I saw "Rent" last night. Here are a few thoughts:

--If you liked the musical, I think you'll like the movie. If you know every song, every line, every rhythm, know the lines that are spoken and not sung, you may start out like I did: noticing every little difference. At some point, I began to let go of that, and appreciate the differences.

--While there's something to be said for the live music of the musical, the surround sound of a movie theater is amazing, and the music itself (sans singing) is quite powerful.

--Overall, the cast is quite strong. You can't go wrong with "Rent" veterans like Idina Menzel (Maureen), Adam Pascal (Roger), Anthony Rapp (Mark), Wilson Heredia (Angel), and Taye Diggs (Benny). Although, I wish they would have incorporated Diggs' character of Benny a bit more.

--Tracie Toms, who plays Joanne, is also a Broadway veteran, but not to "Rent." She was quite strong vocally, but I thought her acting left something to be desired. She didn't have as much chemistry as I would have liked with Menzel.

--Jesse L. Martin (Tom) was fantastic. You probably know him from "Law and Order." He put is own spin on Tom's songs, and really belted the "I'll Cover You" (Reprise). Superb casting there by director Chris Columbus.

--Rosario Dawson, you ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE the weakest link! Goodbye! Seriously, could they not have rounded out the cast with someone of the same caliber as the rest of the gang? Don't get me wrong, she was decent, but it was glaringly obvious that she hadn't had the same vocal training as the rest.

--My recommendation--go see it. If you don't walk out humming the tunes, and feeling a little inspired, you're a Scrooge.

--Let me know your thoughts! I'm waiting for my resident Broadway expert, Kel P., and big "Rent" fan Iceman, to weigh in as well.

Posted by: Lawrenkm at 08:13 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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