‘RENT’ LIVE — The Show Must Go On
Main Character Suffered Broken Foot During Rehearsals
Sunday’s live TV musical performance of ‘RENT’ was not exactly live.
One of the main characters broke his foot during Saturday rehearsals of the show and was rushed to hospital; but as it’s said in the theater, “the show must go on”!
FOX ‘s producers found a way to accommodate Brennin Hunt’s injured foot into the performance by intertwining previously recorded scenes with his character with actual live footage of other scenes. Unlike real theater companies, FOX doesn’t have understudies for their live musical performances so this was the next best thing. So while we at home were watching recorded footage, the theater audience was watching something a bit different…
You wish you could see this version! @RENTonFOX #RentLive pic.twitter.com/HhEbHnN3HB
— Alison Young (@Foreverayoung) January 28, 2019
It was a shock to TV viewers who saw Roger energetically bouncing and running around the stage one minute and then suddenly having a cast on his foot the next. Producers chose to do the final scene live regardless of Roger’s cast and immobility.
And on the note of the final scene, the TV musical cast was joined on stage by ‘RENT’s original Broadway cast including Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Fredi Walker, Taye Diggs and Adam Pascal for a final performance of the musical’s signature song ‘Seasons of Love’.
‘RENT’ is an award winning rock musical by Jonathan Larson. It’s about a group of young artists struggling to get by in East Village New York City, dealing with the reality of HIV/AIDS.
FOX’s live TV version included Brennin Hunt as Roger Davis, Jordan Fisher as Mark Cohen, Tinashe as Mimi Marquez, Brandon Victor Dixon as Tom Collins, Valentina as Angel Dumott Schunard, Kiersey Clemons as Joanne Jefferson and Vanessa Hudgens as Maureen Johnson.
