Rent!

I just got back from seeing Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Rent and it was just so incredibly good! Ever since I fell in love with the show, I've felt so sad that I never got a chance to see the original cast do it on stage. The feature film is great, of course, but it's just not the same thing. This was such an amazing chance, to see Anthony and Adam performing live as Mark and Roger.

They were fantastic, as was the rest of the cast, some of whom I'd seen on the DVD of the last Broadway cast in the final performance.

Adam Pascal is a beautiful man and he looks damn sexy in the sleeveless shirt he wears for part of the show. The power of his voice, and the raw emotion that he manages to bring to Roger, even after all this time, just blew me away.

I found myself more drawn to Anthony Rapp, though. Maybe it's because I feel more of a connection with his character, Mark, or maybe it's because I read his memoir, Without You, fairly recently. Or maybe it's just because he's completely adorable, I don't know. Whatever it was, I totally have a crush on him. I've always liked his character a lot (three of my four favorite songs are at least partially his: La Vie Boheme, Tango Maureen, and What You Own; my other favorite is Take Me or Leave Me), but tonight I just fell for Anthony!

He brings so much to Mark, even after all of these years, it amazes me. I'm fairly sure this will be the only time I'll ever see him do Rent live, but if it's at all possible, I hope to see him again, in something else. Maybe it will be on an actual Broadway stage! I'd love that.

We had great seats tonight, quite close to the stage, since I decided that if I was going to pay to see the show live I wasn't going to be way the hell up in the second balcony. Seeing it play out right in front of me, this show that I've come to know so well through the film version, the DVD of the last Broadway performance, and from listening to the original cast album, was almost surreal. It was also just downright incredible.

I wish I could see it again! I know there are hardcore Rent fans out there who have seen the show countless times, but for me, this one night will remain a very special moment in my life.

I may write more about this in the next few days. I just felt I had to say something tonight, while I was still on my Rent high!

I'll be writing about this week's gay soap character happenings on Sunday, when I've had a chance to sit down and catch up.