"RENT" on FOX
I don't know about the rest of you, but the annual live broadcasts of musicals on NBC and FOX have become a lovely tradition that I truly enjoy. Say what you will about the quality of some of the productions, but I simply find it thrilling that musical theatre is being broadcast into the homes of millions of people. I have actually liked all but two of the live musicals put on by either NBC or FOX. Despite those two productions, at no point did I ever wish for either networks to discontinue their live musicals because I think that they are incredibly necessary and do adequate jobs at bringing people into the world of musical theatre, even if it is only via their television screens. When FOX announced that they would be bringing Jonathan Larson's Rent to the small screen, I was excited and scared. I was excited that this great musical was going to receive yet another major screen adaptation (following the 2005 movie and the taped version of the final Broadway company), but scared that it would become "Lil' Rent," as seen on Saturday Night Live, due to television censors. While there were more than a few things in the original script that they were not allowed to say in the (almost) live version of Rent on FOX, I found that this was not the case and thought that FOX's rendition of Rent was very well done and it did not disappoint.
Rent has never been one of my favorite shows. The first time I saw it, when I was twelve or thirteen, I didn't get it. I thought the characters were unlikable (still do), thought they should get jobs (still do, but don't have strong feelings about that anymore), and stop being so reckless (I mean they can do whatever they want). I always liked the music but I had a hard time getting behind the show because it didn't appeal to me at that time in my life. Had I seen it for the first time when I was maybe 16 or 17, I would have loved it immediately. So as the years have gone by and I have caught productions and seen different versions, I have gone on too appreciate the show more and am at a point where I can say that I really like Rent. I wouldn't call myself a "Rent-Head" but I think that it is an excellent show and I would consider myself a fan. I spoke to many people that I know who are huge fans of the show and I watched the production with those people. Strangely, the huge fans of the show who I spoke too seemed disappointed in FOX's production, but I thought that it was great and probably liked it more than any of the people that I knew. So, it is safe to say that the fact that I am not a super fan really helped in my enjoyment of the show. In fact, I would say that to me, FOX's Rent falls second only to the filmed version of the final Broadway company.
I have no doubt that everyone caught the news that Brennin Hunt, the actor playing the leading role of Roger, broke his foot towards the end of the final dress rehearsal, making him unable to perform in the live event. As a result, FOX aired the final dress rehearsal, with only the last scene and finale of the show being the only things that were live about Rent: Live. So all critics are reviewing is what was the final dress rehearsal because that is what made it to air rather than what would have been the actual performance. I am cutting them a little bit of slack because of this, but there was a live audience at this dress rehearsal and it is now the final product, so I am not cutting them all the slack. I will say that I am going to excuse the occasional faulty camerawork (by Alex Rudzinski) because we were never meant to see this footage, so that's why it was blurry every now and then. And although every televised musical has sound issues, this one gets away with it because we saw the final dress rehearsal and it is likely that they were still figuring things out with the sound and it has been way worse in other live musicals. Other than those two things, the final dress rehearsal of Rent: Live can absolutely pass as being the actual performance. We didn't see the actual performance (short clips have been released by FOX), which as per social media, was a concert with Hunt in a wheelchair, and minimal blocking. For the final 15 minutes of the show, which were live on television, Hunt was confined to sitting on a table, with his broken foot propped up on a chair.
For the most part Rent: Live was cast extremely well. Many people felt that some members of the cast may have been marking, as not to wear themselves out for the actual televised event. I somewhat disagree with this. I felt that the broadcast started out on pretty low energy, but it picked up as the show continued. As Mark Cohen, Jordan Fisher warmed up to the role as the show went on, getting better and better in each scene, although he was already excellent to begin with. In my opinion, Fisher is the most likable of the Marks that I have seen and he has his warm personality and beautifully smooth singing voice to prove it. Hunt was phenomenal as Roger, capturing the rocker essence of the role flawlessly. Hunt's renditions of "One Song Glory" was glorious and I found his entire performance to be simply remarkable.
Tinashe was an impeccable Mimi Marquez, with a sweet voice and lovely, yet gritty persona. In the role of Maureen, Vanessa Hudgens steals the show with her performance of "Over the Moon" (where they may or may not have added a rap section). Hudgens does just as well as the role's originator, Idina Menzel. She was perfectly cast in this role and gives one of the best portrayals of the role that I have seen. Playing alongside her as Joanne, Kiersy Clemons simply nails it and displays a wonderful dynamic with Hudgens. You also cannot go wrong with Brandon Victor Dixon (playing Tom Collins) and Mario, who did an admirable job as the landlord, Benny.
Unfortunately, I was not taken with Valentina's portrayal of Angel, who is the hope of Rent. Although she was perfect for this role on paper and did alright with the acting, Valentina simply did not have the vocal abilities to cut it. She looked absolutely fabulous in Angela Wendt's costumes, but not much else can be said for her performance. I really wanted to love her in this.
The director of the original Broadway production, Michael Greif revisited the material to bring Rent to television. As with NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar, this was a legitimately staged production with a live (and loud) audience. It was done in a thrust setting that complemented the show quite well. I thought Greif did an exceptional job staging the show in this setting, although it got a little bit too busy at times. It is also worth noting that I could tell it was staged for the audience to watch at home and not necessarily for the live audience to watch, since there were parts where I could tell that the obstruction for some people in the studio audience was extreme. Although Greif did make interesting choices (good and bad) that were new for the show and parts of it ("Christmas Bells") got messy, I thought that it was a pretty conventionally staged and emotionally affective production of Rent. The number "Will I?," in particular, brought tears to my eyes. Need I mention the second half of the second act and the stirring "Seasons of Love?"
Seeing as I don't have Rent memorized cover to cover, I didn't notice a lot of the changes that were made to adjust for network television. I definitely caught more than a few of Kristoffer Diaz's script changes, but I didn't feel as if any of the work Diaz did on the show jeopardized the show's integrity. It never felt like I was watching an overly sanitized version of Rent, since quite a bit of the language remained. Despite that, I did not approve of some of the cuts that were made. They didn't cut a song from the show, but some of them had verses cut for time. The most noticeable cut for me was that they cut the verse in "La Vie Boheme" that was sung by the waiter at the Life Cafe, causing the transition into the next part of the song to be abrupt and awkward. A part of the show that I was surprised stayed in the production was the number "Contact" since it is the least family friendly number in the show. I am glad every number made the final cut, but I find Diaz could have stood to keep some of the verses that were cut from some of the numbers. On another musical number note, some of the lyrics were changed and not all of them for language. I don't know why some of them were changed to begin with, but I didn't mind them. Also worth mentioning, is that there were a few new additions to the show that I appreciated. Finally, to appease Rent fans, they changed what everyone agrees is an awful lyric. I was in fact, appeased.
One of the things that bothered a lot of people about this production was the live audience. When NBC broadcast their first live production, everybody complained that there was not an audience. Ever since FOX's Grease, every single televised musical has had a live audience. While they behaved themselves during Grease and NBC's Hairspray, they have since gotten out of hand for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar and now FOX's Rent. Listen, I get it. It's exciting to be at Rent: Live. I love when audiences clap, but it was seldom appropriate at this production. It got to the point that the audience was distracting because they weren't just clapping, they were shrieking. I think that FOX executives should have directed the audience on when it is or isn't appropriate to cheer. I know we weren't supposed to have seen this taping of the show, but I still feel as if the audience should have been given some direction since they were essentially active participants in the live broadcast. I know FOX has little control of what the audience does, but if they are distracting enough to earn a paragraph in a review, then something should be done for the next broadcast.
I really liked Rent: Live. I didn't love it, but I really liked it. Was Rent: Live, being the most recent live musical, the best one? No. It was a huge step up from the terrible bore that was FOX's live version of A Christmas Story, but this one still had a little bit of work to do. I will account some of that to the fact that the actual performance was not seen by anyone except the people who were in the live studio audience on January 27, but there were certain aspects of the production, like the camerawork, certain small cuts, and pieces of the staging, that kept it from being the best televised musical. I am certainly interested in seeing the full concert that was done while the dress rehearsal was airing on FOX to see how the energy differed from what we saw on television. I'm not sure if not being a Rent super fan is what enabled to me to like it significantly more than everyone else I discussed the production with, but it is more than worth checking out, no matter how much you like Rent. It is already streaming on the FOX website and on Hulu, I believe. I am interested in hearing what everyone else thinks about it. I applaud FOX for bringing another excellent musical production to our homes, so if you haven't already, you should give Rent: Live a watch.
Also, the finale with the original Broadway cast of Rent was amazing. I love Idina Menzel so much. That is all.
RENT on FOX
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Adapted for television by KRISTOFFER DIAZ
Directed by Michael Greif
RENT aired on FOX on January 27, 2018. For more information, please visit https://www.fox.com/rent/
The principal cast of FOX's televised production of RENT consisted of:
Mark Cohen- JORDAN FISHER
Roger Davis- BRENNIN HUNT
Mimi Marquez- TINASHE
Maureen Johnson- VANESSA HUDGENS
Joanne Jefferson- KEIRCY CLEMONS
Angel Dumont Schunard- VALENTINA
Tom Collins- BRANDON VICTOR DIXON
Benjamin Coffin III- BRANDON VICTOR DIXON
Full production information can be found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6881910/
Rent has never been one of my favorite shows. The first time I saw it, when I was twelve or thirteen, I didn't get it. I thought the characters were unlikable (still do), thought they should get jobs (still do, but don't have strong feelings about that anymore), and stop being so reckless (I mean they can do whatever they want). I always liked the music but I had a hard time getting behind the show because it didn't appeal to me at that time in my life. Had I seen it for the first time when I was maybe 16 or 17, I would have loved it immediately. So as the years have gone by and I have caught productions and seen different versions, I have gone on too appreciate the show more and am at a point where I can say that I really like Rent. I wouldn't call myself a "Rent-Head" but I think that it is an excellent show and I would consider myself a fan. I spoke to many people that I know who are huge fans of the show and I watched the production with those people. Strangely, the huge fans of the show who I spoke too seemed disappointed in FOX's production, but I thought that it was great and probably liked it more than any of the people that I knew. So, it is safe to say that the fact that I am not a super fan really helped in my enjoyment of the show. In fact, I would say that to me, FOX's Rent falls second only to the filmed version of the final Broadway company.
 |
| The cast of FOX's Rent: Live. Photo Credit: FOX |
I have no doubt that everyone caught the news that Brennin Hunt, the actor playing the leading role of Roger, broke his foot towards the end of the final dress rehearsal, making him unable to perform in the live event. As a result, FOX aired the final dress rehearsal, with only the last scene and finale of the show being the only things that were live about Rent: Live. So all critics are reviewing is what was the final dress rehearsal because that is what made it to air rather than what would have been the actual performance. I am cutting them a little bit of slack because of this, but there was a live audience at this dress rehearsal and it is now the final product, so I am not cutting them all the slack. I will say that I am going to excuse the occasional faulty camerawork (by Alex Rudzinski) because we were never meant to see this footage, so that's why it was blurry every now and then. And although every televised musical has sound issues, this one gets away with it because we saw the final dress rehearsal and it is likely that they were still figuring things out with the sound and it has been way worse in other live musicals. Other than those two things, the final dress rehearsal of Rent: Live can absolutely pass as being the actual performance. We didn't see the actual performance (short clips have been released by FOX), which as per social media, was a concert with Hunt in a wheelchair, and minimal blocking. For the final 15 minutes of the show, which were live on television, Hunt was confined to sitting on a table, with his broken foot propped up on a chair.
 |
| Brennin Hunt as Roger in FOX's live production of "Rent." Photo Credit: FOX |
For the most part Rent: Live was cast extremely well. Many people felt that some members of the cast may have been marking, as not to wear themselves out for the actual televised event. I somewhat disagree with this. I felt that the broadcast started out on pretty low energy, but it picked up as the show continued. As Mark Cohen, Jordan Fisher warmed up to the role as the show went on, getting better and better in each scene, although he was already excellent to begin with. In my opinion, Fisher is the most likable of the Marks that I have seen and he has his warm personality and beautifully smooth singing voice to prove it. Hunt was phenomenal as Roger, capturing the rocker essence of the role flawlessly. Hunt's renditions of "One Song Glory" was glorious and I found his entire performance to be simply remarkable.
 |
| Jordan Fisher (Mark) and Brennin Hunt (Roger) in FOX's live production of Rent. Photo Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FOX |
Tinashe was an impeccable Mimi Marquez, with a sweet voice and lovely, yet gritty persona. In the role of Maureen, Vanessa Hudgens steals the show with her performance of "Over the Moon" (where they may or may not have added a rap section). Hudgens does just as well as the role's originator, Idina Menzel. She was perfectly cast in this role and gives one of the best portrayals of the role that I have seen. Playing alongside her as Joanne, Kiersy Clemons simply nails it and displays a wonderful dynamic with Hudgens. You also cannot go wrong with Brandon Victor Dixon (playing Tom Collins) and Mario, who did an admirable job as the landlord, Benny.
Unfortunately, I was not taken with Valentina's portrayal of Angel, who is the hope of Rent. Although she was perfect for this role on paper and did alright with the acting, Valentina simply did not have the vocal abilities to cut it. She looked absolutely fabulous in Angela Wendt's costumes, but not much else can be said for her performance. I really wanted to love her in this.
 |
| Tinashe as Mimi in FOX's live production of Rent. |
The director of the original Broadway production, Michael Greif revisited the material to bring Rent to television. As with NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar, this was a legitimately staged production with a live (and loud) audience. It was done in a thrust setting that complemented the show quite well. I thought Greif did an exceptional job staging the show in this setting, although it got a little bit too busy at times. It is also worth noting that I could tell it was staged for the audience to watch at home and not necessarily for the live audience to watch, since there were parts where I could tell that the obstruction for some people in the studio audience was extreme. Although Greif did make interesting choices (good and bad) that were new for the show and parts of it ("Christmas Bells") got messy, I thought that it was a pretty conventionally staged and emotionally affective production of Rent. The number "Will I?," in particular, brought tears to my eyes. Need I mention the second half of the second act and the stirring "Seasons of Love?"
 |
| Jordan Fisher (Mark), Valentina (Angel), Brandon Victor Dixon (Tom Collins), and Brennin Hunt (Roger) in FOX's live production of Rent. Photo Credit: FOX |
Seeing as I don't have Rent memorized cover to cover, I didn't notice a lot of the changes that were made to adjust for network television. I definitely caught more than a few of Kristoffer Diaz's script changes, but I didn't feel as if any of the work Diaz did on the show jeopardized the show's integrity. It never felt like I was watching an overly sanitized version of Rent, since quite a bit of the language remained. Despite that, I did not approve of some of the cuts that were made. They didn't cut a song from the show, but some of them had verses cut for time. The most noticeable cut for me was that they cut the verse in "La Vie Boheme" that was sung by the waiter at the Life Cafe, causing the transition into the next part of the song to be abrupt and awkward. A part of the show that I was surprised stayed in the production was the number "Contact" since it is the least family friendly number in the show. I am glad every number made the final cut, but I find Diaz could have stood to keep some of the verses that were cut from some of the numbers. On another musical number note, some of the lyrics were changed and not all of them for language. I don't know why some of them were changed to begin with, but I didn't mind them. Also worth mentioning, is that there were a few new additions to the show that I appreciated. Finally, to appease Rent fans, they changed what everyone agrees is an awful lyric. I was in fact, appeased.
One of the things that bothered a lot of people about this production was the live audience. When NBC broadcast their first live production, everybody complained that there was not an audience. Ever since FOX's Grease, every single televised musical has had a live audience. While they behaved themselves during Grease and NBC's Hairspray, they have since gotten out of hand for NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar and now FOX's Rent. Listen, I get it. It's exciting to be at Rent: Live. I love when audiences clap, but it was seldom appropriate at this production. It got to the point that the audience was distracting because they weren't just clapping, they were shrieking. I think that FOX executives should have directed the audience on when it is or isn't appropriate to cheer. I know we weren't supposed to have seen this taping of the show, but I still feel as if the audience should have been given some direction since they were essentially active participants in the live broadcast. I know FOX has little control of what the audience does, but if they are distracting enough to earn a paragraph in a review, then something should be done for the next broadcast.
 |
| Fredi Walker, Idina Menzel, and Daphne Rubin-Vega in the finale of FOX's live production of Rent. Photo Credit: Kevin Estrada |
I really liked Rent: Live. I didn't love it, but I really liked it. Was Rent: Live, being the most recent live musical, the best one? No. It was a huge step up from the terrible bore that was FOX's live version of A Christmas Story, but this one still had a little bit of work to do. I will account some of that to the fact that the actual performance was not seen by anyone except the people who were in the live studio audience on January 27, but there were certain aspects of the production, like the camerawork, certain small cuts, and pieces of the staging, that kept it from being the best televised musical. I am certainly interested in seeing the full concert that was done while the dress rehearsal was airing on FOX to see how the energy differed from what we saw on television. I'm not sure if not being a Rent super fan is what enabled to me to like it significantly more than everyone else I discussed the production with, but it is more than worth checking out, no matter how much you like Rent. It is already streaming on the FOX website and on Hulu, I believe. I am interested in hearing what everyone else thinks about it. I applaud FOX for bringing another excellent musical production to our homes, so if you haven't already, you should give Rent: Live a watch.
Also, the finale with the original Broadway cast of Rent was amazing. I love Idina Menzel so much. That is all.
 |
RENT on FOX
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Adapted for television by KRISTOFFER DIAZ
Directed by Michael Greif
RENT aired on FOX on January 27, 2018. For more information, please visit https://www.fox.com/rent/
The principal cast of FOX's televised production of RENT consisted of:
Mark Cohen- JORDAN FISHER
Roger Davis- BRENNIN HUNT
Mimi Marquez- TINASHE
Maureen Johnson- VANESSA HUDGENS
Joanne Jefferson- KEIRCY CLEMONS
Angel Dumont Schunard- VALENTINA
Tom Collins- BRANDON VICTOR DIXON
Benjamin Coffin III- BRANDON VICTOR DIXON
Full production information can be found at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6881910/
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