There's only now, there's only this
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss
"RENT" is an absolutely amazing musical. The story takes place in New York City. It follows the lives of several people living in the East Village: gays and straights, people with AIDS, and those who help them. I had the opportunity to see a performance of RENT in Toronto on November 25th. Here is the review I wrote of it for school:
"RENT"
If nothing else, RENT, the vibrant musical written by Jonathon Larson, is a wake-up call. To all those people who are used to fantasy-like musicals and Andrew Lloyd Weber, this musical is a shock. But a wonderful one.
However, RENT is so much more than simply an eye-opening look into the lives of a myriad of characters living in New York City's artistic East Village. It is an energetic musical which portrays people in many different emotional states. It is also a call to change for the theatrical society.
The opening night performance at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto was so far beyond my greatest expectations that it is hard to describe. The performers, all young and with little experience, and chosen because of that, were absolutely magnificent. The energy that they were able to give throughout the entire show was amazing. Their emotions didn't seem to be at all fake, a sure sign of a good actor. As with any other show, there were a couple performers who stood out from the rest. Jai Rodriguez, a native New Yorker, playing Angel, a transvestite with AIDS, showcased an immense talent in the range of emotions he was able to communicate to the audience as well as a beautiful singing voice both in upbeat, comedic numbers such as "Today 4U" and emotional ballads such as "I'll Cover You". The other stand-out performance was by Montreal native Jenifer Aubry in the role of Maureen. Although it is not a huge part, it is one of the best known in the show because of the number "Over The Moon". Aubry executed the number wonderfully, and was easily able to get the audience involved.
The small band, conducted by Rick Fox, who also played keyboards, was also excellent. They followed the performers very well so that at no time did it seem as though the songs were rushing or dragging. They interpreted Larson's beautiful music very well, adding even more life to haunting lyrics such as "There's only now/ there's only this/Forget regret/or life is yours to miss".
Sadly, Larson passed away only 18 hours before the New York debut of his show. After seeing a performance of his award-winning musical, I am left wondering how much more of an impact he could have had if he had had the opportunity to continue writing.
Check out these amazing links
The Official RENT site-This site is okay, however if you have an older computer or software, you can't access everything
The Life Cafe-This page is amazing! I personally prefer it to the official site
The 3 Guyz site-another cool page
Life Support-check it out!
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