Rent: from Stage to Screen
by Dawn St John
I've been listening to Jonathan Larson's musical since its release in 1996, thanks to some friends who had the CD. It wasn't until probably 2002 or so that I finally bought my own copy. Coincidentally, this was the same year I saw the stage show in New York. Of course, by that time, the original cast had moved on, but I did have the privilege to see a production with Joey Fatone (formerly of 'N-Sync fame) as Mark Cohen.
For me, Rent was a pivotal part of my "growing up" experience. I was in my early twenties when it came out, and I fancied myself something of a bohemian existence. None of my friends had AIDS, thankfully... but we all had money problems, and we all lived "outside of the mainstream," by most people's standards. Many an evening was spent belting out Larson's lyrics, divvying up parts between us (or just singing it straight through in unison). Sometimes we'd just listen to the first act because the second was too depressing. And every December 31st, we would belt out "Happy New Year," while getting happily tipsy.
I was the first of us to get to see the show, even though we all knew every word by heart. With my then-boyfriend (now-husband), his parents, and his sister, I sat enraptured as the people on the stage acted out what I'd been seeing in my head for six years. Unsurprisingly, I was singing along the whole time (thankfully the show was loud enough for me to not be an obnoxious distraction to anyone else), and even noticed a missed line! We all enjoyed the show. I left with a t-shirt and my sister-in-law left with a copy of the CD, which she listened to non-stop for the rest of our stay in the City.
When first I heard there was to be a movie, I had mixed feelings. For one thing, I had written the beginnings of a script for a non-musical version, myself, but it was only for a course in college and I never did anything with it. I remember thinking, "Maybe I should have followed that dream!" But also, I was afraid the show wouldn't translate well to the screen, or that too much would be changed. Still, I was excited and hopeful.
At Thanksgiving, my husband and I went home to visit family and friends. Along with the two friends from that time period who still lived in the area, he and I trekked to the theatre and took in a matinee viewing of the screen version of Rent. While the four of us did not entirely agree, I for one loved the movie. There were changes, yes, but most of them made sense to me. I was a little taken aback by the Commitment Ceremony scene, as that was a total shift from the stage show, but I still liked the way it was done. It was a tad disorienting during the scenes where the lyrics had been changed, but I got used to it. I left the theatre grinning. The four of us gathered outside to exchange opinions and critique the show, bringing our Rent-related bonding experiences full circle.