On January 27, FOX aired Rent Live, a live production of the 1996 Tony Award-winning musical Rent. When the production was live, the musical was a theatrical sensation for fans across the globe. It was a story of speaking out in a world that inhibits you.

When the live production aired on FOX,  some fans were slightly disappointed. Due to an injury to one of the actors during rehearsal, the performance that was aired was a dress performance. The last 15 minutes of the production were live, and this didn’t go over too well with fans.

Check out this article written by the New York Times. “The solution? Much of what viewers would see would be Saturday’s recorded performance, the cast noted in a statement during an early commercial break. The final 15 minutes or so were live; [the injured actor] was at a table, his foot in a cast and propped on a chair. (Hashtags like #RentNotLive and #RentKindaLive trended during the broadcast.)”

“It feels a bit weird to critique what was almost entirely a recorded dress rehearsal. How do you measure three hours of chaotic visuals and middling audio most of us were never meant to see and hear? Mostly in disappointment, I guess, though this is what Fox gave us.”

For Fox to tackle this production was a decision in and of itself. It’s not as colorful of a production as most. Do you think this was the right choice for Fox, given the circumstances?

Live theater means anything can happen, and this is why actors have such important roles. They have much responsibility, but accidents still do happen. For live shows like these, there are no understudies for when actors get injured.

Check out this video of the live performance of “Seasons of Love.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLQO1vT4Lf4

What did you think about the closing scene? Moving and emotional? Everything you’d expect? Let us know what you think. We want to hear from you!