"The opposite of war isn’t peace – it’s creation"

You know, I think there’s far too little dancing on tables. Seriously, wouldn’t life just be a little more exciting if from time to time some people on the street, or in the restaurant on the corner, or in your apartment building just burst on in full song and dance? Tell me that wouldn’t rock. (So long as it’s not induced by a demon, right Xander?)

That’s just one of the things I loved about Rent. (Yes, I saw it last night and so, yes, I’m going to write about it. Again. Just let me do this, though, and maybe I’ll get it out of my system.)

I loved the way everyone seemed to be a part of the real world, even when they broke out in song. It was charming and also seemed to work with the whole “we’re bohemian artists” thing that Rent tries so hard to champion.

I really liked the movie overall actually. There were some things I didn’t like, but virtually all of those were things that are problems with the musical – not really the movie’s fault. (Which is to say, the ending still sucks.)

I got a kick out of the dialogue, which was virtually all from the actual play – except in the play they would sing it, not speak it. Sometimes it was awkward and I really wanted them to be singing it, but I still got a kick out of it. Like a big in-joke for people crazy enough to actually recognize it. I wonder if, as dialogue, those lines seemed poorly written or forced to people who don’t know the play that well. Then again, I doubt very much if this movie succeeds at all for people who don’t already know it. That’s normally a big problem for me – generally I think movies need to be movies and not be overly concerned with their source material. But here it didn’t bother me. Maybe because I am a big fan of Rent. Maybe because I frankly doubt if the audience for the movie is much beyond those who have seen the show already anyway.

The only other thing wrong with the movie, I thought, was the strange section where the first half of Act 2 should have been … except suddenly we were no longer in a musical at all and we had that completely pointless scene with Alexi Darling. Stupid. And for that we get denied “Happy New Year,” “We’re OK,” and “Contact”? Harsh.

Otherwise, wow. So many of the songs were done so well. “Rent” is not really a song I love that much but by the end of that song I was sold on the project completely. “One Song Glory” was amazing. “Tango Maureen” kicked my ass. (I wasn’t much for the way “Out Tonight” started in the club, but it was redeemed at the end). And, of course, “I’ll Cover You” was just amazingly perfect – the reprise especially. God that part of the story just kills me. Someone explain to me how the same writer who could write that scene, which is so perfect, could also massacre the ending and Mimi’s death/recovery so badly? I’ll never get it. (Maybe if Larson hadn’t died it could have been tweaked and made better?)

Putting “Seasons of Love” at the beginning was a great decision, too. I already wrote about how much I love that song as a sort of Greek Chorus and to have the cast singing it to an empty theatre as the opening scene … it just worked.

And the cast was excellent. Pretty much the entire original cast was back, except for (I think) Mimi and Joanne. Rosario Dawson was so-so as Mimi but I thought Joanne was wonderful. The woman can sing. And of course the original cast is the standard, not to mention the voices everyone is used to hearing from the CD. Best of all, of course, is Jesse L Martin who frankly has the voice of God.

And I was afraid I wouldn’t like it. Sheesh.

Addendum:

It was so hard to sit in the theatre and not sing along and, at times, to not applaud some of the really great song numbers. It's a musical, you're supposed to applaud. The singing thing was especially awkward. I propose an idea to whoever has the rights to the show and might want to try a new twist: "Rent" as rock concert. Perform the show not as a musical, but as the singalong fest it so often years to be. I know I would go.