The new musical “RENT” features a scene that is considered the epitome of romance in the 1990s. In this scene, Roger, a struggling rock musician, and Mimi, a dancer at an S/M club who is also a junkie, are engaged in a lovers’ quarrel when their beepers alert them. Both of them take out bottles of pills as it is time for their “AZT break.” In this moment, they realize that they are both HIV-positive. This realization leads to a passionate embrace and a love duet. To fully appreciate the romance in this scene, it is important to note that Jonathan Larson’s remarkable musical is inspired by Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” where the lovers Mimi and Rodolfo are tragically torn apart due to Mimi’s death from tuberculosis. The setting of Larson’s updated version shifts from 19th-century Left Bank bohemians to struggling artists in New York’s East Village at the end of the 20th century. With a cast of talented and energetic unknown actors, Larson’s show delivers an electrifying, heartfelt, and hilariously entertaining performance that has rejuvenated Broadway.
The sudden death of 35-year-old Larson from an aortic aneurysm just before his show opened was a far greater shock. His untimely demise, occurring right before his breakthrough success, is both tragic and sensational, emblematic of our culture. Currently, Larson’s work and “Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk,” a tap-dance musical featuring the exceptional young dancer Savion Glover, are taking Broadway by storm after originating off-Broadway. Amidst the revivals (“The King and I”) and film adaptations (“Big”) that have rendered Broadway creatively stagnant in recent years, these productions cater to a younger audience than the typical Broadway fare. If either, or both, achieve success, it could pave the way for new talent to rejuvenate the once dominant American musical theater scene.
“RENT” has shown early signs of success, both in terms of its $6 million advance sale and the high demand for tickets from celebrities like Michelle Pfeifer, Sylvester Stallone, Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, Ralph Fiennes, and many more. On opening night, the Nederlander Theatre was flooded with 21 TV crews, including international ones, capturing the exhilaration of the 15 young cast members amidst thunderous cheers. To preserve the magic of the original cast, David Geffen of DreamWorks team spent nearly a million dollars to record their album. Prominent pop artists like Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, and Boyz II Men have also expressed interest in recording songs from the extensive 33-number score. A fierce bidding war has erupted among major Hollywood studios such as Warner Brothers, Danny DeVito’s Jersey Films, Fox 2000, and Columbia for the film rights, with an initial asking price of $3 million. However, additional bonuses tied to the length of the show’s run as well as accolades like the Pulitzer Prize (which “RENT” has already won) and various Tony and critics’ awards could raise the price up to $3.75 million. Despite these astounding figures, the young producers Jeffrey Seller (31) and Kevin McCollum (34), along with their associate moneyman Allan S. Gordon, are fully aware that success in New York does not come easy. Seller explains that their company has primarily focused on touring shows in the past, where selling 8,000 seats a week in places like Cleveland is considered a great achievement.Never having experienced a Broadway show before, the thought of having to sell 450,000 seats in a year is quite overwhelming. The Shubert Organization and Jujamcyn Theaters, major players in the Broadway scene, were beaten in the race to acquire “RENT” by the Nederlander theater. These established Broadway figures would love to face the same challenge as these novice Broadway enthusiasts. Rocco Landesman, president of Jujamcyn, expresses his disappointment at missing out on “RENT” and anticipates that the show will achieve crossover success by attracting a diverse audience who typically do not attend theater performances. While “RENT” offers top tickets at $67.50, they have set aside the first two rows for $20 and labeled mezzanine seats as a “bargain” at $30.
Producer Jim Freydberg expresses the anticipation surrounding the success of “RENT”. He hopes that if the show does well, it will pave the way for more bold and innovative productions on Broadway. However, if “RENT” fails, he predicts a rise in the number of revivals. Interestingly, Freydberg’s own production, “Big”, based on the Tom Hanks film, is considered to belong to the less bold segment of Broadway.
“If I wanted to make money, I would go to Wall Street and invent money,” Seller says, expressing his reasoning for being on Broadway instead. McCollum joins the sentiment, stating, “It would be insincere to deny our hope for financial success with ‘RENT,’ but my passion lies in the world of living theater.” Gordon adds, “Our goal is to transform the way money is spent on Broadway. We don’t indulge in luxuries like limos or fancy restaurants.” Strangely enough, when these enthusiastic young individuals voice these statements, you can’t help but believe them.
“RENT” completes a fortuitous trilogy that began with “Hair” in 1967 and continued with “A Chorus Line” in 1975. These groundbreaking musicals focus on “marginal” Americans – the flower children of the ’60s, the blue-collar gypsy dancers of Broadway, and now the young people in “RENT” who are chasing their dreams of art during a difficult time for both their spirits and bodies. Larson, who was a resident of New York’s downtown area, vividly portrays the downtown scene as a paradoxical combination of desolation and community. The homeless, addicts, and alcoholics wander like prophetic nomads among the “artistes,” as they are scornfully called by a homeless woman. The artists in the show don’t know where their next rent payment will come from or where they will find inspiration for their next song or painting, all while dealing with the constant threat of AIDS. However, despite these challenges, “RENT” is a thrilling and uplifting production. With a rich collection of memorable songs, Larson successfully incorporates the diverse musical styles of today’s pop-rock, gospel, reggae, salsa, and even tango into true theatrical music.
The story of “RENT” started in 1992 when Jonathan Larson, riding his bike down Fourth Street in the East Village, passed by the New York Theatre Workshop, which was undergoing a major renovation. Larson stuck his head in the door and saw that the NYTW stage, which was 40 feet wide and 30 feet deep, was perfect for his vision. James Nicola, the artistic director of NYTW, recalls Larson’s excitement and desire to be both an iconoclast and a reinventor of tradition. Larson left a tape of songs he had written for “RENT” the next day. Nicola listened to the songs and recognized Larson’s rare and gifted songwriting ability.
Over the next four years, with the help of director Michael Greif, the shaping of “RENT” as more of a collage than a traditional play began. Greif wanted to bring some irony to neutralize Larson’s emotionalism. Greif describes Larson as emotionally exuberant, childish in both good and bad ways, and having an enormous capacity for joy.Larson would write a song and express his fondness for it, while I would express my disinterest in it. This continued, with the assistance of a $50,000 Richard Rogers Award (in which Stephen Sondheim, Larson’s idol and inspiration, was a judge). Seller and McCollum were extremely impressed by what they witnessed and heard during a workshop production, attracting the attention of Broadway producers.
The work converted Larson’s emotionalism into a fountain of melody and rhythm. Although referred to as a rock opera, “RENT” encompasses a broader range than just rock, and the score flows continuously instead of being made up of separate musical bursts. Starting from the powerful title number, which cries out about a world where “strangers, landlords, lovers/your own blood cells betray,” Larson’s music weaves together his characters – the main characters and a diverse ensemble of shifting figures – into a vibrant tapestry of hope, despair, ambition, death, and a climactic resurrection. Larson takes Puccini’s young bohemians and reimagines them as Roger (played by Adam Pascal), a beautiful rocker desperate to create one brilliant song before AIDS claims his life; Mimi (portrayed by Daphne Rubin-Vega), a drug-addicted dancer doomed from the start; Maureen, a performance artist (played by Idina Menzel), and her lesbian partner Joanne (Fredi Walker); Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia), a drag queen whose fate is also sealed by AIDS, and his lover Tom (Jesse L. Martin), a computer genius who fears the future of technology; Ben (Taye Diggs), the landlord in a world where landlords shouldn’t exist; and Mark (Anthony Rapp), a geeky video artist (and Larson’s alter ego) who narrates all the intertwined stories to the audience.
In songs such as “I’ll Cover You” by Angel and Tom, and “Without You” by Mimi and Roger, Larson celebrates love as the powerful bond that unites his characters into an extended family. This family expresses care for one another through various forms of love, including sexuality, friendship, and compassion. “Take Me or Leave Me” is a lively and humorous duet performed by Maureen and Joanne, each asserting their fierce individuality. The onstage band, led by Tim Weill, not only enhances the catchy score but also complements the lively choreography by Marlies Yearby, where each movement embodies the essence of life itself. Like all great popular art, “RENT” challenges you to embrace sentimentality and demonstrates how sentimental moments can transform into a joyous sweetness that is essential for a fulfilling life. Unlike Puccini’s character Mimi, Larson’s Mimi is pushed to the brink of extinction but ultimately brought back to life. Though there are deaths in “RENT,” Larson strives to balance these with a theme of rebirth. Tragically, Larson passed away before fully witnessing the success he had achieved, which adds an unbearable irony. Nevertheless, he left us with a song to sing. “RENT” is his legacy.
—–Bibliography: www.siteforrent.com
