Added: 2 years ago
From: idinasfavefanzel
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  • I'll always remember the first time I saw RENT... It was the school edition performed at the Texas Thespian Festival, November of 2010. Nonetheless I fell in Love with the show immediately! =

  • OMG I am only discovering this wonderful production called Rent for the very first time!! It is amazing :D Where the hell have I been for the last sixteen years??! Oh yeah....being a kid :P Missed SO many opportunities to see this.....and now im stuck with the movie version :/

    also I adore Idina Menzel. She is my idol. She brought me here <3

  • Dayumm idina hahah -3

  • i dont know about idina...but you are my favorite fanzel :)

  • gotta luv Anthony

  • I giggled with Anthony started to dance. <3

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  • I hate my parents for not having me in time to see this musical. I could;ve been an 80's baby! Bleh... 1997...

  • so wait..this Adam guy..the one who plays Collins...isn't he the SAME guy tht plays collins in the movie?? thts awesome if it is..tht means they got an ORIGINAL rent cast member in the movie!!!!!

  • @LydiacButler Collins, Angel, Mark, Roger, Maureen and Benny were all in the OBC. The only main characters that weren't are Mimi and Joanne.

  • @LydiacButler Firstly, Adam Pascal plays Roger. Collins is played by Jesse L. Martin :)

    And everyone in the movie was from the original cast, save Mimi and Joanne!

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  • This is really interesting to watch, especially so because I just read the chapter in Anthony Rapp's memoir describing opening night. This musical has always had more of an impact on me than any other.

  • I had the honor of seeing Anthony and Adam in their roles last year. It was frickin awesoooome xD

    (except an annoying drunk chick spilled her drink all over me. looking back, it sort of added to the RENT-y atmosphere ;D)

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  • Mark is amazing!!!

  • I LOOOOOOVVEE ADAM PASCAL!!! He's my favorite.

  • This version is SOOOOO different from the movie

  • Geez...... I wish I could have seen this LIVE!!! I wasn't even born yet. I was born about a month after its opening night!! xD <3 <3 thanks for posting!!

  • Damn I wish they had actually filmed this opening night...the other casts do not compare. I was just trying to watch the one they filmed on broadway and I couldn't watch it all the way, once they got to La Vie Boheme and were just not as upbeat as this cast was I was like "I'M DONE!" I'm glad I got to see it a few years ago when Adam and Anthony reprized their roles as Mark and Roger, I wouldn't see with any one else playing them. I was only 5 in 1996 :/ Id give anything to have seen it then.

  • I think it is pretty important that this is on Youtube. I don't know why original cast performances arent always recorded for future viewing! RENT fans need to see this.

  • @thamilton2010 Heck yeah. This is what I like YT for. Just like the person who uploaded the 1975 footage of Chicago, it's a blessing to have such stuff preserved! :-)

  • @thamilton2010 I know. The opening night of ANY musical should be recorded. Dream girls, wicked, rent, etc.

    At least then it'll be officials. Because wonderful videos like this end up getting flagged or removed cause the asshats on YT deem it illegal or copyrighted.

  • @BlazedHearts they do record them they have special passes that let u go to a library in new york that contains every broadway show recorded on its first and last performance

  • @homedog55 Wait, proffessionals do that?

    Thats so awesome. o_o

  • Jonathan, wherever you are, be it heaven or the centre of the REAL bohemian world, we love you, and even now, 15 years on, RENT is taking the world by storm, and is quite possibly one of the most controversial and memorable musicals of our generation, if not ever, which is probably exactly as you intended it. You didn't get to see your masterpiece's success, but it has touched the hearts of so many. You are always loved, and never forgotten, you little genius. <3

  • 5:04 is just HOT. Enough said.

  • Haha, I was three fucking years old in 1996...!

  • 3 people clearly love convention and pretention and love their mom and dad

  • I am actually terrified to go out with my friends because I know we'd start to do this in the place. Same with Santa Fe, I actually never want to be on a subway with my friends

  • @bluebirde67

    Are you kidding? Kelly and I walked through Universal Orlando's parking garage and sky bridges singing this song. Public performances, baby!

  • Luv Mark's shirt, it's also as awesome as the blue vinyl pants :)

  • Mark and that damn shirt hahahahha

  • My step mom always made me cover my ears at this part. LOL. :3

  • Its so funny to know that none of them knew how huge they would be. Like look at Idina she and Taye have had a what 15 year long career? That's as old as I am. Older if you count Idina's wedding days. :D Love her to death<33333

  • I wish i could of seen this opening night, to bad i was only three. *sigh * haha, I love Rent :)

  • @LosingPatience22 I would have gone... too bad I was just born :p

  • OH MY GOD Idina! THE CUTE! She's so young! It's weird thinking that this is on opening night, where no one knew none of the songs, nothing about the show and some of these people would end up winning Tony's... well one of them... and it has blew up into this huge deal. I love it.

  • its weird not hearing people screaming when this song starts

  • rosario dawson is not an original cast of rent

  • They still looked the same in 2005. That is amazing!

  • @IVH93 except roger, who grew 12 inches of hair...

  • @asthefriendsSCREAM and Taye, who doesnt have hair on the top of his head- he does have a mini beard which is very nice :P

  • @asthefriendsSCREAM Haha, of course ;D

  • This isn't opening night! They planned the opening night to be a sing-through because Jonathan Larson just died. They didn't do it in costume.

  • @cheskalotr lol true they werent even supposed to dance or do anything just sit there and sing. But by the time they hit la vie boheme they were up dancing lolololol.

  • @cheskalotr that was for the off broadway premier, this is the opening night on broadway lol

  • @cheskalotr this is the opening night ON BROADWAY rent opened OFF broadway before this and THAT was when jonathan larson died THAT was a sing through. THIS is after that ON BROADWAY. my gosh.

  • look how young they are! This is a piece of priceless history, Just brilliant.

  • this is history!!!

  • Original Cast <3

  • @AnnaMorgann The best cast they had for Rent, the other ones just can't compare!

  • it really blows that Jonathan Larson died JUST before seeing his dream come to fruition. I only hope he's watching from heaven as so many people continue to discover how AMAZING THIS PLAY IS!

  • @idinasfavefanzel do you have a dvd of this?? im prepared to pay good money for the show

  • I love the audience reactions

  • I wish I could have seen this live, at the time I would have been 4 but still. 

  • Oh my. This is historical. Isn't this like 24 hours after he died? Or is this the transfer to Broadway?

  • @mpersico Jonathan Larson died the night before opening night of the off-broadway show after their last dress rehearsal. so yes this was after he died.

  • @xJordanxox - I bet some broadway museam or the Actors Guild would pay for these. You really have a historically important set of videos here. Make sure you have copies in case the YouTube Copyright police come along.

  • @mpersico this was way after he died. well not wayyy after. but he died before the off-broadway premiere. and this is the broadway premiere. so this is 4 months after jonathan died.

  • @IsThisTourettes - ah, I thought this was the off-broadway. Oh well. I bet you could still get someone interested. Isn't there some Broadway museum?

  • I love how most of Anthony's dance moves used here are also used in the movie. It really is so interesting to see the cast in their first performance, and how similiar it is to the movie version.

  • wilson 4:12 - 4:17 <33

  • wow how young they all look!! THANK YOU JONATHAN LARSON!!!

  • I literally cannot contain my fangirl squeals right now. Thank you so much for uploading these videos.

  • Wilson's muscles are seen through his long sleeves. XD Heheheh.

  • After watching the movie a few times, it's awesome being able to see the real live performances. 

  • I love how Jesse lies down on Wilson at the end. XD

  • Favorite moment: 5:02 - 5:06 <3

  • OK THE PART WERE SHE SHOWS HER ASS NO WONDER HER AND TAYE GOT TOGETHER AND MADE A LIL ONE CONGRATS

  • OK THE PART WERE SHE SHOWS HER ASS NO WONDER HER AND TAYE GOT TOGETHER AND MAD A LIL CONGRATS

  • I love Mark's movements in this song! It really defines and shows his character.

  • i love that the audience are hearing the jokes for the first time and are truly laughing at them :D

  • omg you can see how crazy buff adammm is since this was right after he had a personal trainer job

  • Mark looks weird here

  • Anthony Rapp is undoubtedly the best Mark. I can't understand RENT without him. And Adam Pascal is soooo hot :)

  • is this the original cast that was in the movie?

  • @plasticmailbox The movie isn't the "original cast," if that's what you're saying. This is the original cast, it is the same as the movie except for Tracie Thoms (Joanne) and Rosario Dawson (Mimi).

  • @plasticmailbox yes, except for Tracie Toms [Joanne] and Rosario Dawson [Mimi]. They weren't part of the original cast, but when they did the movie, the original actors of those two were unavailable, hence the change. :)

  • @yaoinowplease No one was pregnant the other refused because she thought that she was too old for the role. Not sure which one was which.

  • @Memnb2013 daphine who plays mimi was pregnant and fredi who plays joanne thought she was to old

  • @tomboy12f Yea i didn't remember which one was which and i didn't want to look it up at the time cuz it was like 4 in the morning.

  • @Memnb2013 if it was 4 I wouldnt have looked it up either lol

  • no one can ever replace the original cast!!

  • i love mark and maureen XD

  • I LOVE THE AUDIENCE REACTION. When you watch this, compared to Filmed Live On Broadway, the audience reacts so much more: 'Who died?' 'Our Akita.' 'Evita!' '[audience screams]' I love you, 90's.

  • @idinasfavefanzel I literally cannot express how thankful I am that you uploaded this.

    THANK YOU!

  • OMG They all so different here with there 90s hair and clothes!

  • adam pascal, anthony rapp, and jesse owens OWN this show. everyone else was incredible and irreplaceable, too, but those three......

  • @moiraghblue which person is jesse owens? do mean jesse l martin or is there someone in the cast name jesse owens?

  • @moiraghblue Jesse Owens, the black track and field star of the 1936 Munich olympics who died in 1980, was in rent?

    Hahaha Jesse L. Martin :-)

  • Holy crap this was 14 years ago! I was 3 lol.

  • @michaun13 haha i wasn't even born yet!

  • @michaun13 I was 6!! <3

  • @michaun13 Hahaha I was 10 lol.

  • @michaun13 I was -4 months old! :P

  • @michaun13 I was barely born!!! :P

  • @michaun13 so was I lol :D

  • @michaun13 I wasn't even born yet!

  • This is awesome

  • Is this the day Jonathon Larson died......

  • Wow... I can't thank you enough for uploading this! It's fantastic!!

  • What 3 dumb a**es disliked this?!

  • no wonder Taye Diggs and Indina Menzel ended up together. After starring at her butt at least once a day for who knows how long, he probably said "gotta get me some of that vanilla shake!"

  • @slipperyredav He is so much more classey then that. They both are.

  • @slipperyredav LOL UR SO FREAKIN FUNNY

  • Are Maureen/Idina + Mark/Anthony reall kissing at 6:16 ? :O

    

  • @Schulzman94 yes, and Joanne sees them. that is why Joanne tells Maureen to be packed by next week in La Vie Boheme B. Later on in the run of the show, they changed it to Maureen kissing another girl.

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  • i almost cried... I would give ANYTHING to meet every single one of them... ANYTHING... i love this production to deathhh

  • The audience is so good :P haha Unbeliveable :)

  • @idinasfavefanzel thank you so very much for uploading. The OBC are incredible and it's so amazing to see the opening night...

  • Thank you, Jonathan Larson!!!!!

  • love love love this cast

  • respect to everybody who makes RENT possible everytime..

  • Wasn't this the night after the preview, when Johnathan Larson died?

  • @katrinka06

    The night of opening night he died

  • Who was Angel in this video?

  • I have met adam, anthony, and gwen when the final tour came to my town and as a longtime RENThead it was a dream come true. While they weren't in their twenties anymore, they still had the soul they exhibit here.

    I just wish i was old enough to see the show when the OBC was there

  • no cast can top the original cast,adam and athony are truly amazing and video doesnt do their voices justice after seeing them live

  • Anthony Rapp's voice is inhuman. Its fantastic.

  • If I was in Taye Diggs place right at that perfect moment. I'd definitely fall head over hills over Idina as well. lol I LOVE HER. GIRL LOVE

  • To do this day, La Vie Boheme just does not feel complete if it doesn't include the spazziness of Anthony Rapp's dancing... Nothing will ever beat the originals!

  • well thats the 90s for ya

  • So was Idina Menzel the first person to bare her ass on Broadway or what?

  • @motownazn no.. I believe Hair was the first show to feature nudity.

  • Damn!! taye diggs was skinny!!!!

  • anthony rapp is adorable!

  • I don't think they edited Anthony's vocal in the movie version, it's just that this video was recorded with some commom camera inside the theatre, and the movie soundtrack was recorded in a professional studio.

  • @singdanceact96 I agree with you, Jesse's upper register is better, but I think Michael is a little better as an actor an singer. But Jesse is really awesome too.

  • Who's playing Benny? I can't tell if that's Taye Diggs or not. D:

  • @Sungoddess18 It's Taye Diggs :)

  • @idinasfavefanzel he seems to have gotten better for the movie version, or maybe they just edited his vocals.

  • @idinasfavefanzel he used to be sooooo thin. :O

  • @idinasfavefanzel can you make a dvd of this for me??? i will pay good money for it

  • @idinasfavefanzel can you make a dvd of this for me??? i will pay good money for it (like the whole show not just this song lol)

  • @Sungoddess18 Opening. That means it's the original cast, no understudies.

  • the forgot to say lenny bruce or something... but still AMAZING!

  • it's amazing how different Anthony's voice is in the movie. Then again I suppose it would change after 10 years :P

  • so jealous u got to see the openin show grrr i was only 5

  • Anthony Rapp is THE BEST

  • The original cast is the best. But I was there to watch both the first and the final Broadway performances, and I have to say that Michael McElroy is the best Collins ever, though Jesse is also great

  • I LUV DIS SONG... y easy on the vibrato, ok?

  • oh god how i love the obc of this show. Adam Pascal. rawr. Anthony Rapp, Idina, Taye, Jesse... god they're all just so fantastic. but that adam pascal... lol. Thank you for posting this!

  • i got to see three original broadway cast members (adam pascal and anthony rapp and some ensemble member) do the show :) it was AMAZING!

  • i got to meet adam pascal and anthony rapp in the touring cast! it was the best day of my life! :D they signed all of my stuff and i got pictures!

  • Adam and Anthony look so young. I just want to hug Anthony right up.

  • 1996 Rocks for RENT!!

  • "when dorthy and todo went over the rainbow to blow off aunty em." LOL we were listing to this on my i-pod while reading wicked. That line sticks out now lol.

  • as great as anth is as mark, something about his dancing here is kind of annoying to me...he just kind of flails around like every drunk white dude that gets made fun of at a bar...dont get me wrong...this is a sacred piece of footage but i have to go with adam from the final crew as mark, personally...yeah yeah yeah all the obc freaks are ruffling their feathers...I can hear it now...

  • @manifestgtr

    Well, I will try not to get pissy over your opinion. But you are wrong :) Mark IS the drunk white dude dancing around the bar like an idiot. That is how Anthony plays him. He is not cool. He's not supposed to be. He's just having a good time. My one problem with Adam K is that he acts cute. He acts like he KNOWS that he is cute. He's trying to not be a dork but Mark is the biggest dork in the show. And he is loved for that.

  • i want my high school to do this play so so so so so so so so so badly. omfggg grrrrrr. we are doing sound of the music. who the fuck cares why cant we do a play that actually has good songs and faces real life issues!!! like RENT <3333

  • @PuNcHxBuGgYx3 my school just finished up doing rent. amazing experience.

  • is it weird that i love anthony's shoulders?

  • @allaboutmad no its absolutely normal :D

  • I love Anthony Rapp soooooooooooooooo much! His dancing is soooo cute and amazing! They are sooooo incredible. I wasn't even a year old when they opened, and I got to see it on tour (with Adam and Anthony) but there's nothing I wouldn't give to meet the OBC or see them perform.

  • omg i luv mark he's so cute <3

  • so awesome. I wish i owned this. I was too young to see the obc.Thank you for posting!

  • grr wish they didnt shut rent off :( :'( i was barely born when this came onto broadway :( its so magical and everything awesome and amazing, wish it was still going

  • RENT>>>wow what can I say? Nothing will ever compare!..Ive loved that show since I was 16 Im now 30!

  • gosh im so diappointed that i was only 4 years old when they did this....=( this is the closest ill ever get to the real thing..the mark and roger in the filmed live on broadway disappointed me...its not the name without anthony and adam....so so sad i can never see them sing these awesome songs...why did they have to close? =(

  • Ou i couldn't watch that "Live on Broadway" dvd performance - version. It was just way too stiff. Here they are so natural and live on the stage. I just love the OBC. <3

  • I hated that version

  • A treasure, considering they ban videomaking in the legit theatre. Your cohones paid off. Thanks.

  • I am seriously really grateful for the oportunity to see the whole original cast doing what they were meant to do. However, it's a pretty rocky performance compared to the 2008 one, and the way they performed in the movie (okay, they have editing for that) and the little bit I saw of this song in their 2010 tour. Wish someone would post footage from that. Anyway, I guess I'm just saying practice makes perfect. I like the choreography in the 2008 one better than this original choreography.