Rent Rant

Rent is closing on June 1 after almost 12 impressive years. It’s history is legend and it’s popularity undisputed so I thought I’d try to catch it before it disappeared forever. Or, rather, until the next revival ten or 12 years down the pyke. Last night I proved to myself, yet again, that I am two or three generations past being able to appreciate a rock musical. Well, let me put it another way, I am beyond wanting to have my eardrums smashed to bits for no reason at all. There is some beautiful music in Rent but the sucker is miked to death and the decibel level almost totally precluded my understanding any of the lyrics. This must have been just as true 12 years ago, no? Did everybody rush out and buy the tape to brush up on it? Or, like opera (also a problem for me), was the sound itself enough? Whatever, I found myself unmoved by the story, unsympathetic to the milieu portrayed (the East Village in the 1990’s), and straining to understand what was going on. Maybe the original cast just had better diction. I don’t think I caught one word said, or sung, by the actor playing Roger and that’s a shame because obviously what he said, and sang, moved the plot along. It seems like most of the audience knew the show by heart so they didn’t care; but I don’t think that’s fair to newbies.

The performers were youthful, lively and professional; in fact, Karmine Alers was wonderful as the volatile Mimi. However, knowing the plot is based on La Boheme, I was totally thrown when she sprang from her deathbed, just as perky as ever…the miracle of drugs I guess.

From what I’ve heard from friends and acquaintances Rent was a defining work of art in their lives, a musical for the ages. Just not mine.