My question is about the ...
Question: My question is about the teaser trailer for Rent that's in theaters now. Like many other Rentheads, I loved it. But I can see how it might be confusing or off-putting to people who haven't seen the original show. Have you seen the trailer and, if so, would you share your opinion? Is it a good teaser, or is it undermining the film's chances of attracting a major audience?
Answer: I haven't seen Rent on stage, which is probably an asset rather than a liability when answering this question. Frankly, the teaser trailer didn't make me the slightest bit interested in the movie. First and foremost — hold the hate mail, please; this is just my opinion — I found the song "Seasons of Love" trite and forgettable (or maybe it just doesn't play well out of context), and the whole trailer is built around it. And I wasn't taken by the mixture of relatively realistically staged scenes and what look like sequences staged for the theater — members of the cast line up under spotlights and sing directly into the camera. And bear in mind, I like musicals. Most moviegoers under the age of 60 don't, and Rent is aimed at a young audience. I am glad that they've held over a lot of the original stage cast, because that means they can all genuinely sing and dance; I don't think much of Rosario Dawson, who's taking over the role of Mimi Marquez originated by Daphne Rubin-Vega, but maybe she'll surprise me. In all, I can't see the "Seasons of Love" trailer convincing anyone who isn't already so disposed to see the movie version of Rent.
