no day but today!

About a month ago I had a really fun experience- back in March, my bestest friend Kassi and I got to see Rent! I had seen it before; it's one of my most favorite musicals- but this time was special. The roles of Mark and Roger were played by none other than the original Broadway actors themselves: Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal!!!

Both of these guys are such amazing actors, and have been in many, many musicals- but they defined the roles of Mark and Roger in Rent. Before I had even seen the play, I owned the original Broadway cast recording of Rent, and fell in love with these two. (I know every word to every song!) When I first got to see the play, I was almost disappointed because it just wasn't the same without them. I almost peed my pants when I found out they were going to be touring- I was sooooo excited.

Of course, Kassi and I wasted no time buying our tickets, and our seats were totally sweet! We on the lower level, about half way up, in the center. We could see everything! The show was, AMAZING, as expected. Afterwards, Kassi and I had a big scary looking guy, with an unexpectedly feminine voice, take this picture of us in front of the Rent poster inside Gammage.

And here we are with the actress who played Maureen. She was exactly how I always pictured Maureen. I thought she fit the role better than even Idina Menzel from the original cast. For those of you who don't know anything about Rent, here's a little synopsis:

Based on Puccini's 'La Boheme,' this rock opera tells the story of one year in the life of a group of "bohemians" struggling in modern day East Village New York. The story centers around Mark and Roger, two roommates. While a former tragedy has made Roger numb to life, Mark tries to capture it through his attempts to make a film. In the year that follows, the group deals with love, loss, AIDS, and modern day life in one truly powerful story.

If you have seen the movie and liked it, I highly recommend seeing the play if you get the chance- it's sooooo much better. The show is no longer on Broadway, but they filmed the final performance, and it's available on dvd. It's really neat, I bought it and love it. It a great way to experience Rent in it's original form without paying an arm and a leg to get tickets to see it in person.