00:00:04facts with Leslie we’re going to be
00:00:05talking about rent which is just out on
00:00:07DVD our rent is particularly interesting
00:00:09because it’s based on the 1996 Pulitzer
00:00:13prize-winning play by Jonathan Larson
00:00:15which is in turn based on bikinis
00:00:19original La Boheme so it’s about a
00:00:21bohemian lifestyle it’s set in 1989 in
00:00:24New York City and it was originally
00:00:26framed for the stage in 1995 now
00:00:30Jonathan Larson who is the creator of
00:00:33rent actually died on the night of the
00:00:35broadway opening and because it’s a lot
00:00:37about AIDS people assume that that’s how
00:00:40he passed away but in truth the I was
00:00:42unlucky he just had a brain aneurysm so
00:00:45clay became exceptionally successful and
00:00:47people all over the world got into it
00:00:49because even if they weren’t able to go
00:00:51to New York to see the play the music
00:00:52was just so phenomenal that it really
00:00:54touched people like I said all across
00:00:56the world cut to ten years later and
00:00:58director Chris Columbus decided he was
00:01:01going to try and make it into a film and
00:01:04this is very interesting for a few
00:01:05reasons first of all rent is a musical
00:01:08it’s not 1960 anymore so it’s a big leap
00:01:11to make a musical feature number two
00:01:14Chris Columbus is somebody who really
00:01:15recognized as someone who does laughs
00:01:18accommodate for example home alone and
00:01:21so this was a bit of a departure for him
00:01:23too but it works and I think what makes
00:01:26it work is that the original cast from
00:01:29the 1996 show all of whom were
00:01:31struggling actors at the time who really
00:01:33had not gotten any break at all
00:01:35six of the original eight make an
00:01:37appearance in the new production company
00:01:41wrap for example who you would probably
00:01:44know from Dazed and Confused or
00:01:47adventures in babysitting it’s just
00:01:48phenomenal as as mark and adam pascal
00:01:52was beautiful with Roger there’s a new
00:01:53addition to the cast who’s rosario
00:01:55Dawson who everybody’s familiar with who
00:01:57plays Mimi the reason for her new
00:01:59addition is that the part of me is a
00:02:01nineteen-year-old and so the original
00:02:03person Daphne rubin-vega who did go on
00:02:05Broadway’s was quite simply too old but
00:02:08most of the rest of the players are the
00:02:09same they’re phenomenal Jessie L Martin
00:02:12for those of you on order fans out there
00:02:14sings in this movie you wouldn’t believe
00:02:17it’s the same man and another
00:02:19interesting fact about rent is that Taye
00:02:22Diggs actually got his part in Stella
00:02:24got her groove back on the set of rent
00:02:26and decided to celebrate by streaking
00:02:28the entire cast which is perhaps how he
00:02:30attracted his wife who’s idina menzel
00:02:33replaced Maureen so at the end of the
00:02:36day rent is really just wonderful it’s
00:02:38phenomenal it comes to life on the
00:02:39screen and it’s wonderful that it’s
00:02:41going to be able to live on like that in
00:02:43this format
00:02:44if you saw the play I think you’ll
00:02:46absolutely adore the movie and if you
00:02:50see the movie and the DVD and rent it
00:02:53with a box of Kleenex and don’t be
00:02:55afraid to put on the subtitles in sarong
00:02:56it’s worth it
00:02:57[Music]
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