My Little
Tribute...
Jackie
I don't even know if tribute is the right word; I'm just too emotional right now to think straight. But I need closure (like last night wasn't enough?)so I've got to write it out and share.
The first time I saw Rent was in SF, back when Daphne was still here. What started out as a interesting way to spend an afternoon became a wonderful experience and love of the show that will probably last forever. Me and my friend tried for lotto every weekend we could between midterms and finals of our last quarter/semester of college. The hope and thrill of winning lotto was great; seeing the cast was exciting every time because there were always improvisations, different ways to making it the best performance ever. After a while, I lived to see understudies just to see the different interpretations of roles and the interactions between cast members. I loved every moment of the show.
My heart would thump every time the show was about to start and during SOL I was giddy every time I caught a cast member's eye. I hit a dry spell for lotto that lasted two sad months, but I finally won again, for the last matinee ever. It was incredible. The cast was so on. But if I thought the audience was alive for that show, the night performance was crazy. I knew I was going to be sad, but it was also unexpectedly fun because the audience was so into the show. I alternately laughed and cried. I'm so glad that my hometown gave the cast all the love and cheers they deserve in a truly emotional send off. It still hasn't hit me that the Angel cast is no more, because I can still hear them in my head and I have all these great memories.
I was never one to go to the stage door to speak with the cast; guess I was too shy or scared of appearing too fanatic or whatever. So I never really got to meet them or other RENTheads though I recognized the faces at lotto. But I knew the cast could here me screaming or clapping plus see me smiling, and as for RENTheads, thank you for being so crazy, keeping us all posted, and being a fun bunch in this Rent community.
love, Jackie