An incredible proshot recorded during the last days of the production, Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway, about a group of artists living and loving in tenement housing in New York City, uniquely captures the beauty of this history-making show.
I watched Rent for the first time in 1997 when it was on tour through Cincinnati, where I went to college. It was a revelation. It was different. Other. I remember people getting up and walking out of the theater, as I was further entranced by the story and the music. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.
Rent is about a group of bohemian friends who live in rundown housing in New York City. Mark, the narrator, who hopes to be a filmmaker, lives with Roger, a musician, in an apartment they heat by burning old flyers and get electricity from a long extension cord out the window. Former roommate Tom Collins returns to the city, where he meets eccentric drummer Angel, and Mark’s former girlfriend, Maureen, a performance artist, is now dating lawyer Joanne. Roger also meets sex-kitten, Mimi, as she’s looking for someone to light her candle so that she can see in the darkness.
Written by Jonathan Larson, who died the day before the first preview performance, Rent is based on La bohème. Using similar names from the opera (Rodolpho = Roger, Mimi = Mimi, Marcello = Mark, Schaunard = Angel Dumott Schunard, etc.) and with a song called “La Vie Bohème,” he never kept it a secret.
But Larson changed the face of Broadway with this show. Musicals go through different iterations, with early generations including Carousel and Oklahoma!, another including Hair and Cabaret, and, just before Rent, shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. He would never know it, but he helped to birth the next generation.
Rent addresses topics that were hugely relevant in the 1990s, and still are today – homelessness, sexuality, and the HIV/AIDS crisis among them. It’s a provocative show with music that you will remember and find yourself singing days later.
This proshot was primarily filmed during the final performance of Rent in 2008, with some strategic shots taken in the days leading up to it. With a phenomenal cast of Broadway performers (including Renée Elise Goldsberry, who would go on to originate the role of Angelica in Hamilton, Eden Espinosa, who played Elphaba in Wicked, Rodney Hicks, who originated the role of Bob in Come From Away, and many more) and the capturing of some of the celebration with the original 1996 cast, this is a unique experience.
I am a huge theatre nerd, so I’m here to tell you that this is the best filmed version of Rent available. I am not a fan of the Rent movie (it doesn’t flow well, and the original cast of the Broadway show – all of whom I love – had aged past their characters), and when I need a visual fix, this movie never disappoints. It is funny, sad, and incredibly soulful. It’s a gem.
Runtime: 165 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated (I’d say around PG-13 for drug and sex themes)
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
I watched Rent for the first time in 1997 when it was on tour through Cincinnati, where I went to college. It was a revelation. It was different. Other. I remember people getting up and walking out of the theater, as I was further entranced by the story and the music. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.
