What a difference a city block makes. As I posted about over the weekend, I saw the national tour of Jersey Boys at Boston's Shubert Theater on Friday night. (Read my review.) Then last night at the Colonial I caught the latest national tour of Rent. Yeah, those are two fairly disparate shows, but the biggest difference was in the audiences.
Whereas the Jersey Boys crowd comprised mostly 40+ suburban married couples, the Rent crowd was dominated by teenagers, with a liberal sprinkling of tweens. It was as though the parents had dropped off their offspring at the Colonial on their way to the Shubert. It struck me that most of these kids were probably in their infancy when Rent first opened in 1996. I think that actually bodes well for the future of musical theater, provided of course that we can keep coming up with more shows like Rent and Spring Awakening to lure in the kids.
As for the Rent tour, the key drawing point seemed to be the presence of original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, who were both greeted with squeals of delight upon their entrances. Pascal was either deliberately underplaying or bored, which was fine with me, because it seemed to temper his penchant for emotional excess and vocal mannerisms. There were some "American Idol" touches in his songs: instead of resolving at the end of "One Song Glory," he went up a third and held the note, to the palpable delight of the pubescent crowd. But for the most part, Pascal was somewhat restrained, and remains in very strong voice. Rapp seemed as though he was actively trying to find ways to keep the piece fresh for himself, changing his line readings, back phrasing in some of his solo moments. Rapp has it a bit tougher, as the role of Mark is really the most underwritten in the show. But he did seem a bit more willing to interact with the other performers, which Pascal seemed to be avoiding.
I've written quite a bit about Rent on this blog, so I won't repeat what I've said before. When the producers announced last year that the Broadway production would close, after twelve years and 5,124 performances, I wrote about certain flaws I saw in the show, as well as my own strong personal connection to Rent. I also posted a review of the cinecast version of Rent, which subsequently came out on DVD, a version that far surpasses the lackluster Chris Columbus movie version of "Rent."
But last night, I found myself developing an even greater appreciation for the strength of the piece. The late Jonathan Larson proved himself a marvelous tunesmith in his short career, but also displayed a deft touch for character illumination. For instance, in the rousing "Out Tonight," coming at a point in the first act where we really need an energy boost, we also get the introspective bridge in which Mimi offers a glimpse of her impoverished upbringing and her urge to medicate it away:
Feels too much like home
When the Spanish babies cry
So let's find a bar
So dark we forget who we are
Where all the scars from the
Nevers and maybes die
Larson also proved himself a diligent student of musical-theater devices, such as the dramatically meaningful reprise. The song "I'll Cover You" works really well in its initial incarnation, providing shorthand justification for the rather instantaneous Collins/Angel relationship. But then the second act we get the reprise, which a mournful Collins sings in response to Angel's passing, which for me is one of the most powerful moments in musical-theater history.
Many people have found fault with the admittedly manipulative ending, in which Mimi seems to magically come back to life, with a message from Angel, no less. I'll admit, it's pretty cheap. But, you know what? It works. It's Larson's way of saying, "This isn't La bohème. It doesn't have to end with everybody dead. There is actually hope for the future." As artificial as it might seem, I think that note of hope is one of the reasons people respond to Rent so fervently. And that most certainly includes me.
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