ALL THAT'S KNOWN

July 3 -- So I finally broke down and downloaded the cast recording of Spring Awakening on iTunes. I wasn't sure if I wanted it, but since the Tony Awards, its been rolling around in my head and I had to find out if it was really that impressive. I've listened to it all the way through once since I downloaded it yesterday, and I'm still scratching my head. Does it sound musically groundbreaking? No. It is definitely rock musical-y and has a good sense of rhythm and I can't get the chorus of "The Bitch of Living" out of my head. But innovative? I'm not sure I understand that with this show yet either.

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Ok, so as of today its now been a little over a week and I've been listening to Spring Awakening a lot (too much maybe). I'm trying to get into it and understand the cult-like following behind it. I've been playing it at work, in the car, while studying and writing my papers and still...haven't had that epiphany. All I can say is that it is very rock musical-y, but I knew that from the first listen to music clips. I do find myself enjoying Spring Awakening's fresh, modern sound that Broadway has received from Duncan Sheik's work. But hearing that Broadway will "never be the same again" is a line that comes around every few years on the Great White Way. As I mentioned before, its reminiscent of the hoopla that surrounded Rent. I just watched the YouTube clip from Spring Awakening on The Today Show and after seeing that, I wish I could get the impact of the show the way those audience members have talked about.

I still really want to understand why Spring Awakening is so amazing. So again, if you have an answer, I'm willing to listen.

I SHOULD TELL YOU

In the last few months, one could say that I was a tad excited about the release of the film version of Rent. For my fellow Rent-heads who have been following the countdown to the film's premiere via my posts...a review of the film from your truly is inevitable. Needless to say, I've been just a little bit busy with Turkey Day and all, but I finally decided to sit down and post my thoughts on the film.

Let me start off by saying that Rent was pretty much exactly what I thought it would be. I wanted to know exactly what I would be walking into when I saw the film, so I kept up with the progress of the film via the Rent blog. I was interested to see just how close to the stage version Chris Columbus would direct this film while trying to remain true to Jonathan Larson's vision. Without a doubt, I think Columbus absolutely did that and I hope Larson would have been pleased with the final results. My fear was that the film would turn into an over produced film with less emphasis on the story and the music. In my wildest dreams, I was hoping I would leave the movie theater with the same elation as I did following Chicago versus the disgust after having seen The Phantom of the Opera.


WHAT I DID ENJOY:

• I loved that the film opened with the cast singing Seasons of Love on a stage in an empty auditorium. Though Seasons of Love opened the second act in the stage version, I thought that this move set the stage for the film which helped get the audience in the mindset of the what Rent was all about.

• The performance of the film's title song was the most dyanmic, feet stomping, exciting number in the film. To see what Columbus did with this visually was amazing. I had no idea that "rent" affected an entire neighborhood and not just Mark & Rodger (something that wasn't so clear in the stage version). Seeing this, set the stage for what I thought would be an equally dynamic and exciting film.
  
  
• La Vie Boheme was the exciting end to Act I in the stage version. There is something about the entire cast on stage dancing on a stainless steel table singing La Vie Boheme that wasn't as infectious in the film version.
  
  
• Idina Menzel as Maureen (particularly in Over the Moon) was great! She did a great job making this piece more humorous and effective overall. In the past the Maureens I've seen in the touring stage versions were dull and didn't make this number as fun as it should be. I knew Maureen could be a fun character with potential depth. In such a short amount of time, this just couldn't happen. That's ok...Idina was amazing nonetheless in every scene she was in. I predict big things for her.
  
  
• Seeing 6 of the 8 original Broadway cast members (all but the superb Rosario Dawson -- Mimi and fabulous Tracie Thoms -- Joanne) reprising their roles (which is virtually unheard of) was to me, one of the best aspects of this film. These 6 people were with the show from Off-Broadway to Broadway...knew Larson on some level...were the true heart and souls of their respective characters. The spirit of the film would have changed had the entire cast been new. BTW, Nobody does Mark better than Anthony Rapp (sorry, NPH).
  

WHAT NEEDED WORK:

• Due to the fact that Columbus has never directed a musical, moving from scene to scene after a musical number felt extremely disjointed and choppy. I almost felt like I wasn't ready for each scene to be over when we were suddenly thrust into the next one.
  
  
• Out Tonight wasn't as dynamic as it could have been. It was a tad all over the place. Not a huge annoyance but definitely not one of the high points.
  
  
• The Santa Fe number went from a fantasy idea between Collins, Angel, Mark and Roger turned into a cheesy dancing foray on the F Train.
  

• Everytime I've seen (or even heard) Will I (the song sung in rounds during the Life Suport meetings: Will I loose my dignity/will someone care/will I wake tomorrow/from this nightmare?) I have a tendency to feel emotional and sometimes tear up. Not so much this time around.
  
  
  
• I'll Cover You was too obvious, too easy...kinda lame. Angel and Collins go frolicking through the city...Angel buys Collins a leather jacket to represent "I'll Cover You." Too easy if you ask me...and too...cheesy. It was a little too C&H sugary for me. On the flip side, it's obvious that Angel & Collins' portrayers, Wilson Jermaine Heredia & Jesse L. Martin (respectively) have obvious chemistry that is as strong as it was 10 years ago.
  
  
• The end. Though I know this show backwards and forwards, the end to the film...was weak. I'll leave it at that so I don't spoil it for anyone who has yet to see it (and cares) and has stumbled upon this entry.

When all is said and done, I will still gladly support this film...as I've stated before in past blog entries, I am a huge supporter of Jonathan Larson. I relate to his enthusiasm and drive to make a difference by believing so strongly in his work. When I feel my enthusiasm beginning to wane, I often times think of Jonathan Larson for inspiration. What he wanted was to affect the future of the modern musical...and he has done that. His work has touched the lives of so many people worldwide. I hope he is happy with what has happened to his most prolific musical.

NOW...SOON...LATER

So press for Rent is slowly amping up...but I don't see as big a push for it in traditional media venues as for other films...which is fine. I know there's a huge audience for the film, but probably not as big a fan base as say...Star Wars.

Anyhow, Broadway.com recently caught up with the cast at the recent press junket. At least you can watch their interviews online!

There's also a great interview on TheatreMania.com on the process of getting the show to the silver screen. See below for more.

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SEASONS OF LOVE
Getting Rent to the big screen was a family affair -- in more ways than one.
By: Barbara & Scott Siegel

Even though the main characters in Rent are not related by blood, Jonathan Larson's landmark musical is very much about family. And "family" is a word that definitely applies to the show's original cast, who forged indelible bonds in the wake of Larson's sudden death just before the show's first Off-Broadway preview performance in 1996.

But perhaps there is no more important family in regard to RentRent stars original cast members Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, and Anthony Rapp, along with newcomers Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms. than Larson's own, who have been the keeper of the Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical's flame for the past decade and are strongly supportive of the film version that bows on 2,500 screens across the country on November 23. Directed by Chris Columbus,

"One of the central themes of Rent is not to choose fear," says Larson's sister, Julie. "That was a motivating factor for us in deciding to take a chance and see if the show could be translated to another medium." Concern that Larson's vision would get lost in translation was one reason why so many potential directors, including Spike Lee, were attached to the project at different times. But the man who made it happen was Columbus. Though the guy who directed the Home Alone series and the first two Harry Potter movies might not have initially seemed to have the right sensibility to direct this scrappy tale of "la vie boheme" in the East Village, he turned out to be the right man for the job.

"I've been waiting nine years to do this movie," Columbus says. "I saw the show in 1996 with the original cast and I never experienced that kind of emotion in a theater before. I went back five days later and saw it again. I was obsessed. This movie is very personal for me because I lived in Manhattan for 17 years. I lived in a loft; I knew all these people when I was struggling at NYU; I knew the world of musicians and actors and artists." Nonetheless, like Lee before him, Columbus didn't initially intend to use the original cast for the film -- primarily because the conventional wisdom was that these now-thirtysomething actors were too old for roles. At one point, pop stars such as Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera were under serious consideration for the leads. "Chris wanted to meet young talent," says producer Michael Barnathan, "so we met everybody in New York and Los Angeles who could sing. But Chris felt that something was missing. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he just didn't feel what he felt when he saw the show."

So they called in Rapp, who created the role of filmmaker Mark Cohen. "Anthony looked fantastic; he was youthful and vibrant," says Barnathan. "So Chris said, 'Why can't we cast him?' " For his part, Rapp immediately got in touch with Adam Pascal (Roger) after the meeting. "I told him, 'Make sure you look young when you go in to meet them!" (Apparently, it worked.) But age wasn't Columbus's only concern. When he first met with Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who won a Tony for his performance as the drag queen Angel, the director asked, "Are you still up to it? Are you ready for the heels and the makeup?' Heredia relates. "And I said 'You know what? Hire me and I'll let you know."

Some of the better-known cast members had already given up on being asked to re-create their roles, including Martin (Tom Collins) and Menzel (Maureen). "I was, like, 'Tell Chris Columbus that he does not need to waste my fucking time with a pity meeting,' " says Menzel, who won the 2004 Tony Award for Wicked. "I know I'm over thirty. I don't want to get my hopes up." Nonetheless, she and Diggs (Benny), her husband, had deep discussions about what to do should they be offered the film. "I didn't want to sign on unless I knew that this piece was going to be in the right hands," says Diggs, who has gone on to major film and television stardom. When he saw an early script, which was very different than the one that eventually got filmed, he had serious doubts about becoming involved. "That script kind of freaked me out, so I didn't know if I was going to do it," he says. "But we agreed that it would be good for Idina's career to do the movie regardless of whether I was in it or whether it was going to be good or not. Luckily, we both said yes."

Once Menzel got the job, however, she was determined that Columbus be faithful to the original Rent. "I can't believe how egotistical I was sometimes," she says now. "I started asking him things like, 'How are you going to do it?' I just wanted to make sure he understood it, and. we kept him on his toes to the last day of the shoot. We all feel a kinship with Jonathan, like we need to be his vehicles for his work. Rent has changed our lives. I thought it was a once in a lifetime thing the first time it came around. For this to happen again -- I don't know what I did to deserve it."

Only two members of the original cast were not asked to be in the movie. Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, was pregnant while the contracts were being drawn up. And Fredi Walker, who played Joanne, was considered by all involved -- including herself -- to be too old for the part. Still, when Martin learned that these women would not be in the movie, "It was devastating. I actually felt that, if I was cast, I needed to call them and get their blessing -- which I did. It wasn't an easy phone call to make."

Rubin-Vega was replaced by Dawson, a rising stage and film star. Columbus had no idea if she could sing or dance when he called her in, but once she finished her audition, he and Barnathan felt there was no question that she was the right choice for Mimi. "She walked out of the room and we looked at each other," says Barnathan. "Then we both ran after her into the hallway and told her she had the part. We didn't call the studio, we didn't call the Larsons. Chris was so confident; it was one of those great magical moments when you're casting."

Dawson brings her own authenticity to the film. "I grew up in a squat on the Lower East Side," she says. "My mom was so much of what Mimi was. We moved into a building with no heat, no water, no electricity. She became a plumber so that she could put in the sewage lines. My dad did construction. We had plastic for windows. There was a plywood door with a chain on it. There was a big huge gaping hole in the floor, and an extension cord went out the window to the building across the courtyard for the one refrigerator that we had for the entire building. For my parents, that was better than living down the block in the slumlord apartments". But when Rent opened on Broadway, Dawson didn't want to see it: "I knew it was about this bunch of bohemians living in the Lower East Side in squats, struggling, starving, and dealing with HIV -- and I didn't see that there was anything there to sing and dance about. I was actually quite insulted about it. But when I finally did come across the recording, which my uncle had, I was so moved by the articulation of these characters. I found out how beautiful and respectful the show was."

Thoms, who plays Joanne, first saw Rent in 1997, when she was taken by a boyfriend who wanted to impress her with Broadway tickets, He impressed her plenty. "It became my mission in life to be a part of Rent," she declares. Talk about mission accomplished: Thoms was given the lead vocals in "Seasons of Love," which opens the movie. (Menzel jokes that she's glad Thoms got to sing that part instead of her since Thoms will have to hit those high notes at 7am when the cast performs on all the morning television shows.)

While there may be some backlash from fans over the changed placement of "Seasons of Love" or the cutting of several major songs from the show (such as "Contact" and "Goodbye, Love"), Julie Larson stands behind Chris Columbus's vision. "I had to really let go of the stage play," she says. "I think this is the next part of the journey." Indeed, it appears that the entire Larson family --blood relations and others -- is thrilled with the final product. "I think Chris has captured Jonathan's dream," says Larson's father, Al. "This is the picture Johnny would have made had he lived."

YOU CAN'T STOP THE BEAT

The long awaited film version of Rent is due in theaters, Wednesday, November 23. Check out this great interview from Playbill.com with the film's director, Chris Columbus. Thank goodness Columbus got involved with the project early on before it became a shoddy-forgotten-about movie-of-the-week on NBC.

I am anxious to see the film...and will be one of the first people in line next Thursday! Hold the turkey and the stuffing...the pre-Thanksgiving day festivities will be put on hold so I can be there in the movie theatre with the rest of the Rent-heads trying not to sing "La Vie Boheme" with the cast.

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PLAYBILL.COM'S BRIEF ENCOUNTER with Chris Columbus
By Andrew Gans
09 Nov 2005

Film director Chris Columbus chats about "Rent," which is set to hit movie theatres across the country Nov. 23.

It was during 1996 when producer-director Chris Columbus caught the original cast of Jonathan Larson's Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Rent at New York's Nederlander Theatre.

So taken was he with the musical's pulsing, emotional, rock-and-roll score that the director of "Adventures in Babysitting," "Home Alone," "Mrs. Doubtfire" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" returned to the show a few days later and subsequently attended several productions of the hit musical around the country. Although the thought of directing a film version of the musical — which is set in New York's East Village and concerns the lives of a group of struggling, young artist friends against the backdrop of the AIDS crisis — occurred to him years earlier, it took nearly a decade for his dream to become a reality.

Now, with less than a month before the premiere of "Rent," the director — who also co-wrote the movie's screenplay with Stephen Chbosky — took a few minutes to chat with Playbill.com about his eagerly awaited film from Sony Pictures.

Playbill.com: When did you first see the musical Rent?
Chris Columbus: Nine years ago [with] the original cast.

Playbill.com: Do you remember your response to the show at the time?
CC: I was completely blown through the back of the theatre. I never really experienced that sort of emotion in a Broadway theatre before. I went back to see it a few days later — completely moved by it. Even back then, I thought about the possibility of making it into a film. But I had heard at the time, I think that it might have been Martin Scorsese, was involved, so obviously I'm not going to get in the way of that. And, then I heard later on that Spike Lee was involved. So I just put it into the back of my head and managed to see the production when it did the road and various non-Equity versions of the show. When we were doing the third "Harry Potter" film, I was thinking about what I would do next. I was always listening to Rent when I was writing; it was sort of the soundtrack of my life. I always knew I wanted to be involved with it in some way if it was still available. I found out that it was going to NBC as a miniseries. I immediately acted upon that and said, "I don't want this thing to become homogenized in a TV version of Rent."

Playbill.com: What year was that?
CC: Probably two years ago at this point.

Playbill.com: How did it finally come about that you would direct the film?
CC: I was lucky enough to [be with] the studio at the time who was going to do it. They got it away from NBC right before the papers were signed, and they agreed to let me write one of the drafts of the screenplay. And then they decided that the film wasn't really for them, so they gave it back to me. And, luckily, Joe Roth at Revolution and Sony was open to the idea of Rent because his daughter [Julia] was a huge Rent fanatic. At the time I was fluctuating, deciding, "Should I do it? Shouldn't I do it?" I took my daughter [Eleanor] to see the Las Vegas production, and she was just blown away, and she said, "Dad, you have to make this your next film." Because of our two 16-year-old daughters, we decided to make the film.

Playbill.com: With regards to your screenplay, the musical is pretty much sung-through. Is there much dialogue in the film?
CC: There's about 15-20 minutes of dialogue.

Playbill.com: How involved in the making of the film were Jonathan Larson's family and/or the original creative team?
CC: The original creative team, not a lot. [Rent musical supervisor] Tim Weil was probably the most involved in terms of working with the actors and rehearsing with the actors, so Tim was a very integral part of it. And, [Jonathan's father] Al and [Jonathan's sister] Julie Larson just wanted to be there every day. I don't think [Al] was creatively concerned because he felt very comfortable about what we were doing, but he just wanted to be there, [and] soak it in everyday. And, Julie was just a great resource. She was my direct connection with Jonathan . . . because some of Rent, some of what exists onstage today, feels unfinished. And, part of that is because of, obviously, the tragic death of Jonathan. So, we had to do a little detective work in trying to figure out what these relationships [were], where they originated from. I think the most difficult situation for me was trying to make the character of Benny a realistic entity for the audience. In other words, I wanted the audience to understand why Roger and Mark and Collins were actually friendly with this guy. Taye [Diggs] brought a real charm and complexity to the role so you understood [that] these guys were friends and they really did have a connection in the past.

Playbill.com: It's so rare with film musicals that the original Broadway actors get to re-create their roles on screen. How important was that to you, and how did that come about?
CC: There was talk when I originally [came on board] because all of the various people at the studios — I guess you'd call them Hollywood types — were essentially putting a lot of fear and uncertainty into my head, telling me that the film was completely uncommercial, that no one would ever want to see this film, and you need to protect yourself because Rent has had its day, and it's dated, and all of this nonsense that I didn't believe. I still have yet to find a Broadway score that's as rich in terms of songwriting, where almost every song is memorable. The problem with a lot of Broadway scores is there are two or three songs that you walk out and you remember and you forget everything else. With Rent, it's just one after the other. But you can't convince people of that. So, there was a moment when I was led to believe that it might be beneficial for the ultimate commercial success of the film to have a cast that the audience was familiar with.

This was not the Joe Roth studio, this was the earlier studio involved. The idea was to potentially pepper the film with pop stars. You had the Justin Timberlake-Christina Aguilera-Usher version of the film, which seemed viable until I started meeting some of these people. And, at the same time, it was a little frightening because I didn't know how an audience would be able to separate their version of a pop star from these characters, and I felt that Jonathan had created very distinct and real, honest characters, and I didn't know if I could pull that off. The public persona is sometimes too strong. I don't know if it was a problem for Madonna in "Evita" — it's a film that I really happen to like a lot — but I didn't want to venture into that territory if I didn't have to.

I started meeting a lot of people from the Broadway world — met some really, really, talented people, some who were doing Rent at the time. And, I felt at that point I should probably meet the original cast to see if they've aged, how they look. And, I started to meet with all of them, and I found that not only had they not aged physically, but there was this thing that they carried with them, this really deep emotional, complex thing that you can't really define because of the situation they were sort of forced into. Because of the death of Jonathan, these people were forced to bond together in a way that I had just never seen before. There was a chemistry there that the director sometimes tries to force [actors] to create, and sometimes there's a wonderful thing that happens when that chemistry happens on screen, but it's so rare when actors don't know each other. These people [are] the first to tell you that every show that they had done after the death of Jonathan was a memorial to Jonathan. Because of that, there's a connection there and a chemistry there that you just couldn't re-create. So I realized, when meeting most of them, that they needed to be in this film, and I wanted to recapture that chemistry that I saw onstage nine years ago, and I wanted a film audience to experience that.

Playbill.com: Was there a reason in casting a different Mimi, using Rosario Dawson instead of Daphne Rubin-Vega?
CC: Daphne was pregnant at the time, so that was difficult for that to happen. And Fredi [Walker], I think she admitted in The New York Times that she felt she was too old.

Playbill.com: How did the two new actresses, [Dawson and Tracie Thoms], blend in with everyone else?
CC: Amazingly. Everyone else embraced them and brought them into that world. Because there was so much of this unspoken chemistry going on, they just immediately brought Tracie and Rosario into their circle. I think Taye said it on the second day of rehearsal: "It feels like Tracie and Rosario have always been here."

Playbill.com: What were some of the difficulties in adapting a musical for the screen?
CC: I've always been much more of a rock-n-roll fanatic, obsessive fan, than I have been a movie fan. I watch everything — I'm certainly a movie junkie, but at the same time rock-n-roll takes first place in my life, and I never really got to experiment with anything musical on film. There was a tiny sequence in my first film, which Anthony Rapp ironically starred in. In "Adventures of Babysitting," there was a sequence called "The Babysitting Blues," which was a musical sequence, and every year [when] I'd direct [other] films, I'd always think back to "Adventures of Babysitting" and remember that I had had such an incredible three days directing that musical sequence. I always wanted to experience that again, and I never had. So the concept of doing a musical scene seemed like something I had always been working toward. I wanted to make sure that my filmmaking skills were strong enough at the time that I could pull it off.

I guess that the biggest challenge was convincing people that you don't need a device to make a musical work. I had a lot of naysayers — people who were telling me, "You know, 'Chicago' used a fantasy device. You go into a fantasy world," and that excused the musical numbers. "You can't expect people to just break out into song." And I said, "Why not?" It's not a new concept. It's been in existence since the birth of the musical theatre and on screen since "The Jazz Singer," so I don't quite understand why an audience — particularly a young audience weaned on MTV — would be taken out of an artistic experience because someone is singing. It did not make sense to me, so I abandoned the concept of a device and decided to just move ahead and honestly make a musical, not an old-fashioned musical but a musical where people actually are singing. I know it sounds like the most old-fashioned concept in the world. [Laughs.] But, to me, I was convinced that the audience would easily accept that, and it wouldn't feel odd or jarring to them.

Playbill.com: Was the time setting of the show changed for the film?
CC: That was up for discussion. It was interesting. I asked everyone from Al to Julie, Anthony Rapp, who had been with the show the longest, "What year is this set in?" Everyone gave me a different answer — from 1986 to 1987, 1989, early 1990, and I went with 1989 and 1990 because I [was] intrigued by the concept of the end of one decade moving into another. And, because it was an ambiguous time period in the play, I just felt that it was okay to do . . . . In the hardcover Rent book . . . there's a quote from Billy Aronson, who I think was one of the people who worked on the original story. He fell in love with La Bohème essentially, and writes, "The similarity between these artists and their poverty in New York in the late eighties struck me. The numbers of homeless people were shooting up, people were dying all around us. There was AIDS and lack of government support for the arts. I wanted to rework the plot of the opera." That was in the spring of 1989, [and] he asked Playwrights Horizons to recommend a composer, and the artistic director gave him two names, one of which was Jonathan's, so I think we got the time frame exactly where it was meant to be.

Playbill.com: "Seasons of Love" is now at the beginning of the film. Tell me about your decision to move the song's position.
CC: "Seasons of Love" works as a credit sequence. What it does is it says to the audience, "Relax, this is a musical. People are going to be singing. Sit back, and enjoy yourself." . . . It had been in the middle of a few scripts that I read, [but it] suddenly stopped the narrative drive of the film and really hurt the pacing. Remember, "Seasons of Love" onstage happens after a 20-minute intermission. It's the theatre's way of bringing you back into the show, and I thought that's an interesting concept. I'll use that concept as my way of bringing the audience into this film.

Playbill.com: How much of the Broadway score would you say has been retained for the movie?
CC: I know the film is about two hours and ten minutes long, and the play was probably two [hours] and forty [minutes], so we've lost about forty minutes of score — things that I certainly felt would have hurt the pacing of the film, things that I thought worked more from a theatrical point of view as opposed to a cinematic point of view.

Playbill.com: Are there any other musicals that you might be interested in directing on film?
CC: I don't know. I'm a huge fan of musicals. I talk about rock-n-roll, but I'm a huge fan of musicals. I try to see [as much as I can] when I get back to New York. When I lived there, I saw almost everything, and when I lived in London, I was at the theatre every weekend. . . . It is difficult [to find] an original piece that has as many great songs. Rent has a special place on my shelf next to the classic rock-n-roll records that I've loved. It might be difficult to find another one, but there are a couple I'm thinking about. I don't want to talk about it yet, but there are couple other musicals I'd love to think about, depending on what happens with this.

Playbill.com: You said earlier how enjoyable it was filming the short musical scene in "Adventures of Babysitting." How did the "Rent" experience compare?
CC: Oh God, this was to me the most enjoyable of all. This just felt like what I was always meant to do. And, everyday going to work, and I'm not kidding, was a complete and total enjoy. I've never had so much fun in my life.

RENT

I realize I get a little sentimental and sappy when it comes to talking about Jonathan Larson, the heart and soul and composer of Rent. As I've mentioned in other posts, his work is so inspiring because in his music, I not only hear the themes of love, but I feel it -- I hear a love of the art form, a love that never was or almost is...romantic love, fraternal love etc. and that's something I've never felt or heard as an overall theme in any other composer's work. More than that though, Larson's work to me, represents what I've always wanted and seen. To him, it is a passion for the art-form, the desire to make it his own, and the drive to succeed. With previous posts, I've tried to convey what his music and work means to me, but I don't think I ever truly can.

So yesterday, when the soundtrack for Rent came out, I had to rush out and buy it. I traveled over the hill to Tower on Sunset just to get the CD on it's street date. I guess I'm a little obsessive, but as I've said before, I take my musical theatre very seriously. The marketing masterminds at Warner Music thought it would be a great idea to have limited edition cardboard sleeve covers of each of the 8 principal characters -- I picked Taye Diggs' (Benny) cover. Of course I actually thought how cool it would be to have each of them...but I digress (and no, I don't need 8 cardboard sleeves). I've seen Rent only 4 times (I can't compete with the TRUE Rent-heads) but I've listened to the music more than I care to admit. I know each note and word of the musical well enough to be obsessive (almost). I was curious to hear how this soundtrack would differ from the "OCR" (Original Cast Recording) and how would I respond to this show, with 6 of the 8 principals, nearly 10 years later.

Some might say that listening to the soundtrack now might ruin my initial response to the film...but considering how well I know the show, that couldn't happen. On my way home, I settled into my car, turned up the volume, and let the music play. Track 1 was "Seasons of Love" which in the stage version, opened Act II, so hearing this surprised (but didn't bother) me. I will spare you all the painstaking track by track comparison cos even I'M not willing to go through that much detail. I did hear a difference between the 2 versions, the main difference being the "OCR" vs. the soundtrack is the obvious rock & roll vs. Broadway sound quality. It should be noted that Chris Columbus (the film's director) is also the album's executive producer, so thankfully he was able to carry the essence and authenticity of Larson's vision from stage to film in the new recording. Rob Cavallo, the album's producer infused "a new energy and spirit into this music" with "all of the cuts on this album remining faithful to the Broadway origins" and as Chris Columbus said in the album's liner notes, this album is "richer and multi-layered."

It might seem obvious that the album is decent if it is music FROM the film, but so was the film version of The Phantom of the Opera and the composer was involved in THAT recording which was the most henious thing I think I've ever heard. Thankfully though, the music from the Rent Soundtrack is surprisngly good. It is different from the OCR, but the sound (to me) really fits the nature of what this film is all about.

The original cast members sound great, if not better than they did on the OCR...one should hope so. The newest additions to the cast, Rosario Dawson (Mimi) and Tracie Thoms (Joanne) are excellent. I had no idea that Dawson sang, but from the few times I've listened to the album so far, she seems to pull off the complex, tragic and vulnerable Mimi quite well. Vocally, her range seems to be a bit lower than that of her predecessor, Daphne Rubin Vega. Thoms voice is also rich, but higher and more sweet sounding than that of her precessor Fredi Walker. She too does a great job as Joanne, and I actually prefer her interpretation.

Overall, the Rent Soundtrack is grittier, more acoustic sounding and raw while maintaining a sense of humor and vulnerability more-so than I even imagined it could be. From the sounds of the soundtrack and what the trailer looks like, the film version could possibly surpass my love of the stage version. To admit that, is huge because everyone knows my loyalties and love, lies with the stage...always.

When it comes to musical theatre, I can be a big theatre snob, and because of that, I can be overly critical. I know though, what I do and do not like. And I like Rent in both "OCR" and soundtrack form. I am grateful and thrilled to hear the voices and interpretations of these characters being brought to the silver screen by the actors who created and nurtured these characters from the beginning under the guidance of Jonathan Larson. Knowing that the Larson family -- Julie, Nan and Al -- support the film and that Chris Columbus not only genuinely believes in maintaining the "integrity and vision" of Larson's work, but somehow shares it, is amazing and comforting because the very essence of Rent is so beautiful.

When I look at Jonathan's journal entry, I believe he succeeded in fulfilling the question of how to write for the stage tenfold. I only wish he were here to see what'd he's done for pop culture...his work has touched and changed the lives of nearly everyone who has ever been exposed to it.

As written above by Jonathan Larson: I am striving to become a writer and composer of musicals -- I am 25 and am faced with a dilemma. Although I am a sentimental romantic who loves old fashioned musicals I am a member of a very unsentimental romantic generation who basically think musicals are too corny. I feel that if I want to establish myself with "the powers that be" in the theatre, I must compose music that appeals to the older cast in the production houses and audience. But if I want to try to cultivate a new audience for musicals I must write shows with a score that MTV ears will accept. If you were me, which audience would you write for?

Also note, included on the album as a bonus track, is one of my favorite songs, Love Heals. The song has provided me with much comfort and encouragement in my darkest as well as brightest of days. Larson wrote Love Heals while working on Rent to help in the efforts of Love Heals - the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS education. The producers included the bonus track as a tribute to Jonathan and to help futher the cause of AIDS education.

Rent hits screens nationwide on November 23.

I SHOULD TELL YOU

Tomorrow is the big soundtrack release day for Rent!!!

L.A. BLUES

Don't miss the new trailer for "the musical phenomenon that defined a generation."

Ok, now that I got that out of the way...I'm just gonna say this: I hate the parking patrol who are lurking around, just waiting to give tickets to people who screw up and park in "no stopping zones" because they misread the signs. Ok, I know they're doing their job, but what I'm really saying, is I just hate when it happens to me. On the up side, at least I walked out just in time before my car was towed away. I would have really hated having to get it from the impound lot! **sigh**

SEASONS OF LOVE

Last week, Playbill.com had an article indicating "Seasons of Love" (from Rent of course) debuting at #68 on the Billboard Top 100 singles (as a "hot shot debut"). All this buzz almost three months before the film's release -- how exciting! I'm both surprised and not that the song is also among the top downloaded songs on iTunes. I mean, it's a hit Broadway show and everything...but it's not the most "mainstream" thing out there...or is it? Obviously I'm a tad incorrect because look at the buzz, look at the Billboard chart! Access Hollywood even has a link on their homepage: Access Rent: Behind the Scenes -- 'Rent' the Movie. They've even teased a show with a "first look" at Rent a few months back. Haha, this film has a stellar publicist and a great marketing strategy!

Is it so hard for me to believe that other people might actually be excited about this too? Am I being a theatre snob? Look at how successful Chicago was -- Academy Award winner for best picture, best actress in a supporting role (amongst others) and a Golden Globe for best musical/comedy film. Besides being a great film period, this is a musical. Mind you, musicals used to be a part of the Golden Age of Hollywood -- look at popular films like Oklahoma! and Carousel! These once common, popular film genres were almost a thing of the past. ..until Chicago.

It has been said that Chicago singlehandedly, is bringing back the musical genre in the film industry. Since Chicago, the only other mainstream "musical" film released has been Phantom of the Opera (I'm not counting Reefer Madness since it's a TV movie). Though Phantom of the Opera created buzz -- A.) because it was finally produced and B.) critics questioned how it would do in the box office -- overall, the film failed to surpass or even meet expectation. Despite Phantom's box office failure, film companies continued on with their musical films. In production currently, we have of course, Rent & The Producers with Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love in pre-production. Of course this is only seven that have either been released, are in production or pre-production -- but this is seven more than a few years ago. Again, I don't know if this is a good thing. Chicago set a precedence, but the failure of Phantom of the Opera made people stop and question the genre. I think Rent & The Producers hopefully will cause more positive buzz (and successful results at the box office) while Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love might slow things down again.

What are the "facts" behind my reasoning? The movie musicals on trial are as follows:

Jesus Christ Superstar

Evita

Phantom of the Opera

What do these films have in common? Any true musical theatre fan will instantly know they were written by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. While all are hits on the stage (with Phantom of the Opera set to surpass Cats as the longest running musical on Broadway, Monday, January 9, 2006), his films failed to turn a big commercial profit (a la Chicago). On a personal level, as much as I wanted to love Phantom of the Opera, I just couldn't. Some musicals just don't seem to translate well from stage to screen and Sir Andrew's just...don't. Not to say that Sunset Blvd. and Aspects of Love will fail, but if you look at the history of Sir Andrew's successful films, things just don't look too good for him.

Ok, I went on a huge tangent. What I really wanted to write about was Rent and what I thought about the excerpts from the soundtrack, but I'm too tired, so I'll save it for another day.

ONE SONG GLORY

While watching the trailer for Rent, I was reminded of Jonathan Larson, his music, his dreams and how bittersweet making this film must have been for his family. I became a fan of the show when it first debuted on Broadway. I was intrigued by Larson's musical style, the story -- based on Puccini's La Boheme and because of Jonathan Larson himself. The tragic story of Larson's untimely death (just prior to the show's first dress rehearsal off-Broadway) was as big (if not bigger) a story as the show itself which went on to receive virtually every Broadway/Theatre award in 1996 including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It has been said that Jonathan Larson single handedly revolutionized the Broadway musical genre. Whether that is true or not, what he did do was change the lives of millions of people who have been fortunate enough to witness his work. On Broadway, Rent has been playing for 9+ years to sold-out audiences with repeat audience members as well as new generation theatre-goers. The story of Rent is real, raw and to so many people relatable. It is a human-interest story that deals with our dreams, our fears, mortality, failure, success, sexuality, family and friendship.

If Jonathan Larson wanted to affect people who saw his show, he did that better than he could have ever imagined. To say that his music and words are profound might be a little dramatic and maybe even a stretch to some. But through his work, he has in some ways, given a voice to those who don't have one and brought attention to the plight of those who are living with HIV/AIDS. He has made a difference...he is one person who has made a difference that started with a dream.

I wonder what he would think right now. Did he have any idea that his show would generate such publicity that it would land on the cover of Time Magazine? Did he dream of winning a Tony Award? Did he ever imagine, in his wildest dreams that his musical would be a major motion picture? I was reading the Rent coffee table book again recently to be reminded of Jonathan Larson's dreams, his determination to make it and how devistating his death was to his family and the cast of the show. Even though I know how he died as well as when and where he died...to read it again is just so sad. I connect to his story because of my passion for musical theatre. I remeber what it was like to want to do something to make a difference in that world...and it reminds me that I'm not doing that at all.

When I think of Jonathan Larson, I am inspired every single time. I can only imagine the kind of impact he could have made but grateful because of what he has done. One song in particular has never failed to affect me because of it's meaning. Whether I am happy, sad, in need of inspiration or confirmation, his song Love Heals never fails. It's a beautiful song and can be found on Sherie Rene Scott's album, Men I've Had.

I connect to Jonathan Larson's lyrics and notice that somehow, they always come down to the subject of love. No matter what the song is about, whether it is from Rent or Tick, Tick...Boom! the one thing (and it really is) I always hear in each note and word is love. I hear a love of the art form, a love that never was or almost is...romantic love, fraternal love, familial love...I hear love as the underlying subject in his work. I don't know if that was ever his intention or if that is just me.

The irony in his work and in turn, the legacy and message he leaves behind are many when you really listen to the lyrics in Rent. Things like "there is no future, there is no past, I live this moment as my last," "Forget regret or life is yours to miss" and "today for you, tomorrow for me." All very true and again, very ironic.

Support Jonathan Larson and go see Rent on Broadway (or on tour) and make sure to catch most of the original cast in the film version of Rent this fall. As a quick side note (you've read this much, what's another sentence)...I am so thrilled that essentially the entire original Broadway cast of Rent were able to reprise their roles in the film. I couldn't imagine anyone else in these roles. Imagine if Justin Timberlake were Mark...or Roger...ugh. Sorry Justin, it just wouldn't have been right. But when I saw the cast performing on the Today show, I felt a huge sense of pride seeing them together. Is that silly? They've come so far. I wonder what Jonathan would have said?

In the words of Jonathan Larson: "No Day But Today."

THE LAST GOODBYE

Wow, so today marks the closing of four (4) Broadway shows -- La Cage Aux Folles, Brooklyn the Musical, On Golden Pond and Mark Twain Tonight! What a shame. Seems kind of severe in one way I suppose to see these shows close at the same time...but I'm actually sort of surprised that Brooklyn the Musical ran this long. When I saw it...most of the theatre was empty (I practically had my own row) and the show just wasn't very good. Eden Espinosa was the stand out performer in the cast and had a pretty amazing voice. Unfortunately, she was the only decent thing about the show...the premise of the show was really what would have happened had Jonathan Larson written a BAD version of Rent.

Speaking of which...has anyone seen the trailer for the film? It looks fantastic! I think/hope it's gonna be a great film...and will impress as Chicago did. It's a shame Jonathan Larson isn't around to witness the success of his work. The man is quite an inspiration to me.