't believe I enjoyed it so much. I even liked Idina's singing in this version (don't normally like her... I know, becoming more unpopular by the minute....) My d said the guy playing Collins went to CAP. I think he was amazing, as was the Joanne. She didn't care for Rosario, but I thought she was better than the original Mimi. Someone here thought Adam (Roger) was weak, but I thought he was great. It took me awhile to appreciate his voice, as well, but I really like it now. OK, well enjoy, all you Rentheads. I can't believe I've joined your group, lol!</p>
<p>My D loved seeing the movie today with her friends and she'll go see it with me later in the weekend. </p>
<p>The Rent movie seems to be very polarizing; people either love it or loathe it. One of our local theater critics gave it an A-plus, but the movie guy in our area paper gave it an F!</p>
<p>I saw the theater production at the Nederlander for the first time this summer, and was unprepared for how moving I found it to be. I cried all during "I'll Cover You."</p>
<p>Oh, yeah, we finally got that darn scarf knitted (D and I took turns furiously knitting and my pinkie is killing me!) and D's MT loving boyfriend wore it to the show. Whew!</p>
<p>Cheers to all and Happy Thanksgiving. I know I'm thankful for Jonathan Larsen!</p>
<p>This movie was fantastic. It would have been flawless if Mimi was played by someone who'se voice fit the role. Did they HAVE to use a popstar? Her acting was great, though.</p>
<p>The Alums from my high school (Idina and Adam) were AMAZING. I thought Adam Pascal improved exponetially since he performed it on stage. </p>
<p>The scenes that got to me:</p>
<p>I'll Cover You Reprise + Halloween (The emotion in Collins voice at the end of I'll cover you always gets to me)
Rent (I LOVED the staging- all of avenue A chucking flaming paper at Benny!)
One Song Glory (Loved seeing Rogers past)
LA VIE BOHEME + I SHOULD TELL YOU (wow. wow. wow.)
The end of 'Living In America' (The Staging wasn't too hot until Roger came home, but after- woah!)</p>
<p>The Scene I would have loved to live without:</p>
<p>Maureen and Johanne's wedding?!</p>
<p>It was done in EXTREEMLY poor taste- they broke up at the wedding! So much for showing people that gays and lesbians CAN have stable families!</p>
<p>RossJi, I'm back home from our travels out of state and I was just catching up and my D says that while Jesse L. Martin had gone to Strasberg Studio (like AlwaysAMom says), Frank Ventura headed it (before they started CAP21 which he now heads). He told the Cap kids this fall that Jesse was in their production of Pippin. I don't know more than that but if he was in a musical, perhaps he did do vocal training. Strasberg Studio has SOME singing in their program, also.</p>
<p>I'm a fan of Rent, though I'd never call myself a "Rent-Head". That term brings to mind the girls who've seen the show more then five times, knitted Mark-scarves, and think Adam Pascal is God.
I do love it, though. I'm a fan of Larson's other work, "Tick Tick Boom!" as well. I saw the movie a few days ago and thought it was pretty well-done. Rosario Dawson made an exceptional Mimi, although her whole sexed-up dance at the Cat Scratch Club during "Out Tonight" was a little unnecessary. I'm glad they kept a lot of the original cast, it just wouldn't have been the same otherwise.
"I even liked Idina's singing in this version (don't normally like her... I know, becoming more unpopular by the minute....)"
I agree with you there. I very much dislike Idina in Wicked, this is by far her best performance. Although I've heard her new show, See What I Wanna See is pretty good.</p>
<p>I'm a renthead, I'm seeing it for the 10th time (nothing compared to others) next week at the student workshop. I'm excited to see the "new" mimi was was actually my first three years ago, though I am going to miss the most recent one terribly.</p>
<p>I enjoyed the movie, I wasn't bawling like the rest of my friends though lol. It of course was not perfect but I did think they did a wonderful job. I though Jesse stood out the most in the movie and I am not a fan of Rosario's voice. The cinematography was incredible.</p>
<p>i didn't expect much from rosario, which was reinforced when i listened to the cd, but her voice fit perfectly in the movie. lets not forget she's supposed to be coming down from drug addiction.. the weak sound actually works really well. lots of vibrato and flourishing wouldn't really fit.</p>
<p>one of my favorites is the fight in the graveyard. there is subtext there that you don't get while seeing the show on stage. it was parts like that which make the movie magic for me.</p>
<p>this is true.
she still made me cry though. i couldn't put up a performance like that, not at this point in my life anyway. i give her credit, tracy thoms too. it can't be easy doing that with the obc veterans.</p>