RENT’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR: In Memorium
IT’S BEEN OVER A WHOLE WEEK SINCE I SAW RENT AND I need to remember everything about that show because OH MY GOD it was the most perfect thing I have ever witnessed and I’m so upset I can’t go and see it a BILLION more times so I’m writing down everything so I don’t forget. I need to relive it. I’m not sorry. AND THIS IS ONLY ACT 1 HAHAHAHAHAHA
Also dedicated to my boo @itsbeaconhillsbaby because I know her memory fades so quick and we need this to LIVE ok.
· Before it even begins, the curtain is up so you can see the stage and the set up and Ross e.g the guy portraying Roger is just wandering about on stage so you just kinda feel like you’ve walked into the apartment. You’re immediately transported from your seat in the theatre to their flat in New York
· Mark being that typical friend who shoves a camera in your face and asks you to do something cool and you’re literally like please go away but you can’t say that to him because he’s too fucking cute
· EVERY SINGLE PHONE CALL FROM MARK’S MUM. AND IN FACT ALL THE PARENTS. THEY ARE GOLDEN. And they give the show a sense of realism because yes they’re all bursting into song every five seconds but guess what, they still have parents who won’t leave them alone
· Tom Collins being that friend everyone loves to bits, he has a heart of gold and a voice to match
· Collins being shocked when he thinks it’s Roger that picked up the phone. Even though he’s been away for 7 months he knows his friends so well
· Joanne not being a theatre person when she literally sings two of the most theatrical songs in the entire production
· You Okay Honey is the sweetest frigging song in the entirety of the world and I cannot believe they cut it from the film.
· Every single word Collins sings ever but especially the “Well you missed a sleeve” and “Angel indeed” and “Nice tree”
· ANGEL. TELLING. COLLINS. HE. LOOKS. CUTE. WHEN. HE. BLUSHES.
· That hesitation before Collins takes Angels hand. Y’all know his life just got 68796847292190465 times better after they run offstage together
· MARK ACTUALLY EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED TO APRIL. The film kinda glosses over it. You learn she died and she and Roger had AIDs but other than that you’re like huh?
· Roger being 100% relatable when he’s like “Zoom in on my empty wallet!”
· Ross Hunter singing One SOng Glory because really does life get better than this?
· Philippa’s portrayal of Mimi is on point! She made it very obvious that Mimi was not only coping with AIDs but also a drug addiction. She was shaking and fidgeting and tapping and yes, just yes. She did a damn good job
· Her laugh when she steals her drugs back from Roger and runs off stage
· “WHO RAN NAKED THROUGH THE PARTHENON!” Now why has no one made a show about that?
· Collins throwing Mark and Roger food and drink and firewood. HOW LONG DID THEY HAVE TO REHEARSE THAT?!? 10 out of 10 was waiting for one of them to miss something
· “’Oh hi’ after 7 months?!”
· “Struck gold at MIT” That line... god I’m drowning
· Roger not leaving the house and telling Collins that’s because he was waiting for him to get back.
· ANGEL DUMOTT SCHUNARD SWINGING DOWN FROM THAT LADDER IN THAT OUTFIT AND FLINGING OFF THAT COAT AND THROWING THAT MONEY BEFORE COMMENCING T H A T DANCE.
· Layton WIlliams is a certified Queen of Dance.
· THAT FUCKING LEG KICK AND THOSE SPLITS. BOY HOW YOU EVEN DOING THAT?!
· And then when she’s done, she just goes and sits down with Collins and starts drinking vodka and fanning herself. IF THAT AIN’T ME!
· Benny spreading out the blueprints for his cyber-arts facility and Angel pretending to be interested
· “That boy could use some prosac! Or heavy drugs! Or group hugs!” Tag yourself.
· The little reprise to You’ll See and Roger’s “Let it be boys.”
· COLLINS SINGING I LIKE BOYS. I SWEAR MY HEART COMBUSTED
· Mark being overdramatic af as he enters the lot. I also appreciate the fact he turns the camera on himself just in case he dies at the hands of Joanne and the others never see him again
· TANGO MAUREEN. A S D F G H J K L
· The film does not have a patch on Billy and Shanay. OH MY GOD. Their dancing. The little bum wiggle Billy does and the stamping and the fucking length of time they took to take off their coats. It was intense af
· MARK AND JOANNE’S UNDERAPPRECIATED SEXUAL TENSION
· Mark squealing when Joanne stood on his toe.
· Joanne answering the phone to tell Maureen they’re patched and she calls her Pookie and Mark laughed so fucking hard I was dying
· Angel and Collins introducing themselves at the life support meeting like asdffghjkl you guys talk about married
· MArk interrupting and being awkward af and kinda insensitive before just blurting his name in Paul’s face. That’s me. I’ve literally done that. Just shouted my name in someone’s face by way of introducing myself
· Lets talk about the fade from Steve to ROger singing about how he should’ve died. WOw. Thanks. My hearts not broken
· AND THEN WAM BAM THANK YOU MAM STRAIGHT INTO OUT TONIGHT
· HOW FAST DID SHE WHIP HER HAIR ROUND THOUGH OMFG AND THERE WERE SO MANY TIMES SHE WAS JUST HANGING ONTO THAT SCAFFOLDING BY HER LEGS ALONE. B A D A S S
· And then she just hops off the little platform into Roger’s apartment and does that lil face nuzzle. Mimi is my kinda girl I swear to god.
· Another Day... WHo doesn’t love everything about that song?
· HOW BEAUTIFUL DID THE ENTIRE CAST SOUND HARMONISING WILL I? God it was gorgeous.
· ANd you could see Roger realising that he doesn’t want to die alone and that maybe he can have another shot at love and he puts on his coat and leaves the house. Talk about character development!
· “THIS LOT IS FULL OF MOTHERFUCKING ARTISTS!”
· That lady coming at Angel after she’s all like “Easy sugar easy” This is after Angel holds COllins back from saying something?! ANd Angel is having none of it she just backs the hell up like mmm no honey
· SANTA FE. SANTA FE. SANTA FE. THE MOST UNDER APPRECIATED SONG IN THE HISTORY OF THE THEATRE?!?
· RYAN O’GORMAN SAVED MY LIFE?
· The bass line is to die for
· Mark third wheeling to hell and filming the whole thing
· There was a moment in one show when Angel got the spliff the wrong way round and then when it eventually got passed to MArk he just sat there with it like ??? before pasisng it back to Collins. WHAT A FUCKING INNOCENT
· Collins hitting Angels boot and doing that spin and swinging round the ladder and imitating Angel playing the drums when he says “You can drum a gentle drum”
· When they all sit on the bench and pretend to be driving a car to Santa Fe and then Collins pushes Mark’s camera round to film the horizon as he sings “Do you know the way to Santa Fe?”
· “YOU KNOW... TUMBLE WEED... PRAIRIE DOGS. YEAAAAAAAAH.”
· Dead. I’m dead at this point.
· ANd then I get hit with the intro to I’ll Cover You and I think I’m going to survive but y’all know I’m not.
· Anyway... Mark FINALLLLLLLY leaving!!! And Angel being like thank the gods and Collins is like “He’ll be back I can guarantee”
· With that in mind Angel is like shit better tell him I love him immediately before Mark crashes that party
· “I’ve been hearing violins all night,”
“ANything to do with me? Are we a thing?”
“Darling... We’re everything.”
CAN WE JUST !!! THEY’VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR LIKE A DAY AND A HALF?!? nOT EVEN THAT IDK. BUT THEY BOTH LOVE EACH OTHER SO MUCH IM CRYING TEARS OF BLOOOOOOD
· They just sit on the bench and sing to each other and then Collins kneels down in front of ANgel when his verse comes on
· RYAN PULLING OPEN HIS SHIRT TO INDICATE “I ain’t got much baggage”
· Then they fucking dance and look at each other from across the stage and it’s so soft you want to die but then you realise you already have and you’re in heaven
· AND THEN THE KISS AT THE END. HOLY MOTHER.
· We’re Okay - again UNDER APPRECIATED. ALSO DISAPPOINTED IT WAS CUT FROM THE FILM.
· YASS YASS YASS CHRISTMAS BELLS AND ALL THE VENDORS ARE ON THE STREET AND ANGEL AND COLLINS APPEAR SHOPPING FOR A NEW COAT
· Collins being a sweetheart and telling Angel she doesn’t have to do this for him and Angel’s little “Hush your mouth its Christmas”
· The look Layton gives the vendor when she offers Angel that ugly ass coat... Stunning. Hilarious. I’m choking.
· KISS ME IT’S BEGINNING TO SNOW.
· Mark retelling the past half hour of the production as he suddenly appears with Roger and is trying to get to grips with the whole Mimi/Roger thing
· Roger spotting MImi and being like there she is and Mark and his one track mind is like MAUREEN?! And Roger’s voice literally sounds like an eyeroll as he says “MIMI!!!”
· Mark’s “WHoa?!” Like ummm how did you get her interested in you Roger?
· Then the whole thing descends into chaos and its brilliant and everyone’s shouting and singing and Collins sees his old coat and he’s like fuck you but Angel wants to buy him one so she’s there haggling and Mark is filming them both again as they hug in the snow and it’s so fucking cute
· “WHich way to the stage!”
· LUCIE JONES DESERVES A TONY AWARD, AN OSCAR AND A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE. I CAN’T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HER PERFORMANCE. IT IS OUT OF THE PARK. WE ARE SOMEWHERE IN THE STRATOSPHERE OF BRILLIANCE AND PURE TALENT. THE NOTE SHE HOLDS FOR HALF A MINUTE, THE MOOING, THE ECHO, THE DEPTH OF HER VOICE, THE FUCKING MILK DRINKING, THE AUDIENCE REACTION. I LIVE FOR IT. And I used to think that song was weird af and now… I’d dance to it at my wedding
· WHEN MAUREEN IS PRETENDING TO DRINK THE MILK FROM ELSIE’S UDDER AND COLLINS TURNED TO MARK AND SAID “Hey Mark, d’you remember this?!” AND ON THE LAST NIGHT WE WERE THERE IT WAS SO LOUD AND I FUCKING CHOKED AND THEY WERE JUST ON THE VERY EDGE OF COMING OUT OF CHARACTER. BILLY WAS JUST GLARING AT RYAN AND HE WAS GRINNING AWAY TO HIMSELF AND GOD BLESS THE WRITERS FOR ADDING THAT IN BECAUSE IT’S NOT IN THE ORIGINAL SCRIPT OR THE FILM EITHER AND IT IS T H E BEST THING THAT EVER COULD’VE HAPPENED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. SERIOUSLY.
· Watching everyone else through Maureen’s performance is also the cutest thing. Angel and Collins were clicking along and Mimi was trying to teach Roger the Over The Moon dance
· Also Joanne had me giggling the whole way through. She was stood in the background holding the boombox and whenever Maureen sings the chorus she holds it up so the backing track sounds louder. But she was wearing this beige/brown roll neck under her coat and as she lifted the boombox her coat would come open and I swear I thought I was seeing skin and I was like JOANNE!?? Where are your clothes woman!
· Anyway… That whole song was legendary and I can’t believe I’m so blessed to have seen it.
· Then we head straight into La Vie Boheme which is a personal favourite anyway but it was just to die for. All the movement of the tables, the hand clapping, the kissing, seeing Lucie Jones’ bum three times, everyone basically pretending to bang and masturbate and Mark riding Collins like a motorbike and Mimi and Angel’s friendship and just the purity of believing in something and being something that other people can’t understand. It’s a beautiful song.
· And we take a break from it to watch Roger and Mimi sing their lil duet an that’s really cute and sweet and HOW HAS IT TAKEN THEM THIS LONG I SWEAR TO ALL THE GODS
· Ok so during I Should Tell You everyone else is frozen in the background sitting round a table but on the Friday night, Ryan was just standing and then one of the swings came in and he just beckoned her over and they hugged and he gave her a lil kiss on the forehead and that was the cutest thing ever
· And on the Saturday night they’d been having issues with the tables and then Maureen’s chair was too close to another bit of the stage so she couldn’t pull it out to sit down so she was just in the background wrestling with it and it was just so funny
· And then we come crashing back into La Vie Boheme B which I’m currently trying to learn all the words too because it’s brilliant and beautiful and it’s for everyone, everyone should be accepted and loved an-THE RIOT CONITUES
· Yeah… One minute you’re all singing and then BAM Mark’s there shouting about a riot and the Christmas tree is burning down and Mimi and Roger are kissing in the rafters
· Seriously everything Mark says is poetic af
· Crash. Bang. End act. Sit and scream internally for 20 minutes while you wait for imminent death to occur.
