My apologies to all my musical, thespian friends but I was not impressed. I'm trying to puzzle out whether it was RENT or RENT LIVE that fell flat for me. So, after giving it some thought I've concluded that RENT LIVE was a fish out of water and died in a frantic gasp when removed from the societal climate of the original. The original RENT would have been groundbreaking, centered around broke artists, straight and LBGTQ, in the midst of an AIDS epidemic, talking about L-O-O-O-V-E. RENT LIVE exists in a culture where creative rebellion is the new norm, AIDS is no longer a death sentence and being LBGTQ is no longer a novelty. I found the music of LIVE to be cacophonous and the vocal renderings to be shabby with the exception of Vanessa Hudgens and a few of the supporting cast. (Kudos to Hudgens for playing against type). This dissonance was underlined when the original cast performed as a curtain-call treat. Their tones and harmonies were just the opposite of what we had been hearing for 3 hours. They were clear, beautifully blended and spectacular (Idina Menzel and Jesse L. Martin were superb). I think the experience of being in the audience of this show in-the-round might have been more stirring than sitting on front of a TV. The rare moments, that did work for me, were the more intimate moments (like Light My Candle) but I felt they were soon flattened by the speeding freight train of chaos around them. Just a note about It's origin, the musical pulls from Puccini's La Bohème and Jonathan Larson's own life in Soho at the beginning of his writing career. Regretfully, I give RENT LIVE a 5 (a bit of a mess) out of 10. [Musical Theatre for TV]

I really enjoyed this, its my first experience of rent other than the movie. Vanessa Hudgens made Maureen an enjoyable character to me in a way that Idina never could. I absolutely love the sets and wardrobe for this, a lot of the choreography is really well done and enjoyable. I really enjoyed Jordan Fischers portrayal of Mark, and Tinashe as Mimi was a huge standout too. Brandon Victor Dixon was incredible and captivating as Collins. Everyone was amazing. I wasnt huge on the censoring of a few things to make it "suitable" for the tv audience. I feel like in a lot of ways that softens the entire purpose of the show. Theres definitely a different feel to the film, as of now it doesnt make me like the film any less, but gives me an appreciation for the stage show. This was kinda a mix of the two, i think. The higher production value and professional feeling that the film had but with more of the rawness of the musical.

I am not a Rent-head. I lived through the East Village and Alphabet City in the 1980s and 1990s... and it was... like this... only darker. And stranger. And colder, deadlier. I had friends who were squatters. A beloved mentor was an early victim of HIV/AIDS. And... I saw the movie when it came out, but never the original production because theater in NYC can be prohibitively expensive. Free "Rent"? A dress rehearsal? I was actually touched by many scenes and songs. Romanticising this era really, really troubles me. But, yeah, this is worth watching.