Taking NYC by Storm...Part 4....RENT style!!!

I apologize for my lack of blogging.  Its been crazy busy this week and it's only getting busier.  Tomorrow is my 29th birthday, Saturday is Emmy's birthday party, Sunday we have PreK orientation after Mass, then Monday is the first day of school. Crazy busy!!! 

But on to the fun stuff.....RENT!!!!

I know I've talked a ton of times about my absolute adoration for RENT.  I was first exposed to RENT one Thanksgiving day years ago.  I was watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the cast performed "Seasons of Love." I was captivated by it, even though I had no clue what it was.  I just remember it being a lovely song with minutes in it.  When I was a senior in high school (in 2000....yes I was the smoke-free/drug-free Class of 2000), I went to see RENT for the very first time.  I had no expectations at all and I walked out in love.  I instantly ran out and bought the soundtrack and learned every single word.  I researched it and learned all I could about it:
It's actually a modern day spin on Puccini's La Boheme 
Jonathan Larson (who wrote it) died the night before it debuted in an off-Broadway theater workshop.  He actually wasn't finished writing it so it's an incomplete work
Most of the locations mentioned are actual locations throughout NYC's Lower East Side
(I could go on and on but I'll save you guys)
From that moment on, I found my words to live by: 

Forget Regret or Life is Yours to Miss

To this day, I try to remind myself of this.  How simple, yet how truthful, are those words?!? 
Obviously it became a number one goal in life to see it on Broadway.  I saw it every time it came to the Tampa area.  I think I've seen it 5 times before seeing it in NYC.  Well I heard the sad news that The Nederlander Theater and RENT were closing it's Broadway doors.  I was devastated.  Since I couldn't make it up there to see it before it closed, I, of course, bought the documentary of the final performance.  It was so amazing and so emotional. 

Fast forward to 2009.  Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, the original Mark and Roger, joined a National tour that was making a Tampa stop.  You know I was counting down the days until that show.  Wouldn't you know, God had other plans for me. June 9th I had a placental abruption at 28 weeks, which landed me in the hospital for 24 hours and on bedrest for the rest of my pregnancy.  Going across the bridge to Tampa was out of the question.  And as much as I was devastated that I couldn't see 2 of the original cast members (which all of my friends got to see), making sure I could hold on to my pregnancy and my daughter was far more important.

I heard that there was an off-Broadway revival of RENT and I jumped on it.  The Hubs hates RENT, like capital H.A.T.E.S it.  But he loves me enough to suck it up and make my dreams of seeing RENT in NYC come true.  We bought our tix (yes I had tix to the show before we even had plane tix) and started planning.  Our entire trip (in my eyes) revolved around this show.  After consulting with Meghan about the venue and attire, I had the perfect outfit planned.  We got to the theater, which was by far the coolest place I've been to.  All of the stages are underground.  There is a cute bar for pre/post show cocktails but the kicker.....not only can you bring your drinks into the theater, they have waitresses who will take drink orders for pre show and intermission!!!  How amazing?!?  We settled in (our 12th row seats although any seat would have been amazing) and prepared ourselves (me for the sheer amazement and the Hubs for sheer torture).

Before the show (the Hubs walked in the rain without an umbrella....his shirt is wet, not sweaty)

The director, who was the original Broadway director, changed things up a bit.  Everyone's costumes changed....caused a big uproar in the RENThead community, and changed the choreography a little bit.  I was nervous that the core story would be tampered with because of the changes but I was so wrong.  The show was UNBELIEVABLE!!!  It is my favorite performance to date, and not just because it was in NYC.  It was brilliant.  The cast....amazing.  The set design...amazing.  The rendition of  "I'll Cover You: Reprise"....amazing.  Brought tears to my eyes.  This play spoke to my soul.  The beauty of the story.  The intensity of the love. The heartache of death.  It was a beautiful experience for me.  There is absolutely no way for me to accurately describe how amazing the experience was.  It was a night I will NEVER forget and I can't believe the Hubs made it all possible.  I love him for it so much!!!

If you ever get a chance to see RENT, please don't let the opportunity pass you by.

Thanks Baby for making my RENT dream become a reality!!!  I love you!!!