Rent: FIlmed Live on Broadway

So yesterday, I went to see Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway at Metro Pointe theater. This is part of a new thing that SOny is doing called "Hot Ticket," where they film big events - broadway shows, concerts, etc., and then play them in movie theaters on extremely limited engagements.

From feedback I've been reading, Rent did not do very well - meaning most of the theaters had 15 - 40 people in it. (I would expect that it could have done much better.) There were some big problems with it, though. First of all, it was VERY poorly advertised. Even I had trouble finding info on it, and I am a total rent head. Also, it was expensive - $20 a ticket. Again, even as a total rent head, I had trouble parting with $20 to see a movie of Rent that will be released on DVD in a few months. Finally, its engagement was very limited - in theaters across the country, your only options were to see it on Wednesday or Thursday at 7:00 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at noon. Noon? On the weekend? What were they thinking? I mean, all of the previews in the "first look" that they play when you're waiting for the real previews to start (you know the previews before the previews?) were geared towards little kids. It was not planned well.

That being said, I did enjoy the production. My and 16 other loyal Rentheads watched it Saturday, at noon, in Costa Mesa. At times, I could almost forget that I was in a theater, and feel like I was at an actual stage show. I loved that it was the musical, pure and simple - no cheesy edits or cookie cutter plots like the movie version. This is a true recording of the stage show as it is meant to be seen. However, some of the filming was not to my taste - I thought they spent way too much time doing close ups, and not enough shots pulled back to show more of the stage. Some of the close ups were WAY too close - those shots were distracting and unnecessary. Also unneeded were some of the shots where the cameras, zoomed in closer than needed, moved quickly to follow the action, which sometimes gave a dizzying effect.

The performances were awesome, the music flawless. I can't wait to get this on dvd - as I can guarantee it will get a lot more play then the movie dvd gets. If I come across people who have never seen it, I won't have quite as many qualms about recommending this as I do about the movie version.... (My normal advice is, don't see the movie until you see the play. Chances are, you won't like the movie.) This version, though, really does the musical justice.