The film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's beloved Broadway musical "Rent" opens in theaters today. Bringing the play to the screen has been nearly 10 years in the making, and for longtime fans like myself, the payoff is well worth the wait.
A majority of the original cast members are reprising their roles, which each of them haven't portrayed since around 1998. The actors took on the challenge of re-visiting their characters and belting out the songs that helped make "Rent" one of Broadway's biggest success stories.
Although the actors are now in their mid-30s playing starving artists and bohemians in their early-20s, their voices are still as strong as ever, and their connection to the material is still evident.
If you are a self-proclaimed "Rent-head," there are a few changes from the stage production. At first, I wasn't sure what to make of the answering machine messages (which are normally sung) turned into dialogue. However, these minor alterations are easy to get past once the ensemble song "Rent" begins.
After this number ends, I couldn't wait for all of the great songs to come. Granted, everyone will fall in love with different songs, but a few that stand out in the film are "Tango Maureen," "I'll Cover You" and "Take Me or Leave Me."
It is obvious that the film version has more freedom with sets, and this helps enrich the overall experience even more. The fact that the viewer can finally place a visual with The Life Cafe and Maureen's protest adds so much more to a story that I never thought could get any better. An interesting tidbit is that the set used during Maureen's protest is actually an ode to the set used in the stage production.
Aside from sets and songs, the message of "Rent" also translates wonderfully on-screen. The audience may find it hard to resist singing along and might even try to recreate "La Vie Boheme" at their favorite restaurant. When Mark Cohen, played by Anthony Rapp, jumped on the table at The Life Cafe, the musical geek inside me began to wish those moments happened in real life.
The film is set in New York's East Village from 1989 to 1990. Over the course of a year, these friends grow into a family in which everyone loves one another unconditionally and everyone is the other's life support.
Rosario Dawson and Tracie Thoms are the new additions to this tightly knit group of actors. They each do a wonderful job of performing on the same plane as their Tony Award-winning cast mates.
Wilson Jermaine-Heredia still shines in the role of Angel, which garnered him the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in 1996. Angel serves as the emotional core in this unforgettable story of love and loss.
Although I would love to write about each character, the last one I will mention here is Jesse L. Martin, who plays Angel's lover, Tom Collins. Martin has starred on "Law & Order" for several years but made a name for himself in theater. Martin's voice seems even more powerful in the film than on the original recording (which may seem impossible for those that have heard his heart-wrenching reprise of "I'll Cover You.") His performance is one of the strongest in the film.
No matter how many hundreds of times I've listened to my "Rent" soundtrack, and how many times I've seen the production live, I can honestly say this movie is a huge achievement for the cast members and to the memory of the musical's beloved creator Jonathan Larson.
If you're not a fan of musicals, please don't dismiss this film. The energy of the actors is contagious, and the story is moving no matter how many times you may have heard or seen it.
I hope everyone who sees this film will remember the most important message of all â€" No Day But Today.
