No Day But Today

OK, I couldn't let "Another Day" go by without expounding on my RENT experience. Having seen the stage show three times with three different casts (alas, never the original), I was understandably somewhat nervous about a big-screen version. After all, musicals don't always translate well on-screen (Phantom of the Opera, anyone?) and this one, in particular, held such a special place in my life that I was afraid to see it transformed into an entirely different beast when shot on film instead of performed on stage.

So it was with some trepidation that I passed my pesos to the cashier through the little gap in the bullet-proof glass at the cinema and--along with my sister, who first introduced me to RENT back in 1996--skipped anxiously up the pukeworthy, hideously-carpeted stairs to Theatre #8.

Thankfully, we found a patch of seats with few people surrounding us, as we knew we'd be unable to suppress neither our running commentary nor the urge to sing out loud. Loudly. From the first chords of "Seasons of Love" and the shot of cast members lined up singing Chorus Line-style, I was mesmerized. Though one of the occasions I'd seen the Broadway version happened to be front-row center, I so appreciated being able to see the actors' expressions up close. It lent a totally different feel to the music and the action than the stage version presents. Strangely, the film version felt more intimate at times than the stage show. That was an upshot I hadn't expected.

I was perplexed by certain things (why set it in 1989?), amused by others, impressed with the performances (Rosario Dawson had me worried, but was wonderful) and generally happy with the way the majority of the scenes were shot. I loved what Columbus did with the Life Support meeting sequences and enjoyed his take on the "Tango:Maureen" and "La Vie Boheme."

I appreciated certain songs being relegated to dialogue, though I found the new orchestrations a bit overpowering in some spots. Lyrics in musicals should never be overpowered by the music. Former drama geeks like myself (Chatsworth High School Thespian Troupe Secretary, thank you very much) know this well. And so does just about anyone who's ever seen a live musical and knows how it should sound, dammit.

It was thrilling to see the original Broadway cast, whom I'd never seen in the roles but with whose voices I've become intimate in my years of wearing out my copy of the Broadway soundtrack. I'm lucky enough to have seen some talented performers play these roles, but something about knowing these actors were the first--the ones handpicked by the late Jonathan Larson as the embodiment of his characters--was awe-inspiring.

Just as it always does in the stage version, Act II in the film version had me sobbing. But, perhaps because of (as I mentioned before) the intensity of seeing the actors' faces so close up, there were moments in the movie that moved me in ways the stage show didn't. The show has always moved me tremendously, both in ways I understand fully and ways I don't quite grasp. Perhaps that's why parts of the soundtrack still bring me to goosebumpy tears, no matter how many times I listen. Other parts, I must admit, cause me to dry-heave just a little bit. But hey, that's to be expected. It's a musical, after all, and despite my faithfully embracing my drama-geekiness, I'm not completely sold on the idea of telling stories via characters bursting into song. That probably explains why I wasn't too big on Cop Rock.

Lastly, I must inform everyone that I'm off the market as far as romance goes. In the course of two hours, I fell head over heels for one Jesse Martin, who so masterfully embodies the most beautiful character in the show, Tom Collins. Sadly, I never saw Jesse in the stage version, though I've swooned to his singing on the soundtrack. But after seeing him steal every scene with his brilliant range of expression, charisma and heartbreaking emotion, I am spoiled for any other man. Jesse, I have just one thing to say: "I'll cover you..."

Posted by ayelet at December 1, 2005 05:26 PM