February 15, 2008
Last night, I was lucky enough to have tickets to Broadway in Chicago’s off-season production of Rent. The show is only in town until the 17th, so when my brother gave me the tickets as a belated Christmas/ early birthday present, I didn’t even know it was going to be in town. I’ve seen the movie several times and the original cast recording is on constant rotation on my ipod, but there is nothing like seeing it live. Seeing it live captures all the talent that the entire cast has and really lets them flaunt that and show what they’ve put together after so much work; the emotion in the show also really comes through. I know all the jokes that come up and can anticipate where in the show I’ll get choked up, but finally seeing the show live really was like seeing it all for the first time. I’ve never found the show so funny, or been so swept up in the fun the cast has singing La Vie Boheme, or cried so hard when Angel died and the family everyone formed fell apart. I was getting really into the show, but I’m so used to listening to the soundtrack that I had to sit there and remind myself “It’s not a sing-along, it’s not a sing-along, it’s not a sing-along.” The energy coming off the cast was definitely palpable; I just wish the entire audience had been so into it. When Maureen asked the audience to “moo” with her, a few tentative “moos” came up here and there, but not many people joined in (the woman next to me in fact seemed annoyed and slightly frightened by the gusto of my “moo”). I brushed that off thinking that “mooing” probably isn’t something most people do on a daily basis but then at the beginning of Act II when Roger invited the audience to clap along, the level of participation was about the same. Having been onstage in performances at my school, I know how much an actor draws off of the energy of the audience and what a disappointment a dead audience can be.
The show nonetheless was spectacular. It gave me chills. “Viva la vie Boheme!”
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