The Simultaneous Nature of Theatre

Seeing RENT last night made me realize a few key differences between the film and live theatre media. Film allows for cuts, pans, multiple perspectives, special effects, and all sorts of other improvements (including watching at home and controlling your environment; big plus for me), but it does not allow for much simultaneous action. It can be done, but seeing multiple things happening at once either complicates a shot, lowers the resolution you see each action, or breaks the fourth wall by doing some camera trick that distances the viewer from the action.

However, in a play the stage can be filled with lots of little areas that can be lit or darkened to call attention to many different areas even if they are supposed to be in vastly different places or areas. In RENT particularly, the death of Angel makes more of an impact when it is shown simulatneously with a ballad sung by a different couple and yet another couple is silently still in anger. In the film adaptation of RENT, that ballad features only the two singing, with occasional cuts to the other pairs. However, cutting seems like an afterthought instead of the constant awareness the stage brings.

There were multiple spots where this was really necessary to understand the fast-paced lyrics of the songs, especially the opening number that involed at least three phone calls, two locations of conversation, and a bunch of people dancing in the streets, I think.

I don't normally enjoy live performances because I prefer recorded media. If I could just watch a well-edited video of a stage performance, I would prefer that to the film or the play any day. That way, I can get the detail that comes with close-ups, pans, and cuts, but also the spatial behavior of the stage and I can watch it on the couch without anyone around but those I want. I also know that I'm probably the vast minority in this opinion.