Scribblings from the Mitchy Side

I finally got around to watching the DVD today. I know, I know, I've had it nearly 3 weeks and not watched it. The reason was I wanted a quiet afternoon with no distractions to just sit and absorb it and I had to be in the right frame of mind because I knew it was going to be emotional.

I wasn't wrong.

There are problems with filming a live performance, and I don't think any film can ever capture the power of being in a theatre, but that said, this is GORGEOUS. Yes, there were times when I wished you could see the whole stage and not just an actor or actors faces, but minor gripes aside, they did a great job at covering the stage at the right times. And it was a joy to see some moments up close and personal; I even saw things I'd missed when I saw the show, simply because you can't take in a whole stage all at once. And also at the time, I was pretty distracted watching Tracie Thoms :)

Tracie is wonderful here, naturally, but seeing this again confirms how excellent the whole cast was. I'm still not sold on Michael McElroy as Collins but the rest of the cast more than make up for this. Will Chase is outstanding as Roger (I may even prefer his version to Adam Pascal's original) and he's well matched in Adam Kantor's Mark, who I adore. Eden Espinoza is brilliant as Maureen, sounding a lot like Idina but finding her own voice for the role. And the supporting cast are just wonderful - kudos to Marcus Paul James and Telly Leung (I got his autograph!) in particular, who delighted every time they were on stage.

All the featurettes were excellent, especially "RENT: The Final Days on Broadway", featuring all the final cast talking about what the show meant and taking you behind the scenes for the final week of the show. Lots of great Tracie stuff here, the best bit being just before going onstage for the final performance, where she was standing with Adam waiting for her cue and she's freaking out cos she's so nervous. Adorable. The emotion came in knowing that I can never again see this show on Broadway. The whole of the featurette about the last show was just so emotional. When the cast went out, the audience was on its feet and applauded them for two minutes straight, before any of them could sing a note. When the applause died down, Adam Kantor was finally able to say "Just like for our first performance, we dedicate tonight's performance to Jonathan Larson." Oh boy. *swallows giant lump in throat*

Adam Kantor was the youngest member of the cast, Rent was his first Broadway role and he got a bit of teasing from the others for being the baby. Early in the Final Days featurette, Eden mock teased him for not crying during the final week. At the end of the "The Final Curtain Call", you see him standing backstage, looking dazed, and then the emotion gradually hits him, the realisation this is the last performance of Rent sinks in, this is IT. And his face crumples and he breaks down in tears. He wasn't the only one.

This DVD is a wonderful record of an amazing, beautiful, life-changing show and additionally, for me, a fantastic keepsake of a trip made at the last minute, out of sheer, blind optimism and a determination not to miss my last chance to see this show live. I am so glad I went, I don't regret a single second and watching this show again today just really brought home to me how thankful I am to have discovered this musical.

Thank you, Jonathan Larson.