With just a few days left until Fox brings the iconic Broadway musical Rent to the small screen, the soundtrack for the upcoming Rent Live is already available to pre-order on streaming services. And though the full score won't be available for fans to buy (and sing along to over and over again) until Feb. 1, the full track list on Apple Music proves that Fox's live musical will delight devotees of the Broadway production.
Unlike the 2005 film adaptation — which cut out large chunks of the original show's score in order to streamline the plot and focus on only the most famous songs — the Rent Live soundtrack will highlight all of the small character moments that made the musical so unique and unforgettable. And the inclusion of everything that makes Rent what it is, from the many voicemails and tune ups, to the songs that have become iconic in the decades since the show's 1996 opening, mean quite a bit to the cast of Rent Live as well.
"I was first introduced to the story of Rent around middle school, I think, which was when I first saw the film," Tinashe, who will play dancer Mimi Marquez in Fox's production, told Billboard. "It was an interesting way to see a musical for the first time, but I fell in love with the songs and the music and all of the different characters and the family dynamic, so it was really great."
Tinashe isn't the only person who will be living out a dream on Sunday night, when Rent Live premieres on Fox. In October, shortly after the production's cast was announced, Jordan Fischer, who will play filmmaker Mark Cohen, tweeted, "What y’all don’t know is that fourteen years ago, my ultimate dream I wanted to see manifested was to be the first Mark Cohen of color. That dream is about to be realized. Can’t wait for this journey."
But despite being major fans of the original Broadway cast — or, at the very least, the 2005 film, which starred most of the original cast as well — most of the performers aren't intimidated by taking on such iconic characters in a live, TV setting. "Jonathan Larson’s whole thing was about finding his true, authentic voice as an artist," Vanessa Hudgens told Playbill.com about taking on the role that Idina Menzel made famous as the video artist. "And that inspires me so much, so I’ve been trying to take the same approach in finding who Maureen is to me and making sure that is true."
The cast is also hoping that their version of Rent Live will continue to inspire new generations of performers with Larson's messages of acceptance and supporting each other through the ups and downs of life. "As a nation and as a world, we are going through so much that it's important to remember to keep those family bonds really close," Tinashe told Billboard.
Valentina — who will play the drummer and performance artist Angel — echoed that statement: "We need to be seen, and we need to be heard, and we need to be fearless. Here in America, it's the land of the free, the land of the brave, and I believe that this story really reflects that," Valentina told Billboard. "I really am grateful to this storyline to be seen by a broader audience, and I hope they enjoy it."
Between the cast's long-term love of the musical itself and Fox's commitment to honoring the beloved show while still finding exciting new ways to entertain, it's hard to believe that anyone watching Rent Live wouldn't enjoy it.
