My journey with RENT began the summer going into my Junior year of High School where I was given a burnt CD to listen to. It was Act II of RENT. From the beginning, I found the music absolutely entrancing. Having no idea what the story was, and especially confused because I hadn't heard Act I, I would listen to the music every night and envision what I could of the story. A few weeks later I asked to borrow Act I. From that moment on, there has never been a moment where something RENT-related has not been part of my life. The next day I went out and bought the cast recording myself, and I passed the burnt copies on to my best friend, Corey. Ever since then, it has been my duty to pass RENT on to as many people as possible.

I remember many nights when Corey and I would discuss RENT - sometimes the music, sometimes the characters, sometimes how confused we were since we had yet to actually see the show. That spring the RENT tour came through Cleveland and my parents surprised us with tickets! We sat in the upper balcony, but felt no detachment whatsoever. The natural raw energy of the show held us captive to the performance. I will also admit that when the audience started mooing, it made me jump in my seat! I had been so engrossed and focused on the action onstage below me that I had forgotten that other people were there. I remember walking out of the theatre with Corey, my girlfriend, and my father... all in complete awe at what we had just witnessed.

In the spring of our Senior year, Corey and I performed "What You Own" for the Ohio Thespian Conference Individual Events Competition. From our first round of competition, we immediately became known as the "RENTboys". Everywhere we went people would stop us and talk to us about every aspect of the show. As the week wore on we anticipated the posting of the winners. We won the title of State Champions for Musical Duet! The song became the anthem of our lives and became a big hit throughout our school. We further took our performance to the International Thespian Conference, where we sadly didn't fare as well.

We both went through our first year of college - me for musical theatre, and he for music education. I remember so many times that year listening to RENT (driving my roommates and friends crazy) and realizing how relatable it was to the changes my life was going through. I had friends who started doing drugs, friends falling in/out of love, friends dealing with extreme depression, my girlfriend broke up with me - I felt very much like Mark, watching everything happen and seeing how it effected life around me. I grew up so much my Freshmen year of college. Occasionally I would call Corey and just tell him which RENT song related to my life at that point. It was almost like a little game we played.

Fast-forward to August, 2005-
Corey and I had been planning a trip to NYC for a while and we decided on the first week of August. Coincidentally, as time neared, we found out about the Today Show performance and contest. We spent the night on the streets of NYC, in an area we weren't familiar with - and me wearing a scarf my friend had made me... in 90° weather. At about 4am we joined the line of fellow RENTheads outside the Today Show studios. There were only about 20 people there at this point. We decided to stake our claim in line and then fell asleep. When I woke up about two hours later, there was a camera crew and a waiver was being placed in front of me. I signed it and almost immediately there was a camera crew recording me... I was very confused. I think they had to ask me the question four times before I was coherent enough to respond. As you could tell from the video, I wasn't really able to put a proper response together and I thought I didn't stand a chance at ever winning.

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me and helped me live a dream.

Throughout the contest, I made many new friends through different websites including IMDB, BroadwayWorld, and CompulsiveBowlers. There were so many great people and GIGANTIC RENTheads everywhere. It was such an amazing pleasure being able to talk to so many people about something I love so much. I felt so privileged to be part of the contest. Among my new friends was a veteran of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. He was able to pull a few strings for me and I was able to borrow a sweater from the basement of the Nederlander Theatre to wear to the premiere!

Come premiere time, Corey and I took the Greyhound (13 hours) to NYC. We lived a poor life, being college students, and it was an absolute blast! We checked into the hostel and started preparing for the night ahead. When we arrived at the Ziegfeld there were already hundreds of RENTheads lining the street outside the theatre. We spoke to some of them and I felt so honored to be part of this. It was inspiring speaking to some of these fans. Some were older fans, but there were also a lot of younger fans. It is phenomenal how this show has lasted for ten years and is still building it's fanbase. So many people can relate to each of the characters and their various life-situations.

We were ushered into the theatre after claiming our tickets at will-call and immediately entered into a dream. The theatre was stunning. Everything was so ornate and beautiful, and so were the people! We rode the escalator to the second floor, where we were immediately overwhelmed. We were actually there! We sat in the lobby frozen and unknowing what to do, then we saw Sandy and Ari. We exchanged salutations and decided to find our seats. We went in the theatre and each successive usher told us just to keep walking... and walking... all the way to the front row! We took our seats and sat in the midst of an electric atmosphere. Everyone was buzzing the moment they stepped in the door. It was like we were at a real show. The energy was permeating everything, creating an unparalleled ambiance of exhilaration. We spotted Zuri and her dad nearby and we all had a really cool moment of "Wow... I feel like I know you!" The mood kept building until the music was stopped and the studio execs came out to give their speech. I looked back and saw the cast in the center section of the theatre, surrounded by their friends and family, looking just as excited as all the fans.

The moment the movie began (with no previews!) I became overwhelmed and - I'll admit it - I teared up. Here I was, witnessing the World Premiere of the movie that I had become so invested in over the past year. I felt like I had been part of the production and I felt such pride as I saw their names appear on the ginormous screen. We clapped as each name came up and it hit me how amazing these people were. I had spoken to most of them at the Today Show performance and now I was seeing them immortalized in something beautiful. Corey and I had gotten to see our role-models perform on the Today Show and in Bryant Park, and now we were sharing this experience with them. I could not believe that I was part of this night.

After the movie, which was filled with laughter, joy, nostalgia, and much sobbing, we all sat through the credits until the very end. When the tribute to Jonathan Larson came on the screen, there was an immediate resurgence of applause. It inspired me to see that he is truly appreciated. I thank him and his family for allowing us all to take part in this journey.

As we exited the theatre, I realized that Jesse and Wilson were right behind me. When we got to the lobby, Rosario was right in front of me. Seeing them standing there waiting with me to exit the building made me appreciate them so much more. Too often movie stars get egos and forget the fans, but these people were right with us, just as pleased as we all were. Their modesty continued all the way through the after-party.

Corey and I rushed back to our hostel to grab my video camera... I'm not entirely sure it was allowed at the party, but nobody stopped me! As soon as we entered the gorgeous Roseland Ballroom, I could not believe we were there. Everything had been decorated to give the impression of the Lower East Side of the late '80s. There was junk hanging everywhere, like the Broadway set, and like Maureen's performance space for "Over the Moon." There were old bikes, broken fans, posters plastered on the walls - downstairs was made to look like a Subway station and included some performers. We met up with a Sony person and were told to enjoy whatever we wanted. First off, the food was absolutely delicious and plentiful. Secondly, we were surrounded by beautiful people. Thirdly, I still can not believe we were there.

As we were introduced to each of the cast members, they were more than gracious enough to talk to us. Of course, everyone wanted to talk to them so our time was limited. There were a few points where Zuri's dad and I got left behind and had to play catch-up and introduce ourselves to them. I really appreciated Zuri's dad for sticking with me to make sure I, too, was able to have a picture with each cast member. Everybody looked phenomenal.

Tracie was absolutely adorable and I felt like I had known her for a long time. When we were introduced she said "It is so nice to meet you"... and I thought to myself "WHAT?! You are the amazing one!" She was so humble and truly beautiful as a person...
Chris was very pleasant and obviously very much in love with his family. He has given us all a great gift with this film...
Wilson was thrilled at everyone's enthusiasm and was quick to respond to our many questions...
Rosario was rushed because she had to leave early, but she was gorgeous. I spoke to her mother for nearly 20 minutes about several different things. I told her that Rosario's performance in "Out Tonight" was, for lack of better word, amazing. Not so much even the strip club portion, but once she left the club, her natural "joie de vivre" poured out. The image of her skipping down the street, dancing and singing was so REAL. It struck me as one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Her mother's response was "Oh, we do that all the time. Whenever we're happy that's what we do, we dance and sing... sometimes down the road"...
Adam looked excellent and was very pleasant to talk to. Corey and I told him of our victory with "What You Own" and he congratulated the two of us...
Jesse was just as charming in person. He is such a genuine guy who really cares...
Taye and Idina were both bombarded at the party and were very hard to reach, but they were both looking great...

That brings me to Anthony...
I have never met anyone so genuinely caring. He stood and talked with us for no less than 15 minutes in the midst of this whirlwind night of his. He took the time to really talk to us and asked what we thought and really listened. He embodies the essence of RENT. Being the only one to take the entire journey from the workshop performance in 1994 to the making of the movie, he has so much of himself in this work. I had the pleasure of speaking to him via BroadwayWorld where he answered some of my questions and we have been in touch with private messages. He is so much about the fans and making sure that we are all involved. I have been reading his posts since last October when he first posted about the RENT movie confirmation and appreciate everything he has done for us.

I am sorry for the lengthy post and thank any of you who bothered to read this far. There is so much more to say and I wish I had enough to tell you all everything that happened. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. It was a dream come true and I wish everyone could have shared the experience with me. RENTheads are such a strong support group that I am honored to be a part of.

I am so proud to have RENT as part of my life.
~Kyle ]]> 2006-05-19T07:45:49Z 2005-12-12T18:00:58Z tag:,2005:/5.354 2005-12-12T18:00:58Z