In general, I prefer written word in its original form. I will only occasionally watch the movie version of a book, play, or musical because I inevitably get frustrated with a difference of interpretation. There are a few exceptions: I love the Harry Potter books and the movies (interestingly, number 3 is my favorite movie and favorite book – though I was totally creeped out when I found out the director was the same guy who directed Y Tu mama tambien). If Zepherelli is directed a Shakespeare play into a movie, I will absolutely see it. And, much to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoy Rent in film form.
Let me explain: I am NOT a Renthead. I saw the touring show when it came to San Francisco, and walked away feeling utterly disappointed. Why was everyone making such a big deal about this show? Okay, the subject content was fairly unique for a Broadway musical, Jonathon Larson’s death was a tragedy, but…I don’t know. I was disappointed by the songs, I was disappointed by the cast, the abstract set made it very confusing for me to figure out where scenes were taking place (were we in the loft? outside? in a hospital?), my head was buzzing with the cacophony of sound that had just blasted my eardrums. By the time I saw it in the late 90’s, huge advances had been made in HIV drugs that many of the scenes involving AZT and the AIDS subject matter felt overblown to the point of almost being comical.
On a whim, I picked up a cheap copy of the DVD. I figured if I hated it, I could trade it for something else, but I was really interested in seeing how the show was translated. And I sit here to say that I LOVE the movie. SOO many of the issues I had with the stage show were instantly cleared up with the conversion to film. I had scenes grounded in actual places; the cast (mostly from the original Broadway cast) practically crackled with chemistry; the more irritating filler music bits were gone; the AIDS subject matter no longer evoked suppressed snickers. Needless to say, I did not return the DVD.
Instead, I decided to run an experiment. While I was alive during the early days of the AIDS epidemic, I certainly don’t remember much of it. I do remember when AZT hit the market as an HIV/AIDS drug and how hopeful everyone was about it, but, to my knowledge, nobody I knew was HIV +, and most of my knowledge in those days I gleaned second hand from my high school friend, Yolanda’s, work with a Planned Parenthood theater group. But, I certainly had enough to understand what they were talking about in Rent; I remembered the sense of urgency to find a cure, to find a way to retard the virus, to live. So, I passed the DVD along to a sixteen-year-old student of mine (which, after listening to the commentary, is the demographic they’re trying to reach). She, who had grown up in the era of protease inhibitor cocktails. What would she think of it?
She loved it. “My mom had to explain some stuff to me,” she said. “I downloaded the entire soundtrack onto my iPod and had to get the DVD. When I go to New York, I’m going to see it on Broadway.” That was news to me – it was still playing on Broadway after all these years??
So, I had to quiz her when she got back. What did she think of the stage show?
She didn’t like it. She, too, found the abstract set design confusing, and what happened to the song that was in the show but not the movie? That took me a minute to figure out, because there were two possibilities for that. “Good-bye Love” was cut to much protest, and there was another Jonathon Larson song that the cast recorded (intended for end credits, I believe). I decided she must have been talking about “Good-bye Love” and she hit the nail on the head for another musical objection to the show: the songs all run into one another to the point that you almost can’t tell them apart (unless you’ve listened to the soundtrack beforehand).
So, Rent has received my first “Better as a Movie” vote. I’m sure that is anathema to many, but there you have it.
And I expressed it in less than 750 words 
Tags: Rent
