Final shows
ZealforLeal
I was lucky enough to see both shows today. The matinee was the finest performance of Rent I have seen. The evening show was the most emotional. For those who couldn't be there, rest assured that SF gave the Angel cast quite a send off. They got a standing ovation before the show even started. Trey had to wait for several minutes before he could say his "We begin on..." line. It was very moving.
I won the lotto and had first row dead center seats for the final performance. What are the odds of winning the lotto when 300+ people show up? Thanks Little Bear for your help (I didn't have enough cash for the second seat and Little Bear kicked in her $20 and gave her original ticket to my daughter)! The rush seats were filled with real live Rentheads who let the cast know exactly how we felt about them. Sharon Leal's baby sister won lotto tickets too. It was cool when Sharon noticed her little sis in the good seats. I heard that the Larson's were at the show. I hope they were indeed there, cuz the crowd really showed their appreciation for Jonathan's work.
The show took a long time because the crowd went wild with applause over every little thing. Many cast members were crying openly on stage. Dean had to pause a couple of times before he could start a song because he was crying. The final curtain call was a total tearfest. Dean cried so much on Sharon before Your Eyes that her face was soaked.
The scene after the show was a total madhouse. The people were piled into the street and several police officers were there to help keep order. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hang out because I had one really tired 9 year-old who had just seen two kick ass shows! We did hang out at the stage door after the matinee and the cast was very sweet to my daughter.
I'll try to post a more comprehensive review later. At this point I'm still teary and rambling.