Broadway sound on screen

Nearly ten years have passed since the original "RENT" debuted on Broadway, and now, it's gathering momentum as an old and new favorite among many people. A soon-to-be, if not already, beloved musical, "RENT" was written by Jonathan Larson and in 1996, it went to Broadway. If you begin listening to the soundtrack and expect it to sound something along the lines of "Chicago" or "Les Mis," you'll be greatly surprised. "RENT" is a rock opera, and Larson's lyrics amplify the theme of love. Based on Puccini's "La Bohème," the musical, movie, and lyrics are about love and making it through life with the most miniscule resources. Taking place in New York City's East Village, it follows eight friends through one year.\nThroughout the new movie version of the songs, you'll discover quite a few deletions. The biggest and most noticeable deletions are that of the answering machine. Some of the comic relief in the original cast recording of "RENT" came from the answering machines. We all grew to love Mark's Jewish mother yelling at him through the machine, and got to know Lexxy Darling (a minor character) through the messages.\nAlso, you'll notice other small deletions, like shortened songs. Some lyrics that used to be sung are done so no longer. One example is in "La Vie Bohème," while Mark is speaking to the host at the café. In the original recording, he sings with the host, "You sit all night, you never buy/That's a lie, that's a lie/I had a tea the other day/You couldn't pay/Oh yeah." In the movie, they speak those lines, and it's small details like that which can be important to some people.\nOther than the miniscule removals, it is almost better than the original cast recording. The additions of Rosario Dawson as Mimi and Tracie Thomas as Joanne are actually good. Dawson's voice, now raspier and lower, is a welcome change. Thomas' singing can be very high or very low, depending on whether or not the situation calls for it, and her voice can challenge Whitney Houston's. The rest of the original cast is back (Anthony Rapp as Mark, Adam Pascal as Roger, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel, Idina Menzel as Maureen, and Taye Diggs as Benny), and they sure do shine. Each brings their own unique presence to the big screen and to the soundtrack. So be sure to shell out a few of your own rent dollars to get your own copy.