My friend Richard is in town for the last performances of the current tour of Rent. I’m more of a casual fan, but he (who knows all the Rent people personally) and the others I met are totally into it. My new friends and I have been partying the past couple of nights, and Richard scored me a second-row rush ticket for last night’s show. I’ve seen Rent five times now (twice each in San Francisco and Washington, and once while on vacation in Milan, Italy), but I’ve never seen it from so close to the stage. It was fantastic. The energy from the actors was palpable. I was moved at lyrics I’ve heard countless times. Sometimes I get asked how anyone can see the same show over and over again, but the thing is, it’s never really “the same show.” Each individual performance of any work (be it drama, dance, music, etc.) brings out a different set of nuances, even with the same performers, and makes for a wholly new experience.
Info: this tour of Rent runs through Sunday, May 4 at the Warner Theatre, Washington, D.C.