Thoughts on Rent. Involved post. So if you're feeling cranky about it, you might want to move on. Also, if you're not a big opera fan, bear that in mind. Clearly, I am somewhat of an opera snob.

Earlier in the day, Ray and I saw Rent which I liked. The music's catchy. It's been quite the week for "bohemia." I saw Threepenny Opera last Saturday which has bohemia and catchy music. And is gritty, darkly comic and sarcastic. I never saw Rent on Broadway because I was still annoyed by the butchering of Madame Butterfly for Miss Saigon which I saw in 1993 and didn't feel up to spending the money for a re-hash of La Boheme. Plus, the tickets were impossible to get. I am fairly openminded about many films, but when I have issues about things, I usually have them in full force. I am still annoyed about the end of Moulin Rouge and that was like 2000. (Am leaving it vague so as not to ruin the end for someone who'd like to see it) I liked it. There were some things than annoyed me. Like we're supposed to believe's Marc's heterosexuality? Oh come on. I realized as I was checking the Rotten Tomatoes' reviews of Rent that Anthony Rapp, who plays Marc, was in another Chris Columbus film, Adventures in Babysitting. I knew that he was in it, but I hadn't made the connection that C.C. had directed it. It's like the Kevin Bacon game. He plays the sex-obsessed friend of the male teenage lead. (Go for the irony.) Also, come on, give the guy a date. Speaking of Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews that they've collected regarding Rent are actually pretty funny in a blunt way. I don't agree with many of them, but some of their soundbites are great.

--"Standing on a table at an all-night cafe and singing about how The Man won't get you down is cute when you're just out of college. When you look 35, you need to stop whining and get a job." Eric D. Snider

-- "Rent is commodified faux bohemia on a platter, eliciting the same kind of numbing soul-sadness as children's beauty pageants, tiny dogs in expensive boots, Mahatma Gandhi in Apple ads."Carina Chocano, Los Angeles Times.

Positive:
--"I haven't seen this much tightly packed multi-talent squeezing the melodic and emotional juices out of a ripe theme since Fame in 1980."Jules Brenner. Speaking of Fame, they do dance on the tables in a great Famesque number,"La Vie Boheme". (My apologies to Alan Parker and the cast for that word cration and also a deep apology to the linguists out there).

One of the reviewers was talking about how it sums up Gen-x views regarding love. (I'm not even sure what a Gen-x view of love would be, like Mannequin? Pump up the Volume?) I'm not sure I quite agree and am not sure it's Gen-X. (Which is one of my other things that I talk way too much about. Mea culpa. Damn it, Gen-X has so very litte; could you at least get our sensibility right? Go watch Heathers and get back to me.) I keep seeing the ads for Rent which says, "It defined a generation" and I'm thinking I'm not part of that generation. Oh well.

Idina Menzel was fantastic as Maureen and am actually considering seeing Wicked if she ever comes back to it and I ever make it there. She's that great. Though she'll be in green make-up. My issues regarding Wicked will have to be for another day. Speaking of Wicked, is that Kristin Chenoweth for the New Old Navy ads? I love the one where she says that the mock turtleneck is mocking her.

For various thoughts on the alterings of opera for a pop audience, and if you're interested in the 'original' plot lines, check out the below links. It's interesting that in Leoncavello's version, he focuses more on the Marcello and the Musetta relationship than the Rudolpho and Mimi one. And you can tell this because in that one Marcello's a tenor as opposed to a baritone. (which means lead singer as opposed to supporting) I have issues with tenor voices; they can often be whiney. I have issues with the opera too. The music's good though. It's the whole supporting players are often more interestingly drawn than the leads thing again.