Friday, March 21, 2008

Better as a RENTal

So, I went to see RENT tonight.

Now, this is one of the few times I've walked into a musical totally blind, so my review will probably be skewed.

First off, I have to say that the performances were INCREDIBLE. Every single singer and dancer was absolutely supreme. Dancing, singing, acting...it was all terrific.

As for the musical itself...well, it started off with a bang, but by the second act, the plot started to lag, morals and themes fell apart, and the obvious came to pass without the climax one would expect from this kind of production.

Except for a couple of numbers (power ballad One Song Glory, and feel-good kumbaya Seasons of Love), the songs were unmemorable, though again, the performances were phenomenal. But I imagine my opinion was due to the fact that my listening experience was tainted by having seen Team America: World Police and this number:



(Insert here: Vicki unable to stop singing "AIDS- AIDS, AIDS-AIDS, AIDS, AIDS-AIDS-AIDS...")

If you can't afford the tickets, rent the movie version (with Taye Diggs, who can make just about anything watchable). I haven't seen it, but I imagine it makes the whole story line a little more cohesive.

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