Every decade, it seems, Broadway produces a transcendent musical. In the 1970's, it was A CHORUS LINE, in the 1980's, it was LES MISERABLES. Jump to the 2000's, you have WICKED and, of course, the 2010's brought us HAMILTON.

The 1990's brought us a "rock musical" that focused on a global pandemic set against the backdrop of social protesting and racial injustices (sound familiar), this musical is Jonathan Larson's RENT.

Following (loosely) the plot of the 1896 opera LA BOHEME, RENT tells the tale of disaffected artists trying to live and love (and make rent) while living their lives the way they wish to live it. Writer Jonathan Larson (who passed, suddenly, the day before previews began) created a powerful, rock driven, story that is poignant, sad and hopeful all at the same time. The original Broadway production Iwhich I am bragging that I saw 2x with the original cast) brought such talent as Jesse L. Martin, Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel to the forefront.

But...skip the film version of this musical (starring most of the original cast) that came out in 2005. It is purfunctuary and lifeless. Instead, seek out the 2008 RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY. Like Hamilton, this is a filmed version of the stage show and is able to capture the power and emotion that only live theater can provide.

The cast in this production is outstanding - with the standout being (no surprise) a young Renee Elise Goldsberry (Angelica Schulyer in Hamilton) who shines brightly as Mimi.

Like Hamilton, Rent showcases the power - and purpose - of live theater. A place that I cannot wait to go to again in 2021.

Letter Grade: A-

8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)

RENT is an updated version of "La Boheme" about a group of bohemian artists striving for their art while facing the dangers of paying the rent, poverty, illness, and the AIDS epidemic.

My first introduction to RENT was through the Chris Columbus film. I thought it was wonderful, and even since I saw that version, I've wanted to see the stage production. But seeing as where I live, it was impossible. Then learning that it was closing on Broadway, it broke my heart even more. But then, I learned that the final performance was going to be filmed. I was so happy, that I wanted to see it, but other things got in the way. After a while, I thought I would never see it, until it came out on DVD on February 3rd. I rented it, and I saw it, and I loved it. It feels so good to see the stage production that it's all I watch now. I won't even disregard Columbus' film, but there's something about this one that just stayed with me. Plus, I, of course, cried like a baby watching.

Please see this.

Twelve years after Rent debuted on Broadway and swept across the consciousness of multiple generations (I'm in X), the curtain closed a final time in the theater on 41st St. That night was a culmination of Larson's realized, unrealized dream, witnessed by his parents and sister, and celebrated by the lucky hundreds in attendance that night. After the disappointment of Christopher Columbus's noble attempt, we finally have a definitive version of the musical to remember it by. This is it. This is the one.

All I could think, through laughter and tears, was "How much money did they spend to make that Hollywood version when all they needed to do was THIS? Set up a camera crew in the Nederlander theater and capture the show as it was intended to be seen."

Roger never sings from atop a butte here. :)

I'm sure there will be a selection of fans who were never able to see the show on Broadway or on tour who first loved the Columbus film and it's soundtrack (it's a great soundtrack, after all) and won't understand this Filmed on Broadway version without the context of being there. But, if you've never seen either version I suggest starting here. And for those of us who have seen it live, once or many times, here it is in a time capsule.

I appreciate the closeups. In the movie theater today, I wanted the crew to pull back a bit and show us the entire stage and staging more often. That's my only gripe and why I rate it a 9 out of 10. Then, I think about it on the small screen in your living room and how tiny the stage would look at that size and understand. This version is meant to take the experience home.

The bricks of the wall at the back of the stage, up where Mimi comes out to play? You can see their texture. I imagined the hands of every girl who played Mimi caressing their surfaces and thought, "We've never seen that before, not so close." The overlapping chorus of Angel buying Collins his coat, Roger introducing Mimi to Mark, and Joanne talking to Maureen on the phone has never been clearer, thanks to the camera cuts. The close-up of Angel as she's leaving the stage in death was beautiful.

The best testament to how well this transported me came afterward. My girlfriend and I walked out of the local cineplex fully immersed in Manhattan. It was jarring to see the trees of the suburbs and not the towers, noise, people, and cabs of the Theatre District. I drove away expecting the City's traffic, maybe a bridge, but we suddenly found ourselves in our hometown. So sad. I was hoping to stop at Grimaldi's.