Please....you obviously haven't been watching a lot of popular tv series these days. All across America, children and teens are watching (and loving) plenty of shows about gay people and addiction and suicide and lots of tough subjects. RENT hardly seems that provocative in that context (my kids are in their late teens and early 20s and both felt the show was fairly tame).
Let's face it: RENT might be a period piece with some relevant things to say, but it's a terribly flawed work that doesn't make a lot of sense. The group of people I was watching with included some RENTheads (from way back) as well as some who have only seen the movie and maybe a high school production-- the on-going 'joke' about murdering an annoying dog was met with more disapproval than anything else that transpired on that stage. And Maureen's "Over the Moon" segment-- which always falls flat-- fell even flatter last night, with all the busy staging. But you gotta love Hudgens, who at least brought energy and vibrancy to what was her dress rehearsal. She lifted the whole production up, and helped raise TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME to best-of-show heights.
I'll give the cast and production team credit for being very very ambitious, even though it was with a work that probably benefits from craft and skill more than histrionics. I liked the performers (Jordan Fisher especially), hated the use of the screaming audience (unforgiveable) and hope that NBC gets HAIR right. |
