[Editorial Note: This one's a twofer, folks: not only will it double the size of my So, just in time for my wedding, my good friend from back home moved down here (though I don't think that was the primary impetus for the move). Before he even had all of his boxes unpacked, he had his acting career back up and running. This had the unfortunate, though not unexpected, consequence of us not seeing him for the last month or so. It was all well worthwhile when he invited my wife and me to the premier of his California debut: RENT at City Lights in San Jose.
It's worth noting that I haven't seen RENT before, so I didn't really know much about the story (other than it had something to do with AIDS and possibly the LGBTQ community). So I'll admit that I didn't catch all of the details of the story, but I followed enough of it. What I can tell you for sure is that my friend's performance triggered in me an almost overpowering urge to stand up and "boo" him.
Oh, wait, did I mention that he played sort of the "villain" role? Well whoops, sorry about that. You may want to reread that last bit again, then.
Anyways, I think what I was most unexpectedly impressed by was the stunt work. Yes, the stunt work. I don't know if this is typical of other RENT performances, but it was a veritable stage-full of Jackie Chans up there. And I don't recall him ever doing any of his work in the heels I saw these brave women AND men sporting as they leapt to and from the sturdy but unsecured metal tables, risking their lives (or at least their ankles!) in the name of art. And I think Angel deserves special recognition in this category. Even in that outfit (or especially in that outfit?), he's clearly a braver man than I.
So if you live in the bay area, or if you just really love RENT, then make sure to check out my friend (and, I suppose, the rest of the cast) at City Lights Theater!
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