Fox’s live staging of Rent ended up being a not-so-live version of the musical on Sunday night,
due to star Brennin Hunt’s last-minute injury. But while viewers at home mainly got to see a previously recorded dress rehearsal — before the production went live for the show’s finale — those in the audience at the Los Angeles event got to, well, see it live.
According to footage posted by attendees and the show’s official Twitter account, the cast went on with the show in the performance space, going through a stripped down version to accommodate Hunt, who was in a wheelchair after breaking his foot.
Hunt played aspiring musician Roger in Jonathan Larson’s landmark musical about a group of artists and bohemians living in 1990s New York City. Because of his injury, most of what the audience at home saw Sunday was footage from that recorded rehearsal, a contingency plan live broadcasts often use in the case of emergency. However, during a message aired on the show, the cast confirmed they would perform the finale live, and an encore that followed featured members of the original Broadway cast singing the musical’s hit song “Seasons of Love.”
Reviews of the “live” Rent have been mixed — and it could be argued that’s at least partly because of the pre-recorded footage. As EW’s Darren Franich asked in his review, “Were they were saving themselves for the Sunday that never came?”
Check out what you didn’t get to see on TV below, including Brandon Victor Dixon’s fantastic rendition of “I’ll Cover You (Reprise).”
The cast concert rendition of “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” recorded tonight. #RENT pic.twitter.com/LRTSGb3wId
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
"Seasons of Love" from tonight's cast concert version of #RENT. pic.twitter.com/JFLARX0Rd5
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
From tonight's cast concert rendition, here's "Out Tonight." #RENT pic.twitter.com/ISZqmG3rtw
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
The cast concert rendition of “Over The Moon” recorded tonight. #RENT pic.twitter.com/vDPy5nOQji
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
What you’re seeing at home versus what’s going on in studio! #RentLive #RENT #RentonFOX pic.twitter.com/Esj5Ps05i3
— Marjorie Hernandez (@MJae13) January 28, 2019
What we see versus what y’all see #RENTLive pic.twitter.com/DzeJj2eTiS
— kay (@holdtightjordan) January 28, 2019
You wish you could see this version! @RENTonFOX #RentLive pic.twitter.com/HhEbHnN3HB
— Alison Young (@Foreverayoung) January 28, 2019
You also wish you could have seen this duo become a trio! @RENTonFOX #buythedvd #rentlive @ pic.twitter.com/iIOloUr9uL
— Alison Young (@Foreverayoung) January 28, 2019
STANDING OVATION IN THE AUDIENCE #RentLive #RENT pic.twitter.com/rCjWLCFIlP
— Carisse Iris (@CarisseIris) January 28, 2019
