#also a lot of this makes me nostalgic for 90s/00s now sldkfj some lines / slang are sooo of that time

[brilliantfantasticgeronimo]

i think the thing that makes the 2008 recording of Rent, the definitive (tm) version of rent ( for me imo) is that it understands the ~libretto is best played as a comedy lol unlike the OG cast/performance and the movie... it just doesn't take itself so damn seriously. so the characters are able to be more relatable. and thus actually, the drama hits harder. bc they feel like a real group of friends that are wasted away by tragedy. and it's just so much more entertaining that way: "over the moon" is pitch perfect when taken as a *parody* of indie art, 2008!mark is basically peak 90s sarcasm in *all* his lines, "you wanna dance" "with you?" "no, with my father (rolls eyes)" is miles better than the daddy issues implied originally lol, "i'm 19!!" says a girl who's clearly not 19, also tango maureen is the best when u really get the "cucked club" bonding vibe (which doesn't work if u play mark and johanne as fully dramatic and hostile) (cough cough the movie) ... and again most importantly, the tragedy just hits harder if angel is actually a lighthearted character from the start.