'Rent' may not be one of my all-time favourite musicals, speaking as a fan of musicals, but it has great songs and a lot of emotional power with sensitive and powerful themes. There is much worthy of admiration. The 2005 film is definitely worth a look, a solid adaptation (though not as good as on stage) and although imperfect it also is a worthy film on its own. Between that and this, there is no doubt really which is the better 'Rent' of the two.

Considering that one, as indicated already, is actually good. Whereas, apart from some great things and moments, this "live" production doesn't really cut it and generally does not gel. It had all the ingredients to gel and be a harrowing, moving experience but it never properly gets there, by all means it's not terrible or irredeemable but it is very easy to see why people were disappointed. Have seen a fair share of these live musical productions made for television and haven't really been a fan of any of them, especially 'Peter Pan' namely because of the usually great Christopher Walken.

Will start with what was good. Brennin Hunt, giving the performance of the night (his vocals makes the jaw drop and the raw grit does wrench the gut),and Jordan Fisher are powerhouses in their roles. If the production did something well it was how it accommodated Hunt's injury. Brandon Victor Dixon is touching as Tom. The most unexpected good surprise was Vanessa Hudgeons, didn't have as big an opinion of her before but she is a revelation here, her voice has grown so much and she acts with a lot of feeling. The same can be said for Kiersey Clemons.

There are a few highlight numbers. "Over the Moon" is one of the few times where the production properly came to life. "I'll Cover You" reprise was the one that brought the lump to my throat the most and "Take Me or Leave Me" is the production's show-stopper in my mind. The costumes and sets are evocatively rendered and the orchestra sound great and perform 'Rent's' fine score and songs with plenty of spirit. The ending is very powerful.

A lot unfortunately doesn't work and don't really have much to add to what has already been said. The camera work is far too frenetic, as an epileptic some of it left me nauseous, and is often focused somewhere else (all the times irrelevant) other than where it should be. The sound quality is badly unbalanced, with the orchestra too loud frequently and some of the vocals sounded underpowered (i.e. Tinashe). Have also not come across a more irritating audience for anything in a long time, actually manages to be even worse than the audiences on the television talent show competitions. Too loud and at inappropriate times.

Have said that there were good renditions here, but the production would have been better if the pace calmed down and the choreography wasn't so erratic (with a mix of just right, too busy and under-energised). A few powerful and moving moments aside, there are some unnecessary and downright strange changes that kill the momentum of the drama and stops it from having enough emotional impact, 'Rent' shouldn't leave one cold but by tampering or toning down what was so resonant and daring about it the production felt bland and too safe. The nadir though, other than the irritating audience, is the walking disaster that is Valentina's Angel. Won't go into detail as to why because everything about the performance was wrong other than managing to look the part, will say though that the all over the place singing was especially painful.

Concluding, a very mixed bag. 5/10

I am a big fan of the recent spate of live television performances, featuring theater and movie classics. My anticipation for "Rent: Live" was compounded by the fact I have never seen a performance of "Rent". Unfortunately, due to an injury to a lead actor, much of the televised show was not live, though it was performed before a live studio audience. But that is a small concern.

The musical written by Jonathan Larson is an adaptation of the opera "La boheme" by Puccini. It is a rock opera in the tradition of "Jesus Christ Superstar", where almost all lines are sung and it encompasses a wide variety of musical styles. Puccini's story is modernized and reconceptualized to fit a storyline that includes socio-political subjects. The modern narrative attempts to cover too much ground, diluting each of its divergent points of view. Still, most of its shortcomings are overcome by the show's strong musicality.

The "Live" performance includes some changes from the original Broadway version, but it did not hurt the production. "Purists" might disagree, but how do they answer the purists who preferred the OG opera, "La boheme"?

I found the studio audience to be annoying at times, interfering with the sound and acting like fans at a taping of "American Idol", but the sound was good through most of the show. In fact, so much of the production is excellent, it is difficult to single out any one discipline. Let's just say this performance is ambitiously staged and up to the task.

The cast features a strong coterie of musical talents. In a host of strong voices and irresistible personalities, I found Vanessa Hudgens's performance the most surprising. Perhaps, I have underestimated her; her performance of "Take Me or Leave Me" ("Rents" version of Puccini's "Quanto M'en Vo") was electric.

I am glad I watched this event. Though Larson's musical offers no concise philosophy where some might seek to find one, it is a moving and entertaining work that ratifies the humanity in all of us. The end of the performance includes appearances by members of the original Broadway cast---a fitting tribute to Larson and his artistry.

I'm such a purist with certain things and admit that change can be tough for me. Last night watching Rent Live was an interesting experience. It was great to hear music that I grew up on, it was great to watch characters reinterpreted, it was great to bear witness to this generations "interpretations" of what was a monumental show for its time and most of all it was great to critique it.

The Core Cast Marc - Jordan Fisher captured the essence of Marc, except for his overarching Jewishness and quirkiness. I had a hard time adjusting to this person cast as this character, but ultimately warmed up to him. He did, however, possess a bit too much swag for Marc, but overall his singing was on point. He nailed his choreo and lyrics in La Vie Boheme (more on that number later) Roger - Brennin Hunt's portrayal was absolutely, hands down best of this entire cast. His rawness, grittiness and pure "rock" was beautiful (not to mention his musicality on point...or fleek as today's kids would say). Mimi - Tinashe was alright when solo - I wish he signing had a bit more "oomph." She was quickly overshadowed by her cast mates, but her chemistry with Hunt was fantastic. Maureen - Vanessa Hudgens is my second favorite casted character. She slayed and delivered like some of the greatest Maureen's I've ever seen. Joanne - Kiersy Clemons was a great choice. Super powerful and what I'd expect from anyone cast as Joanne. Angel - Valentina was an utter disappointment. There are other words I'd like to use but shall refrain. But to say I was left appalled is an understatement. One of the most iconic drag characters in modern theatre was left gassed, off pitch and with no All Star quality I'd vote for. Collins - Brandon Dixon as Collins was my third favorite character. He brought his energy to Collins' character and chyle...he was good! His "I'll Cover You" reprise was easily up there with one of my top five performances of the night. Benny - Mario as Benny brought him to life. Not the best. Not the worst. He was acceptable. Too much of his usual lines seemed to have been cut.

Supporting Characters Cy - played by Keala settle was a gender-flipped version of Paul. I missed his character although Keala delivered and brought life to her roles. While she absolutely came through, she is a bit too polished for this show at this point in her career. She needed to be a bit more raw and organic in her approach. Gordon - meh.

Iconic Moments (That failed)

• The opening - the change in lyrics and softening of language is just not ok. It's ok to curse. Sometimes they provide the exact words needed.
• It's Hicksville. It's always Hicksville that can't be taken out of the girl. Always.
• I'll Cover You - thank the world for Dixon who carried an absolutely ghastly (and utterly gassed) Valentina.
• La Vie boheme. So much was lost here. I was deeply saddened by the blatant omission of lyrics. I want my meatless balls and tofu dog platter.
• Seasons of Love. There is something so simple about this song that was only accentuated by the humanity seen under spotlights...singing. Simplicity. This song was overdone and lost its feeling. Sad moment.
• Contact - it was let down by the obvious issues I voiced above - but from my memory of each time I have seen this show this scene should be the juxtaposition of sex/masturbation/self-love with Angel dying. It's a terribly hard role to manage and portray and it was utterly lost.

• One Song Glory - thank you Brennin for delivering (even if it wasn't entirely "live")
• Life Support - this was well done and thank you the staging for appropriately lighting up Roger; "Because reason said I should have died, three years ago...." There was no need for a lyric change here.
• Over the Moon - Hudgens slayed this - plain and simple.
• I'll Cover You (Reprise) - second best moment of the entire show. This moment brought and delivered ALL of the feels.
• Seasons of Love - when the original cast showed the world what it's supposed to be like. Thank you for redeeming and bringing back the feels.