This weekend I was holed up in my apartment trying to defeat a winter bug that has been plaguing me all week. As a result, I found myself in front of the boob tube watching a lot of television (namely the first season of Weeds on Netflix instant), so I caught this week’s Saturday Night Live, with host Neil Patrick Harris (NPH).

I was pretty excited to see NPH on SNL, knowing how funny he is, especially on live television, but sadly this weekend’s skits were all kind of lame. Even the skit where they made fun of the current Broadway closing situation (with NPH playing an actor portraying Mark in Rent–which he actually did do in 1997 in the LA cast of Rent) only produced a chuckle from me:

That said, NPH was the best thing in the skit, with his over-the-top angsty Mark. (However, I did love all the Broadway nods–like the lame, slow chandelier drop from Phantom of the Opera.) As you may already know, NPH has a great past of producing hilarious musical moments in the past. Here are a few of my favorites:

NPH and Jason Segal doing “Confrontation” from Les Miserables:


Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka singing “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent during Broadway Backwards 3:

NPH doing “Mr. Sandman” from Doogie Howser MD:

NPH singing about shoes on Sesame Street:

NPH in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog:

Hey guys! Right now I’m literally looking outside the window onto the beach. Yup, it’s a Modern Age vacation. Anyhoo I needed to make sure I told you guys about one thing before I completely detach from the world. (Do you know how hard it is to blog from someone’s iPhone?)

The thing I wanted to mention is the Hot Ticket showings of RENT: Live On Broadway, which is going on this week starting on Wednesday, Sept 23rd and playing again on Thursday, Saturday, and Saturday.

I went to an advanced screening last week, and let me tell you, it’s really well done and a joy to watch.

Buy tickets for one of the four showings at The Hot Ticket.

PS- Back to blogging on September 29th!

So I didn’t wake up today and say to myself, “Dude, you should totally be a paparazzi specializing in CW stars,” but it seems as though I ended up being one today… I just happen to spot almost all the major players in the cast of Gossip Girl! I was walking around the tent for Diane von Furstenberg at Bryant Park today and all of a sudden out the corner of my eye I saw a girl wearing yellow, and then a herd of people instantly swarming around her and her friend.

Walking closer, I recognized Miss Leighton Meester! I snapped a few photos, and then only later did I realize that the other girl accompanying her was none other than Jessica Szohr!

Then an hour or so later, I stopped by the Nederlander Theater (the home of the Broadway cast of RENT) for one last pass. (Today was the last performance of the show on the Great White Way. RENT RIP!)

As I’m standing there I hear people shouting “Luther! Luther!”…as in Luther Creek, a replacement ensemble member of the Bway cast of RENT who was infamous for having the worst “Mark” known to man. As everyone was screaming “Luther! Luther!” I noticed a pretty blonde walking toward him and realized it was none other than Blake Lively wearing a cropped black leather jacket and awesome wedges that had straps snaking up her foot. When I took a moment to stop staring at her perfectly wavy hair, I noticed the shlubby guy next to her was boyfriend and co-start Penn Badgley. Michelle Hurd, who plays Laurel was also there. Who knew they were theater fans?!?!

More from the final day of RENT…

Fans wait outside…

The Nederlander!

Original cast members Jesse L. Martin, Daphne Rubin Vega, Anthony Rapp, Wilson J. Heredia, Byron Utley, Freddie Walker showed up to the final performance. Past RENT alum like Jay Rodriguez, Frenchie Davis also appeared and random folks like Chris from Project Runway.

As I’m sure you’ve already heard, the long-running musical RENT will have its final performance on Broadway on September 7th. As a result, there’s been a slew of RENT-related events which have caused old-timer RENTheads like myself to come out of the woodwork. (One such event was the GMA Summer Concert series a few weeks ago where both the current Broadway cast and Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp performed songs.)

The Nederlander at night.

So you can imagine how chuffed I was to be able to attend a special performance of the current Broadway production of RENT at the Nederlander Theater on 41st Street last Wednesday. What made the show special was the fact that it was being filmed to be used in a future “Hot Ticket” theatrical release in movie theaters at the end of September (the 24, 25, 27, 28, to be exact). The final performance on September 7th will also be filmed and the best moments from each of the nights will be composited for the final cut of the film.


Setting up for the taping.

When I showed up to the theater around 7PM, there were giant movie trucks parked outside the Nederlander, and heavy cables ran across the sidewalk and into the theater. As I entered into the orchestra area, I noticed the Nederlander was the same as I remembered it, but quite different–several rows had been removed from the theater, allowing for two cameras on tracks to be placed a few rows back from the stage. And from what I could tell there were also five other stationary cameras and two mobile hand-held camera roaming around the stage.

Supervising producer Chris Rouchard kicked-off the event by giving a little talk to the audience, notifying us that there would be starts and stops through the performance whenever things needed to be re-shot or set up.

I have to say, after many many years without seeing the stage production of RENT, I was a little anxious to see how I would feel seeing the show after all this time. I thought perhaps I’d be bored, or I would feel overly nostalgic. But sure enough, as soon as the opening strains of “Tune Up #1″ started, I was back in “the zone”–by the time “RENT” started, I was grooving in my seat, tapping my foot, and nodding my head to the music. “Man, I still really love this show,” I thought to myself.

List of the cast members of the final Broadway production of RENT.

The current cast was quite entertaining–particularly Will Chase as Roger and Eden Espinosa as Maureen who were both excellent and added their own stamp on the well-worn characters. Justin Johnston as Angel was good, as was Michael McElroy, who I’d seen several times as Collins in the late 1990s, and Tracie Thoms as Joanne. Adam Kantor did a fine job as Mark, although his delivery was quite reminiscent of original Broadway cast member Anthony Rapp. Renee Elise Goldsberry had the difficult task of taking on Mimi, a role which has been quite unkind to actresses over the year due to the complex emotions and natural stage charisma required for the role. Although she was not as great as someone like Daphne Rubin-Vega or the original London Mimi, Krysten Cummings, she was sufficient.

While the performance was going on, the show made me so happy–but the curious thing was that the show was making me happy in a totally different way than it had when I was a teenager seeing the musical. When I was a teen I loved the music, the rebellious nature of the characters, and the seemingly cool and “edgy” East Village location.

Now, as an adult, seeing the show with more mature eyes and more life experience, the emotions and relationships in the show resonated in such a way they never had for me before. It was such a rewarding experience to know that the musical I had loved so much as a young adult was still relevant, and as a whole the material still stood up to the test of time. (I will say, the costumes definitely look dated at this point, and some of the references are hilariously indicative of the mid-nineties–brick-like cell phones, mentions of CBGBs, the Pyramid Club, “cyber” studios, and …er… Range Rovers as status cars.)

So for long-time fans of the musical, I would definitely recommend heading down to the Nederlander in these last few days of the Broadway stage production and revisiting a show that is still as vibrant and moving as it was the day it opened on the Great White Way in 1996. Of course if you cannot see the show in person, seeing the taped version that will be shown in movie theaters across the country at the end of September is definitely the next best thing.

Fans outside the theater take pictures next to the “Seasons” photos of the OBC.

After the show I was lucky enough to head to the after party and throw a few questions at some of the current cast members (who had been taping since noon that day) about what being in RENT meant to them. Ensemble member Andrea Goss, who only graduated from Syracuse University only a year ago, recounted that she had been a fan or RENT prior to seeing the show, and that it had a particularly special meaning to her as it was actually the first Broadway show she’d ever seen. Eden Espinosa mentioned that even though the current cast had often times been overshadowed by events involving the original Broadway cast (I would imagine she was referencing the OBC appearance on the most recent Tony Awards, and even the performance between Adam and Anthony at the GMA concert event), that it was rewarding to be a part of this final cast and have their performance recorded for posterity–that it was validation for all the hard work they had been doing all this time.

On the way out the door I managed to catch original and current Broadway cast member, the magnificent Gwen Stewart, whose “Seasons of Love” solo still manages to send chills down my spine. The New Jersey native, who recently moved back to the East Coast from LA (and had to finagle her way out of two contracts with other musicals) in order to be in the final Broadway cast of RENT, said that as soon as she heard about the closing knew she wanted to be in the show one last time. Stewart, who definitely has a better costume wardrobe the second time around, said she doesn’t have an immediate plans after the show ends, but would LOVE to be invited to be a part of the new national tour alongside fellow OBC members Anthony and Adam. (“Spread the word!,” she exclaimed, fingers crossed.)

It’s still hard to imagine that after September 7th the Nederlander will no longer house the musical that had such a significant influence on my teenage years… that an institution of American theater, after 12 years, will no longer have life breathed into it nearly every night of the week. It’s definitely the end of an era, and more than just a tad bit sad, but I along with every person who’s life has been touched by the music and lyrics of Jonathan Larson will agree, the spirit of RENT will live on in the hearts and minds of its fans.

This morning I got up at the buttcrack of dawn in order to get to Bryant Park by 6am. “Why?” you may ask? Because the current cast of RENT, alongside original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, were performing as part of the Good Morning America (GMA) Summer Concert series, and I had good enough fortune to get a VIP entrance with a fellow “RENThead” friend who worked at ABC.

Yes, yes, as you are probably already aware, I’m a long-time RENT fan, so although it was not *fun* trying to catch the subway when it was nearly pitch black out, I did it anyway (for the sake of the LOLz).

After 7am there were a few sound checks–first with Adam and Anthony (practicing “What You Own”), then with the full current cast, which just happens to feature two additional original cast members: “Seasons of Love” soloist Gwen Stewart and former ensemble member Rodney Hicks (now playing Benny). Tracie Thoms, who played the role of Joanne in the 2005 movie remake of the musical has also joined the production for it’s final months. (RENT will close September 7, 2008, making it the seventh longest running show in Broadway history.)

During sound check, one of the current members of the Bway cast handed Anthony their camcorder and Anthony went gonzo filming them as they rehearsed “Seasons”–to the point where he was directly in the audience’s sightlines, up in all the performer’s faces. I guess once a “Mark” always a “Mark.”

During the live show Diane Sawyer interviewed Adam and Anthony and talked about the plans for them to reprise their original roles as part of the final national touring company of RENT which begins on January 6, 2009 in Cleveland, OH. She asked the men how they and their “mid-30-year-old” bodies were holding up in rehearsals. (Um… try LATE-30s… both Adam and Anthony are just a couple years shy of 40!!) They said that they were holding up pretty well, and that the music pretty much came back to them quickly.

I find it slightly sad to see near 40-year-olds pretending to be early 20-somethings on a nightly basis, but hey, I suppose it’s nice work if you can get it. In fact, judging by the crowd reaction, many of today’s younger RENT fans don’t seem to be perturbed by the age difference whatsoever. One young woman in the front row held up a sign that said “Tomorrow is my birthday and all I want was a kiss from Adam Pascal.” When the warm-up comic read this sign aloud, the audience in my area kinda groaned an uncomfortable, “Um…. ew.”

What do you think–are Adam and Anthony really too old to be taking a crack at Roger and Mark one last time?

I’m kinda gonna cry. After 12 years of being on Broadway, the hit musical RENT will CLOSE. The last performance perform at the Nederlander Theater in NYC will be on June 1. RENT will be the seventh-longest running show in Broadway history. [UPDATE: The run of RENT has been extended until September 7, 2008]

As longtime readers of the site will know, I was a HUGE RENThead back in the day. Seeing RENT in movie form at the movie premiere at the Ziegfeld 2 years ago was one of the most awesome things ever.

Adam Pascal does not approve of this blog post.

RELATED LINKS: Rent movie films in East Village

Idina sang the National Anthem during the Giants/Patriots game last night. Unlike so many stars that attempt to sing the song, Idina sang it perfectly and beautifully. No off-key warbling for her–she’s a real pro.

In case you missed:

Thanks to Deb for the heads.

PS- Anyone else disturbed by Tom Brady looking kinda hot? Y/N?

As much as I love to support Broadway theater, and as much as I love the fact that Will Chase is a former cast member of RENT, I found his interview with New York magazine to be…well…upsetting. Will is going to be the lead role in the musical theater adaptation of Nick Hornby‘s uber-music geek book, High Fidelity.

Check out this embarrassing exchange between Will and writer Jada Yuan:

NY Mag: Have you studied the clerks at Other Music?

Chase: You mean, what other music do I like?

No, I meant Other Music, the store.

Oh, other music stores?

Never mind.

Will Chase is obviously not a method actor.

Ok so there were a few other things I’ve done in the last few days that I would like to mention right now.

I got a chance to go see the new play by Adam Rapp, Red Light Winter, at the Barrow Street Theater on Friday. As you may already know, I was a huge theater geek when I was a teenager, so I was trilled to get a chance to see a new stage show that didn’t involve a vague story being drawn around some 80s pop songs.

The play is basically about two college friend who spend a night in Amsterdam and bring a mysterious young prostitute back to their hotel room. A year later their paths cross again in New York, and drama ensues. It had a sold-out run at Chicago’s esteemed Steppenwolf Theater.

One of the things I didn’t realize about this play was that there’s FULL NUDITY (both male and female) in it, so if you were planning on bringing the folks to the show, you might want to think twice about it.

The dialogue can be very wordy at times (and a little hard to believe someone would say in real life), but all in all I did find the play stuck with me, even now, a few days after I’d seen it. It touches upon the themes of disillusioned (or imagined) love, poisonous relationships, and emotional cruelty that people inflict upon each other.

The ending is a little predictable and the character of Christina was kinda “eh”, but Christopher Denham‘s performance as the shy and socially uncomfortable Matt is strong and will eerily remind you of someone you know or went to high school with, as it did with me and my guest.

If you’re interested in checking the play out for yourself, head here and use the code “RW2BLOG” to get a discount of $15 off each ticket up to 8 for performances up until May 13, 2006.

WATCH: “Red Light Winter” trailer

Speaking of Adam Rapp, did you know his brother is none other than the Pale One himself, Mr. Anthony Rapp of RENT fame? Tonight marked the celebration of the 10-year anniversary of RENT being on Broadway!!

True to the RENT line/lottery tradition, there was a lottery held for $20 tickets in the first few rows and American Idol alums Frenchie and Constantine picked out the names one by one and shouted them out using bullhorns and they ended up giving away more than the advertised 34 tickets to the benefit show.

The original Broadway cast (including Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Idina Menzel, and Taye Diggs) re-created their roles in tonight’s show. The afterparty was held at Cipriani’s on 42nd Street with celebs like uh…Joey Fatone and Luke Perry coming out to show their support.

The also have a RENT podcast you can download or subscribe to on iTunes.

As you may remember, I flipped out when I got a chance to go to the RENT movie premiere last year. Yup, I’m officially having the gayest week ever.

I also want to mention that I went to see everyone’s favorite sleepy Britrockers, Elbow, at Webster Hall last Thursday. There was one completely AMAZING new song they played (Rachel thought it was called “McGregor”?) that seriously had me crapping my pants. Anyone have a live recording of that song? I found it so powerful and moving with its ominous drum beats and soaring Guy Garvey vocals. Beauuuutiful.

April 23, 2006 will mark the 10th year anniversary of “RENT” on Broadway–which makes me feel really old. In honor of that I dug out some really old tape bootlegs of the original New York Theater Workshop version of “RENT”, hooked them up to my new analog output adapter and made some crappy mp3 versions of some of the “lost” songs from the show. My original tape wasn’t of the highest quality, so neither are these mp3s, but if you are a fan of the show and you haven’t heard these before I’m sure you will get a kick out of ‘em.

The song “Right Brain” has the same melody as “One Song Glory” but the lyrics aren’t nearly as developed. I think you’ll see why Jonathan Larson decided to do a re-write on them. Tony Hoylen plays Roger.

The other song I have is called “Over It.” It’s a duet between Mark and Maureen discussing their relationship but it seems as though it was cut out of the show in favor of “Tango Maureen” between Mark and Joanne. It’s a pretty funny song. You can hear original Broadway cast member Anthony Rapp as Mark and Sarah Knowlton as Maureen.

DOWNLOAD: “Right Brain” from the NYTW version of RENT

DOWNLOAD: “Over It” from the NYTW version of RENT

NOTE: These mp3s are strictly for promotional purposes. If you need me to take them off for some kind of legal reason, please contact me.

Catch more lame “RENT” stuff I wrote about here and here.