Rent!

Last night, Leezie and I went to see Rent (she'd given me tickets for my birthday and we finally were able to go a few months later!). Although I have the entire soundtrack on my iPod and know just about every word to every song, I'd never seen the show live (the movie doesn't really count). It completely lived up to my expectations and I was smiling from the opening act to the closing scene. Such a great show.

Though the cast is lacking a superstar right now (in the past, everyone from Taye Diggs to Joey Fatone have played various roles), it does feature Tamyra Gray as Mimi. Most people know Ms. Gray from her run in the first season of American Idol, but I remember her when she was a super-skinny girl in Ms. McPherson's gym class at MV. Yup, before she moved to Atlanta and became a beauty queen/songstress, TG lived in Montgomery Village and, as I remember, was kind of a B. Maybe I just feel that way because one day she came up to me and kicked me really hard in the butt. It's one of those moments you never forget...I was walking in to that icky basement locker room and boom...her pink sneaker delivered a swift kick to my bony little seventh-grade butt. It was completely unprovoked, and I swear my tailbone still aches some days because of that kick.

Despite those auspicious beginnings, she obviously turned out well and it was cool to see her strutting her stuff as Mimi. She's definitely a better dancer and singer than an actor, but as Leezie and I agreed, she redeemed herself by the end of the show with a fairly believeable final scene where Mimi virtually comes back to life from a crack bender.

Thanks to Leezie for the very fun night!