eschetic-2

This 1983 Broadway revival of YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU, which played 312 performances (and 7 previews) at the Plymouth and Royale Theatres may not have even been filmed originally for the Great Performances series which to our great benefit frequently (aways?) rebroadcasts distinguished productions initially aired elsewhere. The opening credits clearly indicate that this document was initially a Showtime (cable network) presentation. For those who SHOULD be searching out the copyright holders to get the property back out to the public with the relatively excellent film and hoards of second tier productions, this production (which reunited the amazing cast of the award winning 1972 production of Eugene O'Neill's MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN, Jason Robards and Colleen Dewhurst) was first put out on VHS by Vestron Video based in Stamford Ct. and later (at least on my copy on inferior tape stock which did not hold the sound well) by Video Treasures, Inc. based in Hauppauge, NY.. The copyright notice on both packages says the rights were held by the Broadway Producer, Ellen M. Krass Productions. I fully agree with the earlier poster, please, please, PLEASE get this back into print! I'll be first in line to purchase a copy for my personal collection and my university's library.

What was intended as a live TV production of RENT came across as one of the best of these TV desecrations of famous shows despite the unfortunate injury to its leading man and the apparent inability of Fox Network to sell massive portions of the scheduled break time leaving unprofessional stretches of "dead air" rather than condensing the three hour time slot to something nearer the show's ACTUAL running time.

The cast - especially Brennin Hunt as Roger (whose injury the night before necessitated the airing of the filmed dress rehearsal up until the actually live final scene and finale including the Original Broadway Cast), Keala Settle as the un-named actress who leads the "Seasons of Love" number, Jordan Fisher as Marc and Kiersey Clemons as Joanne - are outstanding and, despite the arena style staging which (perhaps more appropriate for a revue-like show like GODSPELL) drained much of the "theatre" feel from Jonathan Larsen's great posthumous hit, let you understand every lyric - something not always possible in the original despite the career-making performances from the likes of Idina Menzel, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs, Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal.

In re-imagining Michael Greif's staging of the piece for a non-theatre setting following the questionable but over-all successful precedent of the televised JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, TV director Alex Rudzinski has apparently seen the dazzling stage production a few seasons ago of NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET of 1812 and learned to hold the narrative together far better than the unfortunate TV GREASE while spreading it out over multiple stages (judging by the well bundled audience members at the filmed dress rehearsal) in some sort of roofless warehouse. While this enlarging of the setting contributed to a certain diminution of the tightness of the MELODIES in Larsen's classic score coming across, the superlative cast delivered on getting the words there, and when allowed to stay in one place, even punched home the melodies through the diffuse direction. Many may differ, but I even preferred Hunt's Roger to Pascal's less believable (for me) rock star original. I'm anxious to see him in other work once recovered from the broken foot which confined him to sitting on a table center stage for the finale.

The unexpected (and expected) problems which through monkey wrenches from every angle into this "intended to be" live RENT were over-all surmounted so well I hope they don't prevent the eventual release of this production on DVD. Shorn of the planned but botched (non)commercial breaks, it should play even better and present an interesting alternative to the two EXISTING documentations of the original (the fairly faithful "movie-movie" and the filmed closing performance on Broadway). Those who love the final Larsen work should want all three.

As aired on the National Geographic channel, this pop-umentary is undercut by the usual high percentage of airtime given over to commercials (the 87 minute program is in a two hour time slot), but while containing little material not well known before, the film makers have blended period newsreels and solid re-enactments for an eminently watchable re-telling of the story of European resistance to Hitler and his National Socialists. Only near the end does the film's subtext - the effort to rehabilitate the image of the controversial Pope Pius XII (1876 - 1958) in the midst of a somewhat bizarre campaign to elevate him to sainthood - he has been elevated to "Venerable" - come clearly to the fore. For the most part the pontiff is depicted very much as supporting player who tries to have it, not both ways, but all ways rather than taking a leadership position for any cause. Like many modern right wing politicians, his staunch anti-communist beliefs trumping (you should pardon the expression) his support for persecuted ethnic minorities or real resistance to dictators is quietly passed over. Having simply survived the era - very much like Spanish dictator Fransisco Franco - with his "estate" intact, one could argue he succeeded - as does this film by holding the watcher's interest for its full length despite commercial interruptions and the lack of new material.