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Reading the letters here after the hilarious review, I'm glad that people who saw the original "Rent" found it as witless, tuneless, and gormless as I did. After having read one panegyric after another, I went expecting the re-invention of the American musical, a new age in American musical theater. I found it loud, stupid, boring, manipulative. It seemed 20-30 years old, musically: a Lawrence Welk version of rock music, tricked up in some middle-American incoherent fantasy idea of hipness.
I especially disliked the lead who went into a semi-crouch each time he belted out more inane lyrics. I couldn't tell what that was about, but I was ready to see somebody on-stage bitch slap him and make him stand up straight. One of the worst mannnerisms I've ever seen in a singer. I was dying to leave at intermission, but couldn't because this was a special charity event performance. Luckily my lover (and now-husband thanks to Canadian law) loathed it as much as I did and we spent the car ride home stunned by the hype. I grew up in New York and have never been so disappointed by a Broadway show.
