Second time to see it

Chris Columbus takes on the much-speculated task of bringing the beloved Broadway musical to the big screen. Jonathan Larson's Rent has a following of Rentheads the world over - those who related to the eight principal characters of the musical. Set in East New York circa 1989 to 1990, Rent 'documents' the lives of struggling artists whose anthem is La Vie Boheme.

Now, we've all seen this done before. Evita, The Phantom of the Opera and Chicago were well-received. As for Rent, what made it different from the previous stage-to-screen endeavors was Columbus' casting choice.

He signed on six of the original eight Broadway thespians. A smart move, considering that these actors have already inhibited their characters - which is apparent on the big screen. The mask becomes the skin.

Songs had been re-arranged and some of the lines were spoken and not sang which worked all-in-all. The camera angles were apt in some sequences. Onstage, Act 1 is normally longer than Act 2 but in the film, Act 1 took up 90 minutes of the entire 135 minute production, therefore rushing Act 2.

Now, we go to the film. We watched at Glorietta 4 and were the first people to enter the cinema. Excited much, I guess.

Anyway, I usually watch at ATC so the first thing I noticed about the G4 cinema was that there was this platform which looked very much like that of a stage.

So when the first song of the musicale, the notorious Seasons of Love started playing, I literally got goosebumps. It was as if the eight characters Mark (Anthony Rapp), Angel (Wilson Jermainne Heredia), Joanne (Tracie Thoms), Roger (Adam Pascal), Collins (Jesse L.

Martin), Maureen (Idina Menzel), Benny (Taye Diggs) and Mimi (Rosario Dawson) were really onstage under separate spotlights. Then the camera changes its angle by taking the shot from the actors' backs, thus revealing an empty audience. This is the actor's POV of the theater.

Seasons of Love pretty much set the tone that this film may be inspired by a musical but because this is a movie, there will be changes from the original work.
As proven in the next song Rent. You cannot burn papers and throw it onstage or you'll set the whole theater on fire.

In Colombus' movie, he directed the Mark, Roger and the tennants to set their eviction notices a flame for their landlord Benny to witness. This is one reason why the title of the musicale is Rent. A majority of the scenes from the play are set in Roger and Mark's apartment.

This is where they became friends with Collins, Maureen and Benny. Naturally, they have to pay the rent. However, Benny married their land-owner's daughter Allison.

In his friends and former roommates' eyes, Benny had lost his ideals and became a capitalist.
In You'll See, we see Benny in a different light - on how his actions were mostly for the granting of their "idealist" desires in a "realistic" method. Mark and Roger were too much of a filmmaker and songwriter respectively to condone Benny's wishes of preventing drama queen Maureen's protest.

Mark and Roger sees the performance as expression while Benny sees it as a revolution - against him. Therefore, Benny blackmails his former friends to stop the show or they'll pack.
One Song Glory explains Roger's dream to write that one song - that song which would be remembered by those around him.

That was his goal and his way of coping from the death of his girlfriend April. She died of AIDS.

Columbus directed Light My Candle onscreen quite faithfully from the onstage direction.

Chemistry between Pascal and Dawson was there. Dawson was cast for her film notoriety, taking the place of the original stage Mimi who was pregnant during production. First time Roger sets his eyes on Mimi, he is reminded of April.

Her junkie ways was pretty much like that of his ex-girlfriend too.Learning from his past, he tries to convince Mimi to give up her addiction but Mimi opted to seize the day.

After saving Collins from muggers, Angel was introduced to the circle.

With his unique drumming skills, Angel makes good money playing in the streets. With his real attitude and love for living, he inspires his newly-found friends to see what each day can bring into our lives - if we only take the time to notice it. He/she sings this in Today 4 U.

We then get the idea that Mark used to date Maureen but she dumped him for a woman. Regardless, Mark still wants to be there for Maureen and couldn't gather the heart to say no whenever she asks a favor from him. Having an idea of what the typical Maureen is like, he helps Maureen's girlfriend Joanne with the equipment for the "revolution/peformance.

"

Columbus introduced the character of Maureen by adding an additional tango sequence with the love triangle. Onstage, it was just Joanne and Mark in Tango Maureen. Columbus' adaptation brought out to the audience how charismatic Maureen is that she can get any man and woman's attention - which fitted to the whole tango performance, tango being the dance of seduction.

Life Support was the song during the Life Support meeting. I'm not sure if they used the same ensemble from the musicale though.

Feeling the pressure of taking on a role familiar to RENTheads, Dawson proves herself in Out Tonight.

She was able to capture the youthful and naivette trait in 19-year-old Mimi. She can sing and she can also dance, gyrating at the strip club and also on the rails of her apartment.
Another Day follows shortly after the previous song and we see Mimi seducing Roger again for the second time.

They clash here. In the musicale, the whole song was performed inside Roger's apartment and Collins, Angel and Mark, coming from the Life Support meeting were at downstage left singing in counterpart. Columbus tries for a different tone by having Mimi running out of Roger's apartment.

They continue with Mimi and Roger singing and having a distance between them, she outside and him on the balcony, which was awkward. She was joined by Collins, Angel and Mark.
Finally realizing what Mimi was trying her best to get through, Roger joined the Life Support meeting with Collins, Angel and Mark.

It was time for him to let go and move on.
On the subway, Collins shares his dream in Santa Fe. Collins is a teacher who could very much earn good money with his brains, but like his friends, he chooses to do what explains who he is, going for intuition rather than intellect

Collins and Angel's duet I'll Cover You provides the second reason for the title:
I think they meant it
When they said you can't buy love
Now I know you can rent it
A new lease you are my love,
On life - all my life
I've longed to discover
Something as true as this is
Over the Moon is where we are originally introduced to Maureen.

A true blue performer, Maureen holds her own in a one-woman show alluding to Benny's agenda of evicting the tenants for a 'cyberland.' Menzel, being a true blue performer herself, performed the song live during filming.

La Vie Boheme is the movie and the musical's highlight:
To days of inspiration
Playing hookey, making
Something out of nothing
The need to express-
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane, going mad
To loving tension, no pension
To more than one dimension,
To starving for attention,
Hating convention, hating pretension
Not to mention of course,
Hating dear old Mom and Dad
To riding your bike,
Midday past the three-piece suits
To fruits - to no absolutes-
To Absolut - to choice-
To the Village Voice-
To any passing fad
To being an us for once .

.. instead of a them!

!
And finally, to Mark's delight, Roger moves on. He and Mimi went out of the restaurant and both said, rather sang, I Should Tell You.

They both have baggage but are willing to move on from the past so that they can be together in the future, taking it day by day.
Act 1 ends with the shorter La Vie Boheme but since this is a movie, it was hardly noticed.
Act 2 begins with another version of Seasons of Love.

In the movie, the song was played as snippets from Mark's film were shown. It was almost a year since they first met on the eve of December 24, 1989, the same time Mark started making his film, a documentary of real life.
This is where the problems begin.

Reality comes crashing back with Joanne who was mad at herself for loving the flirty Maureen, the conflict between Benny and his former roommates, Angel's health deteriorating and Mimi battling her personal demons.

In order to solve their financial problems, Mark sold out and worked for a capitalist film distribution company. Joanne asked Maureen to become her committed partner which she said yes to.

But during their engagement brunch, Maureen flirted with a waitress. The catty Take Me or Leave Me was beautifully captured by Columbus onscreen, directing his two actresses by facing them off a billiard table. Before that, they were walking around the function room.

Maureen even stood up on a table to highlight the fact that she was an actress and "this diva needs her stage." Towards the end of the song, we hear Joanne's side. She really is a control freak and deep inside, she's also wishing Maureen to take who she is entirely or it's better that they end the relationship, which they did.

At the same time, Mimi was also having problems controlling her human nature. After catching her buying drugs, Roger breaks up with her. Columbus directed Without You by showing Mimi's struggles without Roger in her life.

Because the movie doesn't include three songs from the musicale, Act 2 is really short. Angel's death was abrupt. Instead of singing Halloween, Columbus had Mimi, Mark and Maureen delivering eulogies.

After Angel's burial, the friends are united, but only in a physical sense. Amidst brewing tension brought out by a question Mimi asked Roger, the disdain replaced the apathy. It was the first time Joanne and Maureen were at the same place, just as it was the first time for Mimi and Roger to see each other.

She was with Benny which only pissed Roger more. In Goodbye Love, we begin to understand where Joanne and Mimi came from. They wanted the kind of love Angel had, the love s/he received from Collins.

Roger walked away while Maureen turned around and stayed.
This is the third reason for the title. Rent also referred to a "tear" in their circle.

Roger tried to begin another chapter in his life by selling his guitar, getting a car, driving to Santa Fe, selling the car and getting a new car. As he played in the streets, he had visions of Mimi. Roger, meanwhile, was living the corporate life, making and editing other people's films.

The pay was good but he hated it. He also kept on hearing Angel's voice. It's not only "In America" does the stuggle between self and society apply.

We see in What You Own the connection between Mark and Roger. They shared the same goal, dream and passion. They have the similar drive and determination.

That is why they make good roommates and good friends. Roger went back home.
But Mimi was missing.

They sent out flyers to no avail. Ironically, on December 29, 1990, exactly one year when Mimi walked through Roger's window, Maureen and Joanne found her on the steps. She returned to her junkie ways and was sick.

Roger serenaded her with "the song" In Your Eyes and for a minute, she passed away. But she came back to life, saying that Angel adviced her to return.
A lot happened in 525,600 minutes all because there is no day but today.

I was having a couple of 'off days' so I decided to have a day-off.
I met up with "the others."
It also rained.

It's refreshing.
Tomorrow's a new day.
This week is my rest week.

By Monday, I start with Trumpets.
Tuesday, will be having a screen test for a DLSU short film.
The part calls for the "ideal girlfriend"
Just for kicks, wanna see what they think.

Were people cheering applauding as well at the end of the movie?