It's only the
beginning (very, very long)...
Chris
The first time that I became interested in RENT was when it made its Vancouver, Canada debut almost exactly 1 year ago. They did a public performance at the art gallery 2 days before opening night. As I watched the cast perform several songs from the show, I immediately knew that I had to see the show! The music was so different from what I had heard before in that it was truly rock-and-roll but seemed to be able to tell a story at the same time and as Boko says in the UPN special "...forward the plot..." Business people crowded around the art gallery during their lunch breaks and others watched from windows in office buildings. This is when the sense of community began. Two days later was opening night on Sept. 8th/98. I rushed with a friend for 3 hours and then we went to McDonalds for some dinner. We were in the line and then in walked Cary Shields and Chad Richardson. We got their autographs and that's where it all began.
To make a long story short about the Canadian cast, I ended up seeing them 5 times in Vancouver. The reason that I kept coming back was because I made this instant connection with the show that I had never felt before. I could feel Mark and Roger's pain and I understood what they were going through. I could indirectly relate because even though I didn't have a problem with drugs or live with AIDS, I still saw parts of me in each character. I saw Cary Shields play Roger 4 times and Dean Balkwill play Roger once. I loved Cary's performances because he has such a beautiful voice and had great chemistry with Saskia. When I saw Dean perform, I was actually disappointed because he didn't seem to have the voice that Roger needed. I actually thought that he was quite weak. However, my opinion soon changed when I got to SF.
Now on to the Angels. I hadn't seen RENT in about 7 months and was suffering from a bit of withdrawl. I had also been reading the SF reviews from this board and decided that I had to somehow get down to SF to see the show again. However, I'm only 16 years old so I knew that it would be extremely difficult to convince my parents. After a lot of careful work and persuasion, it was decided that I would go with a friend for a few days and see the show twice. When I got to SF, the Angels completely blew me away. I thought that I would be totally biased towards the Canadian cast since I'd seen them first but that wasn't the case at all. They soon became my favourite cast. First of all, I was totally amazed to see how much Dean had improved! As I said before, I didn't really care for his interpretation in Vancouver but he impressed me so much in SF! His voice had gotten a lot stronger, his chemistry with Sharon was amazing, and he worked with Trey extremely well. His OSG and Your Eyes were breathtaking! Trey cracked me up so many times with his silly antics, especially in TM! Sharon's OT was strong, sexy, and VERY appealing to watch! I LOVED watched Sharon and Dean flirt during HNY! It was SO FUNNY! Brian was great because he has a really strong voice and maintained a sleezyness about him, which fits right in with the character. Shaun fit into Angel's shoes like no one else. Erin's interaction with the audience in OTM still cracks me up and her TMOLM with Kamilah has to set some record for being so conistantly strong and powerful. I had heard bad things about MLJ but I grew to like his interpretation and I enjoyed his slight changes in vocals.
After the shows at the stage door, I was astounded to see the cast/audience interaction. The whole sense of community seemed so strong. I decided to make a video at the stage door and it made me feel so great that the cast loved to be on film. It showed me that they haven't lost touch with reality and haven't forgotten who makes it possible for them to perform every night...the fans who keep buying the tickets. I kept longing for more but I knew that it had to end. However, my experiences in SF didn't end quite as soon as I thought.
I got back to Vancouver and showed by parents my video and they were completely amazed. To keep this shorter, my mom wanted to take me back to SF because she wanted to see the show and understand why RENT is so important to me! Anyway, a few weeks later, the two of us went back. I ended up winning lotto by myself the first night so we sat front row centre. I had sent Dean a copy of my video but just in case he didn't get it in the mail, I brought another one with me to the show. During SOL, I had the video in my hands and when Dean scanned the lotto seats, he looked at me and just stared. He then started to smile and I think he almost started to laugh. He knew that I was from Vancouver and didn't expect to see me in SF AGAIN! It turns out that he had already watched my video of SF and the stage door. After the show, he came up to me and gave me a great big hug and told me how much he and Matt loved the video. It felt so good to hear this from a cast member. On one of the other nights after talking with many of the other cast members and getting them on film, I did a little on-camera interview with Dean after everyone else had left. I felt bad about keeping him longer after the show but this was my last opportunity. Anyway, I talked with him about his experiences in Canada, SF, and his duo with Matt, and he seemed quite happy to do the interview. I had told him that many fans in Canada, etc. would be seeing this video and wanted to know what his plans were for the future, etc. After the camera was turned off, he really opened up to me and told me that he went through the exact same experiences when he was a teenager that I am experiencing right now. I can't say what this is because it's too personal but it gave me great comfort that he was willing to talk about it. It turned out that we both went through the same rough times in childhood and so in that aspect, we have a lot in common. After that, he gave me one last hug, and then it was over.
I was reading some of the other posts on how people are crying over this being the Angels' last show. I think that at this time, we should remember what the Angels have given us personally and cherish the memories that we have. We can apply everything we've learned from RENT and from the cast members to our other endeavours. I think we should celebrate their accomplishments. It's okay to feel sad but don't mourn and feel angry that you didn't get to see the last show. Be thankful that you did get to see the Angels and for the wisdom that we all have learned. Many people can't afford to go to the theatre and didn't have the opportunities that we have been blessed with. Most of us have been able to talk with cast members, meet new people with similar interests, and watch a show that holds a very special place in our hearts. We are so fortunate. This is only the beginning where we take what we've learned and use that to improve the way we live our lives. I feel so blessed and I thank God every night for these experiences of a lifetime. I'll never forget them.