goodbye, Rent

I got the chance to say goodbye to my favorite play today...Rent. I first saw Rent shortly after it premiered in Broadway in 1996. It spoke to me--just as it spoke to many in my generation. It was raw, gritty, real, honest, a revelation, and hit home with anyone who watched it and truly absorbed its message. I was fortunate enough to see the play performed by Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, etc., so I was blessed to see the quintessential production of the show.

Today's performance (filmed 9/7), by the final cast, wasn't quite what it was in 1996. But it was close; and it still hit me hard (it hit my wife hard, too--she'd never seen it "live." She was first introduced to it via the 2005 movie). To see the actors get emotional over playing a scene for the last time added depth to the message and meaning of Rent.

Many say Rent the show is now dated and isn't relative today. Gee, with all the revivals on Broadway, I didn't realize they were speaking to today's theatre-goers. Rent isn't dated, it isn't irrelevant, and it's not inconsequential. It's a beautiful play about bohemian life in Alphabet Soup in NY. It made me happy for all my good--and bad--fortune. And it made me a fan of the theatre.

Long live the message of Rent. And long live the play itself. Rent rocks!