Back when I was in high school, I feel like so many people in my theatre classes were obsessed with Rent.
It was everywhere.
Girls would sing "Take Me or Leave Me" for a duet whenever we would do little mini-talent shows; one guy had "What You Own" as his cell phone ring tone; my sister's graduation song was "Seasons of Love".
I viewed Rent as a musical in which I couldn't stand most of the characters. I mean...you have to pay your rent!!
I also feel like it was problematic how the show dealt with AIDS on a prominent level and yet the main focus of the show was two straight white men while the heart of the show, Collins and Angel, were basically supporting players.
Then you have the whole "Did Jonathan Larson steal the plot of Rent from Sarah Schulman's novel People in Trouble?"
I wrote about this topic on my old blog, but here is an article that gets into that whole ordeal.
SCHULMAN VS. RENT
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-11-10-9711100181-story.html
So anyways...yeah...I have a very problematic relationship with Rent.
I don't have that kind of relationship with tick, tick...Boom!
I first discovered tick, tick..Boom in 2001 when the cast recording was released following its first off-Broadway production. Even though I didn't often respond to musicals that had something of a rock/pop flavor (and I still don't), this particular musical proved to be an exception.
I have spent the last 20 years saying that I always felt a strong emotional connection to tick tick Boom and that I find it to be the better piece.
Imagine my delight that not only is there now a film to further give it exposure, but that it turned out to be a very well made and faithful adaptation.
The musical serves as a semi-autobiographical take on Jonathan Larson's life right as he turns 30 in 1990 NYC. Working as a waiter at the now defunct Moondance Diner in SoHo, Larson is a struggling artist who is prepping to get his new musical workshopped at Playwrights Horizons.
After struggling for nearly a decade to make it in the theatre world, he is finally wondering if maybe he made the wrong choice as he is now 30 and hasn't made something for himself...
...gosh, that hits close to home on so many levels.
I am very pleased with what Lin Manuel Miranda was able to accomplish with this being his directorial debut. Some directors who come from the theatre world don't have the flair when it comes to directing film.
For every Mike Nichols and Sam Mendes, you get Hal Prince tackling the film adaptation of A Little Night Music or Susan Stroman wanting to translate her success from The Producers to the screen.
Miranda shows a great sense of cinematic flair and assurance as a film director here, and you can tell how much passion he has for the material. I also love how he showered this film with countless cameos of some of the NY Theatre scene's finest, such as Brian Stokes Mitchell, Laura Benanti, Joel Grey, Stephen Schwartz, Joshua Henry, Judy Kuhn, Danny Burstein, Judith Light, and even a voice cameo from God himself: Stephen Sondheim...although it must be said that in the physical scenes, Bradley Whitford nails all of Sondheim's physical mannerisms.
I was unaware that Andrew Garfield could sing to this extent so I was thrilled to see that he sold these songs amazingly well but also gave the character of Jon (who has his moments of being an annoying narcissist far too often) a surprising layer of warmth. I feel like Garfield is such a lovely actor and I feel like he should in the conversation to get an Oscar nod. I was so pleased with his work here!
Attention must be paid to Robin de Jesus as Jon's friend Michael. Most people may not know who he is but I think he also did a great job as Jon's lifelong gay friend who manages to make something for himself and he moves into a nicer apartment....hmmm...actually it sort of reminds me of Benny in Rent... eeek!
It may be a little too idealized and hopeful in some ways...and perhaps I still feel like some of the moments are too "me! me! me! me!" with Larson, but I do think this is one of the better stage-to-screen adaptations I've seen that is practically a love letter to the musical theatre community.
RATING: 4.5/5
(The extra .5 is for Garfield and de Jesus)
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