The Power Blows..............

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 10:00am

I would love to see RENT come back to London.

Unmixed naturally!!!

[Mark_E]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 11:22am

Same! It seems to be doing well Off-Broadway. I have no doubt the show will some day come back to London.

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 4:55pm

As long as Denise Van Houten isn't attached, I'm on board. Would love it to come across, really wanted to see Adam as Mark, shame he's left now (I think?).

[MamasDoin'Fine]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 4:57pm

NO

[Jonwo]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 5:51pm

I think it could be revived and reinvented just not like Rent Remixed, maybe the Menier or another off West End theatre could do it.

Luke Evans who was in Rent Remixed has had huge success starring in a couple of films and Oliver Thornton was in Priscilla.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 6:35pm

I have been lucky enough to see this on Broadway and Off Broadway.

It is a show I guess that has little overheads I guess, so doesn't have to take a main London theatre, could this fit into something like the Charing Cross Theatre or Leicester Square Theatre?

Rent has always left us with a rhetorical question, did the sad and untimely death of Jonathan Larsson give the show massive momentum to go on and be a hit? If the sublime composer and lyricist didn't die, would this show be another flop? Then sadly a great score could of pass me by.

And Mark, I bet you would just love to do this at uni?

[turquoisefish]

Posted: 2/29/12 at 7:01pm

One of our local Amateur groups is doing this at The Point in Eastleigh in August!

[exedore]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:20am

"If the sublime composer and lyricist didn't die, would this show be another flop?"

It's a tough question. All anyone can convincingly and knowingly state is that had Larson lived, there would have been further work done on the show (Larson's notes from the dress rehearsal are held in the archives at the Library of Congress) following the NYTW run in Winter 96 and Michael Greif's association with the show would certainly have been terminated upon its completion.

Larson also had an idea or two for further shows that he was conceiving through RENT's development, and more shows would have been forthcoming.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 4:08am

Oh I'd love to have done it at Uni but it's not to be.

[Nickhutson]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 8:55am

Nope. The show never works here - and never will. it's a dated story that doesn't appeal to the general public in the UK.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 12:55pm

I think its funny this insane thing of 'it never worked here'

Whilst the original run in London did not have the same length run as Broadway it still played a decent run. The UK Tour (with wobbly casting) also did very well, the limited London season also sold pretty well. Rent remixed died because it was bloody awful.

Oddly enough the film Rent got better reviews here than it did in the US.

The show is dated in terms of the era it's set, it's now a period musical. However the themes are still relevant today and sadly always will be. Yes AIDS has got to a point that it's not an instant death sentence anymore, but i lost someone 12 months ago to it so it still a very serious subject matter. The other themes of the show are very universal .

I think a company should re-look at the book and fix that and then stage it in a small venue, i think it could do very well.

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:17pm

I agree, I've never understood the whole "too dated" idea. People don't say Les Mis is dated because it's set in the 1800's or Hair because it's set in the 70's.

I'm not going to lie though, the book needs to be looked at (I'm sure Johnathan would have before it went into performances). There are some massive problems in it, especially how much they all manage to do in one night.

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:20pm

The one night thing is intentional in that it mimics the form of La Boheme.

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:27pm

Oh right, never seen La Boheme (only bits), I guess if I did, that would've made more sense.

[rjm516]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 1:58pm

"(Larson's notes from the dress rehearsal are held in the archives at the Library of Congress) "

Really? That's incredible! Oh I would love to see them.

[exedore]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 3:56pm

I have a photo of them somewhere that a friend took from when they were on public display, but it's a physical photo and not a scan (and also not very good looking). The only thing I really remember is that Larson wanted to put in more material for Collins.

As for the archives, all you have to do is get a reader card and stick your head in. Anybody can look at the materials, but you will need permission from the Larson Estate to make any copies, and (speaking from personal experience) they're pretty strict with the rules and requirements.

[Jonwo]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 4:56pm

Wouldn't someone need permission from the Larson estate to make changes to the book. Its like how West Side Story can't change the choreography, it has to be a recreation of the Jerome Robbins choreography.

[exedore]

Posted: 3/1/12 at 8:58pm

You would, and it's doubtful they'd allow it.

[SoonerOrLater]

Posted: 3/2/12 at 4:01am

Interesting disscussion, not least because Rent forms half of my PhD research-I'm looking at exactly some of the elements you've all raised-whether it works as effectivly in a British setting compared to America and the impact of Larson's death as well clearly plays into how we think of this play-I've always been curious for example as to how much would have been changed had he livedd.

Anyway to the point on the British versions, I think it's unfair to say it hasn't worked here. As Mama (I think) said above it had healthy runs and did good business on tour despite the casting *coughAdamRickettcough* and had a deccent second run in the West End. Rent Remixed is in my opinion something best wiped from memory, and personally I would have prefered a revivial-or even a 'reboot' along the lines of the off-Broadway revival-some bits altered maybe tidied but not the complete revamp which for me lost a lot of the essence of the original.

The British version was never going to be the phenomenon it was in NY which was (as with many such things) was a case of right show right moment to some degree.

As for archives the NYPL also holds files on Rent which include some notes from the Original B'way production I believe and likewise anyone can ask to see them. In the UK only the V&A hold records and its only press files on all 3 productions.