Left: Anthony Rapp
as Jewish character
Mark Cohen
Keren Engelberg
Jewish Journal
of Greater Los Angeles
NI
ore people can afford Rent this month,
thanks to Revolution Studios. The
production company opened a film
version of the Jonathan Larson rock opera this
week, directed by Chris Columbus, and starring
most of the original Broadway cast.
Set against the backdrop of NewYork's East
Village in the late 1980s, and based on Puccini's
opera La Boheme, Rent tells the story of a group
of bohemian artist friends struggling with
poverty, heartbreak, drug addiction and AIDS.
Perhaps because of its gritty "real" themes
and characters, the show has been credited by
some with creating a renewed interest in musi-
cal theater among younger generations. Rent,
co-produced on stage by former Oak Parker
Jeffrey Seller, is currently the eighth longest-run-
ning show in Broadway history, with a large fan
base, affectionately called "Rent-heads:'
Missing Piece
Notably absent from the film creation is
. Larson, himself, who died tragically of an aor-
tic aneurysm on the eve of the play's first pre-
view. Larson's sister, Julie, is a co-producer on
the film, which should help ease fans' minds
about the filmmakers' desire to do justice to
the show that has won both Pulitzer and Tony
awards.
Indeed, the film is quite faithful to the
staged play. The sound and feel of Broadway's
Rent are kept intact, even while the music is
given a slightly edgier rock core, and some
dialogue lines are spoken in the film rather
than sung.
Jewish Rent-heads can also rest easy, as
the little nods and throwaway lines Larson
wrote for Jewish character Mark Cohen are
still there, too. Mark still mentions his bar
mitzvah and talks about learning to tango
with Nanette Himmelfarb, the rabbi's daugh-
ter at the Scarsdale Jewish Community
Center.
The filmmakers also kept the part where
Mark's mom calls him on Christmas to wish
him a happy holiday.
That may sound-strange, but actor
Anthony Rapp, who revives his role of Mark
from Broadway, explained that Mark's char-
acter was drawn from Jewish writer
Jonathan Larson's own experience.
"I know that Jonathan did celebrate
Christmas in their house, but I think they
also had a menorah," Rapp said.
It seems loyalty to Larson's vision was at the
heart of all those involved in creating a film
version of Rent.
"We're here to serve Jonathan and the play.
And we're here to serve all the fans that were
touched and moved and saved by the play:'
said Tracie Thorns, who plays Joanne in the
film.
The movie cast of Rent alsb includes Jewish
performers Idina Menzel (Tony Award nomi-
nated for Rent and a Tony winner for Wicked)
and Adam Pascal (also a Tony nominee for
Rent) in the roles of Maureen and Roger,
respectively. Both created these roles in the
original production. ❑
Below: Idina Menzel
as Maureen
Rent is currently playing in theaters.
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November 24 2005
53