The Harry Potter Film Box Set Is On The Way

Now that the complete set of Harry Potter films have been released in theaters it is time to look toward the eventual DVD/Blueray release. A listing for a beautiful box set of Harry Potter films has appeared on the French Amazon.com site which looks 100% MUST OWN not only to hardcore HP fans but to [...]

As I mentioned earlier, David and I got to see the new off-Broadway production of Rent here in NYC and as a HUGE Renthead, I was excited and a bit worried about seeing the show. I’ve seen the show well over 30 times so it holds a place dear in my heart. I knew that there would have to be some changes made to the show but my hope was that the spirit and soul of the show would remain intact. Thankfully, yes, the numerous changes to the show did NOT change the emotional impact of the show. While I didn’t love every change, I did enjoy the show overall very much.

The first thing you’ll see that is changed in the show is the staging … the new Rent has an entirely new stage set. Instead of an open area where everything takes place at different levels, this new stage is much smaller (and cramped) with moving pieces that rearrange for different scenes. There is also the incorporation of video into the show … too much, if you ask me. This is the biggest change that I did not love. It’s hard to believe Mark is a starving, struggling artist when he’s carrying around a huge, expensive looking digital camera with a massive (and again, expensive) lens. During Maureen‘s Over the Moon performance, all of the jokes and laughter come from the video projections behind her … rather than from her over-the-top performance style. That said, I get why the video was introduced. They are trying to make a show set in the early 90′s look a bit more modern. There are a lot of costume changes — most prominently, Angel‘s two main costumes. At first, I bristled at the changes but in the end … you kinda have to let go and just enjoy the show for what it is. The actor who plays Angel is THE star of the show. While the other players are good, none of them really stood out for me … the Angel actor, tho, was fantastic. I quite enjoyed the show, even tho I didn’t fall madly in love with it … I guess I’m just too enamored of the original production. That said, I think diehard Rentheads will enjoy this new vision of the show … as I said, just let go of preconceived notions and enjoy it for what it is. David thinks this new production is better than the original (blasphemy, I know) so I’m thinking the new Rent might turn out to be a success.

[Photo credit: Jason Goodman/Vanity Fair]

Martin Heade
Edvard Munch
Robert Rauschenberg
Dwight Eisenhower
Bill Cosby