Foot injury fumbles live staging of Rent
Broadcast largely showed footage from Saturday's final dress rehearsal
Fox's live broadcast of the rock musical Rent had a chance to show off the flexibility and work ethic of Broadway in the face of a set-back — and completely blew it.
The musical about people living and dying in poverty with AIDS was unable to overcome a simple foot injury to one of its stars, scrapping the idea of going live Sunday night and relying on pre-recorded footage.
Producers promised the show would go on but it really didn't.
The majority of the dress rehearsal from the night before was broadcast instead of really being live — the very opposite of the musical's ethic "no day but today."
Lessons from tonight’s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RentLive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RentLive</a>:<br>1. Live is ALWAYS better than prerecorded<br>2. Give it your all during the dress rehearsal since it may be your final performance <br>3. Anything can happen in live theater<br>4. Always be prepared for the unexpected (like having an understudy)
—@jzipsterThe creators were unable to respond after Brennin Hunt's broken foot, even though examples from Broadway abound, including Andy Karl finishing a preview of Groundhog Day with the use of a cane in 2017 after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament. He was onstage when the show officially opened just 72 hours later.
The decision Sunday left the Rent cast marooned on Stage 16 on the Fox lot in Los Angeles until the finale, a disastrous idea that rightfully incensed anyone who loves live theatre.
However, producers appealed to dedicated Rent fans by bringing out members of the original Broadway cast to perform Seasons of Love alongside their younger TV counterparts.
It wouldn't be <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RENT?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RENT</a> without a special surprise from some familiar faces. <a href="https://t.co/qVvlQDTQCZ">pic.twitter.com/qVvlQDTQCZ</a>
—@RENTonFOXYALL HAD OG ROGER BACKSTAGE THIS WHOLE TIME AND MADE US WATCH A TAPED PERFORMANCE <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rentlive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rentlive</a> <a href="https://t.co/86DCRl3yLv">pic.twitter.com/86DCRl3yLv</a>
—@MarissaSaysWhatplease please please let them do <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rentlive?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#rentlive</a> again ACTUALLY LIVE! they sounded SO MUCH BETTER for the final sequence.
—@pengwinsamuraiThe production was part of broadcast TV's ongoing fascination with theatre musicals, which kicked off in 2013 with The Sound of Music Live! and has included such entries like The Wiz Live! and Fox's Grease Live!
NBC is set to tackle a live televised version of the musical Hair this spring.