Anything can happen when it comes to live theatre, and Rent on Fox was the first of the live television musical events in the past five-and a-half years to have a major hiccup. During the January 26 dress rehearsal (in front of a live audience), actor Brennin Hunt, who plays Roger, broke his foot. But the show was scheduled to go on.
As we learned during the first commercial break of Rent on Fox, the broadcast was not actually live: Home viewers were watching a recording from the January 26 dress rehearsal. The full cast would go live with a re-staged finale. It is general practice that Fox tapes its dress rehearsals as a contingency plan in the event of technical problems or actor injury. Rent is the first to use the footage.
Read: 8 THINGS RENT ON FOX GOT ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
While the nation watched the full musical, the cast participated in a concert reading/staging of the musical, with Hunt in a wheelchair.
Take a look inside what was actually happening on January 27 8PM Eastern Standard Time in the tweets below:
"Out Tonight"
From tonight's cast concert rendition, here's "Out Tonight." #RENT pic.twitter.com/ISZqmG3rtw
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
"Over the Moon"
The cast concert rendition of “Over The Moon” recorded tonight. #RENT pic.twitter.com/vDPy5nOQji
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
"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"
"Seasons of Love" from tonight's cast concert version of #RENT. pic.twitter.com/JFLARX0Rd5
— RENT on FOX (@RENTonFOX) January 28, 2019
Audience members also took to tweeting their behind-the-scenes videos of the cast concert edition:
What we see versus what y’all see #RENTLive pic.twitter.com/DzeJj2eTiS
— kay (@holdtightjordan) January 28, 2019