Outside the dress rehearsal disaster, one of the weirder side effects of "Rent" airing on Fox is that "Rent" could never be itself on Fox.

| Jan 29, 2019

We'll never know whether a genuinely live version would have come closer to preserving the urgency of Larson's beloved musical, but it certainly would've had a better excuse for showing so many seams.

| Jan 29, 2019

But to make all of this even weirder, there was a live performance of Rent happening onstage - and it was awesome!

| Jan 29, 2019

Rent: Live isn't the definitive version of Rent, but I don't think it set out to be either. Fox's version of Rent is-to quote David S. Pumpkins-it's own thing.

| Original Score: B+ | Jan 29, 2019

There were moments, songs, and even stretches of "Rent Live" that worked as an engrossing musical experience, but the whole thing did not gel.

| Jan 28, 2019

Rent had a chance to show off the flexibility and work ethic of Broadway in the face of a setback - and completely blew it.

| Jan 28, 2019

Yes, it was disappointing. But clearly there was love in this production, too.

| Jan 28, 2019

Lots to enjoy - and yet, there was something a bit remote about this Rent.

| Original Score: B- | Jan 28, 2019

Worse, it failed to create the deep, affecting emotion the musical is known for.

| Jan 28, 2019

Given the various shortcomings, it's not clear it would have made enough of a difference to redeem a show that struggled to recover from an equally bad start.

| Jan 28, 2019

The production offered some interesting new ideas as to staging, but the pace felt rushed at times, and muddled at others; numbers that should have been surefire did not always connect.

| Jan 28, 2019

I'd never accuse anybody in this cast of consciously holding back. But dress rehearsals are dress rehearsals; even if you're giving everything you have, the adrenaline is different.

| Jan 28, 2019