I am not here to call myself a RENT-head as I was not a part of the cult following that originated with the show circa 1996 (I was about 8 years old then) but the Jonathan Larson's masterpiece touched me just the same. I am quite embarrassed to say that I saw the movie before I saw the Broadway production, but nonetheless, the movie was my gateway to the show. It was March of 2006 and my senior year of high school when I took a trip to New York with my mom. I was obsessed with RENT's score and we tried to get tickets to the show, but because of the movie's popularity, tickets were hard to come by. We waited in freezing weather at TKTS but the only thing available was partial view. We had recently heard about the show's ticket lottery and decided we would try our hand at that. Our hotel concierge urged us to purchase tickets because the lottery was "nearly impossible" to win, but we thought we'd try our luck anyway.
I remember this like it was yesterday. My mom and I both wrote our names on sheets of paper and anxiously awaited the drawing. I could tell that most of the other people there that night were huge fans of the show and their love for RENT was infectious. Now I am not what I would consider a lucky person, but on that day something just felt right and sure enough, the first name drawn was mine! I couldn't keep from shaking as I handed the box office attendant the $40 to purchase my two front row tickets.
Now I don't know what I can say about RENT that hasn't already been said, but never in my life had I felt so much love and energy in one room. I have now seen the show several times, always from the front row as a lottery winner and I would never want to see it from anywhere else. There is really nothing like it, you feel like you are on stage with the actors and their energy is kinetic. This is one of those shows that has meant different things to me at different points in my life and what spoke to me then was the message "no day but today". It was a difficult time for me as I was preparing to choose a college and transition into a new phase in my life and the show's message really gave me the strength to seize these new opportunities. My first time seeing RENT is an experience that I will never forget and of all the theatre lotteries I've won over the years, this was truly the luckiest I've ever felt.
It's true that New York City is one of the dirtiest, grittiest, loudest places in the world, so then why do we love it so much?
"When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough."
-Fran Lebowitz
"While we are looking to clean up our cities, NYC brings one something that all the clean air in the world couldn't provide."
-Rick Westerkamp
These quotes say it all don't they? Any city can be pretty and clean, but it takes a true gem to have its own energy and its own spirit. It is almost as if the city is alive and breathing--it has its own pulse that beats steadily through every subway train, taxi cab, and human footstep. In an episode of Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw refers to New York City as 'the 5th lady' because of its overwhelming presence and influence in the lives of the four central characters.
Its diversity is astounding. A countless number of cultures cohabit in a multitude of boroughs and villages--yet surprisingly, it works. From Little Italy, Chinatown, and the West Village, to Chelsea, the Upper West Side, and Washington Heights, every turn will surely bring adventure to anyone who wishes to truly explore the city and all it has to offer. Something truly special happens here, and there is always the sense that something new and amazing is just around the corner. Besides, where else can you find a Korean market, a Jewish deli, a falafel stand, and a street performer all on the same block as trendy boutique and a group of tourists from Iowa?
Many cities are bustling and exciting, but nowhere other than The Big Apple is the energy truly palpable. Helen Keller once said, "cut off as I am, it is inevitable that I should sometimes feel like a shadow walking in a shadowy world. When this happens I ask to be taken to New York City. Always I return home weary but I have the comforting certainty that mankind is real and I myself am not a dream." This woman who was not blessed with the ability to see or to hear, was forced to rely on her other senses, most notably her ability to feel. The city celebrates those who are unique and different and unites us all, something that is so tangible that it must be felt and truly experienced, not seen or heard. In Kander and Ebb's iconic song New York, New York, I think he speaks for all of us when he says "I want to be a part of it, New York, New York." But we are already a part of it because it celebrates us and what makes us special, from the time our ancestors first stepped onto American soil on Ellis Island to the excitement we all still feel when we wake up in the city that never sleeps.
NYC is a city of hopes, aspirations, and of dreams. I heard it said once that when you walk down a New York City street, everyone that you pass is there in hopes of achieving great success, otherwise they would live somewhere that wasn't so expensive (insert laughter). This resonates with me on a very personal level because I am a singer and a dancer, I have been all my life, and every time I visit this amazing city I am reminded that my biggest dream is to one day perform on The Great White Way. I think all performers have been told many times that their goals are silly and unrealistic, but regardless, the city inspires us to keep dreaming and believing that "if I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere." Thanks again Mr. Ebb for those poignant lyrics.
This brings me to my favorite thing about NYC--its celebration of art and the people that create it. Whether you are visiting a world class institution, such as the Museum of Modern Art or Carnegie Hall, or simply stumbling across a drummer or b-boy jamming in a subway, art lives and breathes here and is, in my humble opinion, the very heart of the city. My absolute favorite medium for presenting art is the live theatre. What is it about seeing a play or musical live that both excites and inspires us to such a heightened degree that it pulls us out of ourselves? I've tried many times, unsuccessfully, to express my love of the theatre with words, but I think my friend Shaina says it best. "We go to the theatre, most notably Broadway, to feel. You can exhale, let go, and take everything in. I mean, breaking into song because you have too much inside of you to merely speak? Isn't that what so many of us want to do on a daily basis but can't because it's not really socially acceptable? New York in itself is really one big musical."
I am going to leave you with a video clip that encompasses everything I love about New York City--diversity, community, music, Broadway, and of course, my idol, Bernadette Peters.
Sex and the City 2 appears to be exactly what women everywhere have been wanting for the past two years. After all, aren’t we all itching to know what Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda have been up to since the first film in the summer of 2008? Those with unbridled love for these four New York women won’t be disappointed, but if you are looking for a truly engaging plot or something that might surprise you, this sequel lacks the sparkle and wit of the original.
The film opens in typical fashion with the always-couture Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, in yet another stunning ensemble as she meets her three best girlfriends for a midday shopping excursion. We learn that they are wedding shopping for the Carrie’s gay best friend Stanford and Charlotte’s bff Anthony. We expect anything involving these four ladies to be lavish but this wedding is a spectacle beyond belief. From the ballad-singing choir and delicate white swans to Liza Minnelli-turned-minister, this movie could not have gotten any gayer if there were bedazzled drag queens in a Dolly Parton look-alike contest.
We soon realize that Carrie and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) do not have the perfect storybook marriage they had hoped for, but who really could have expected that after he dumped her at the altar in movie 1? But that’s neither here nor there. Carrie misses her party girl days of late dinners and film premiers while Big is content to spend his time in bed with the flat screen. When Samantha (Kim Catrall) offers the girls an all expenses paid trip to Abu Dhabi, it seems like the vacation that they all need, Carrie from her marriage, Charlotte from her kids, and Miranda from her chauvinist boss. Unfortunately, the minute the ladies leave the Big Apple, all of the magic stays behind.
In true Sex and the City tradition, each woman has her own unique coming-of-age moment. Charlotte (Kristin Davis) never wanted anything more than to be a mother, but realizes with her second child Rose that motherhood can have its downsides. Charlotte tries to put on a happy face, but in a charming scene with Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), the two share their horror stories of mommy hood over a few rounds of the signature cosmopolitan. Samantha sets out to single-handedly change the way women are viewed in the Middle East as she struts about, scantily-clad not to mention, after Rikard, a Danish architect and the object of her affections for this vacation at least. Ever the leading lady, Carrie experiences the greatest conflict as she shares a kiss with old flame Aiden and then proceeds to tell Big to clear her conscience.
Of course we end get a happy ending with Big forgiving Carrie’s indiscretion and giving the bedroom plasma screen the boot, Miranda quitting her high profile job in favor of a smaller firm that appreciates her, Charlotte realizing how much she loves her family, and Samantha—well Samantha being Samantha.
We do exactly what we wanted, a chance to catch up with four of our favorite girls. But as Sarah Jessica Parker once stated, “New York City is the fifth lady in our story.” Therefore, with Abu Dhabi as the primary setting, we lose a very special character, which somehow cheapens the entire experience. After all, what are we left with when Sex and the City loses “and the City”?
