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"Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes...How do you
measure a year in a young man's life?"
Madre has another secret. I love musicals. I haven't seen nearly
as many as I'd like, but I will go see one when I get the chance.
I saw RENT on
stage when it first toured, so I was excited to see the movie version.
Many members of the original Broadway cast also appear in the movie.
To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure where to start with a
review. This is a great modern musical. The music is original and
catchy, and supports the dialogue/storyline of the show, which is exciting and
draws you in, even despite yourself.
RENT is the complicated story of a handful of bohemian types as told by Mark,
an aspiring filmmaker, living in New York City with his washed-out-wannabe-rockstar
roommate, Roger. It begins on Christmas Eve, shortly before the landlord,
Mark and Roger's former roommate, Benny, cuts off power to the
block. They're refusing to pay rent because Benny promised them they
could live there for free. That was, until Maureen (who also was a roommate with
this merry bunch) decided to schedule a performance-art protest (which somehow
incorporates a motorcycle and mooing...) because Benny wanted to tear down a
tent city for the homeless so he could build a "cyberstudio" in its
place.
Still with me? Maureen and Mark used to be an item. That is,
until Maureen decided to dump him for a Harvard-graduate lawyer--named
Joanne. Now, throw in Tom (Collins) who also lived there once upon a time
and was coming back to visit his friends for the holiday who gets mugged outside
the building and rescued in the alley by Angel--a very talented drummer and
drag-queen.
You can guess how things get interesting, and that'd only be the start of
it.
Mark goes to help Maureen and Joanne set up for the protest and tries to
convince Roger to go as well but Roger hasn't left the apartment in 6 months,
but he's still reeling from the death of his former girlfriend (in the stage
version, she had committed suicide after getting a positive HIV test).
Mimi, Mark and Roger's neighbor comes in through the fire escape, looking for a
match to light her candle (and presumably to cook her fix) and loses her stash
of heroin in the dark apartment. Roger, a recovering addict (which is how
he and his late girlfriend contracted the disease), is drawn to the exotic
dancer from the Cat-Scratch Club but keeps her at arms' length so he can write
his one great song before he dies (the melody from Muzetta's Waltz in "La
Boheme") That is, until they find out days later that they're both
HIV-positive, and then the romance is on.
But I'm getting ahead of myself...
The next day, Tom and Angel show up. Angel is everything you could hope
for in a drag queen. "She" lives every moment to the very
fullest, shows love and tolerance for everyone she meets and draws people to
her. And I have never seen ANYONE able dance so well in 6" latex
stiletto boots. It's very touching to also see the more sensitive side of
Angel in group therapy session for people living with HIV/AIDS...their fears,
struggles, attempts to cope, etc. There's a beautiful song that tugs at
the heartstrings, "Will I lose my dignity...will someone care? Will I
wake tomorrow from this nightmare?" Angel does eventually die and the
group of friends falls apart.
They're reunited at Christmas again, but can't find Mimi--no one has seen or
heard from her for a month, she's not taking her anti-virus medications and is
probably living on the street. And that's where she's eventually found
near death She's brought back to Mark and Roger's apartment where she dies in
Roger's arms. Well, sort of. She actually has a near-death
experience in which Angel came to her and told her to go back
You're probably wondering why I like this show. Half the cast is gay
and/or has AIDS, the "homosexual lifestyle" is glorified, there is
drug use, prostitution, fornication--there's really nothing that reflects
traditional Christian beliefs or even morals in the show.
Well...it's a glimpse into a very different lifestyle ("La Vie Boheme").
Eye-opening for even a jaded former liberal feminist such as myself, it breaks
into what we consider "normal" and reminds us that there are other,
different, but very real people out there who sadly don't know the Gospel and
instead flounder around on their own the best they can. It is
post-modernism at its finest--everyone does what is good in their own eyes and
in RENT we see many of the consequences played out. I think it's
good to encounter that in a controlled setting now and then.
But what I really like is the way this show tugs at my compassion. It
reminds me that homosexuals are people too and desperately need to hear the
Gospel. So many are openly and crassly rejected by Christians, including
immediate family, and end up fending for themselves on the streets, like
Angel. We don't want to talk to "those" types of people, and
certainly don't want them in our churches. As a result of that attitude
(in part at least), many don't know the Gospel side of the condemnation they
receive, they don't know that they don't have to justify their sins in their own
consciences (calling it instead an "alternative lifestyle"). They
don't know Jesus died to justify them before God. He took even those sins
upon Himself and has set them free.
RENT has a PG-13 rating, but in my opinion, given the subject matter
and things portrayed (quite a bit of of homosexual PDAs as well a drug use),
this is not a movie for young teens, I'd be hesitant about even high school
students seeing it without an adult to decompress with afterwards. It's
probably more appropriate for college-age students.
Edited on: December 14th, 2005 12:38 pm
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