Although director Chris Columbus helmed a 2005 theatrical version of Jonathan Larson's (1960-1996) prize-winning, long-running 1996 musical about struggling residents of New York's East Village (a modernized version of La Bohème with rock songs), it received mixed reviews. But there's no question that fans will rejoice over Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway, a high-def recording of the final Great White Way performance on September 7, 2008. A true celebration—with fans, Larson's family, and past cast members joining the party—director Michael John Warren's documentation of the last show is not presented from an immobile 10th-row center perspective: instead, Warren's cameras nicely capture the excitement of a live performance, roaming not only across the stage but through the audience and into the wings as well. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 on DVD and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 on Blu-ray, the extensive extras include featurettes on the last days of the show's run, the final curtain call, the backstage wall on which fans have scribbled remarks over the last 12 years, and the traditional lottery to fill the first two rows of seats for the final performance. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are two more featurettes on the theater that housed Rent and the history of casting the musical. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway
(2008) 152 min. DVD: $24.95, Blu-ray: $38.98. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-4359-5767-9 (dvd), 1-4359-5770-9 (blu-ray). Volume 24, Issue 3
Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway
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