{"id":1194,"date":"2016-06-01T10:29:05","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T14:29:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/?page_id=30"},"modified":"2017-12-08T13:55:08","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T18:55:08","slug":"rent-musical","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/rent-musical\/","title":{"rendered":"Rent (the musical)"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"builder-section-1464791023609\" class=\"builder-section-first builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-next-text builder-text-columns-1\" style=\"background-repeat: repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<h3 class=\"builder-text-section-title\">\n        RENT    <\/h3>\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-1464791023609-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_1326\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1326\" style=\"width: 315px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1326\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/files\/2017\/11\/Seasons-of-Love-315x210.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/files\/2017\/11\/Seasons-of-Love-315x210.png 315w, https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/files\/2017\/11\/Seasons-of-Love.png 670w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 315px) 100vw, 315px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1326\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The original Broadway cast performs &#8220;Seasons of Love&#8221; the most well recognized song from Rent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><div class=\"ttfmake-embed-wrapper aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I6yPSeDlcrI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" gesture=\"media\" allow=\"encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Broadway is one of the major attractions that people will think of immediately when they think of New York City. New York has been a center of entertainment since the beginning of the 20<sup>th<\/sup> century and that has only grown since then. Broadway shows are a sole reason that people will travel for New York and then they stay for the overall excitement and appeal of the city. One of the most influential and popular shows that emerged from the late 20<sup>th<\/sup> century is <em>Rent<\/em>. The popularity and influence of <em>Rent<\/em> is twofold. First, <em>Rent<\/em> takes place and was written in a very complicated and divided time in New York City and it reflects this in the plot and the songs. Second, <em>Rent\u2019<\/em>s songs and the use of ensembles, character development, and plot lines that stay relevant as time passes make it a musical that has stuck with people and grown on people who did not get to experience the phenomenon when it was first produced.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rent<\/em> was originally conceptualized by a young playwright named Billy Aronson after he developed a new infatuation with opera in the late 1980s. The opera that resonated with him the most was <em>La Boh<\/em><em>\u00e8me<\/em>. In that opera, he saw similarities between the artists and their poverty and New York in the 80s. In New York, the homeless population was rising, people were dying in the city, AIDs was prevalent, and there was lack of support for the arts. However, Aronson wanted to change the plot a little. He wanted the plot to contain events and characters so overwhelming that feelings were hard to express. In <em>La Boh<\/em><em>\u00e8me<\/em>, characters were very quick to share their feelings. In 1989, Aronson asked playwrights he knew for any good composers. Jonathan Larson, who would later become the name that is associated with <em>Rent<\/em>, was one of the composers offered. In regards to working with Larson, Aronson said, \u201cI got in touch with him, and he was very excited about the idea\u2026I thought maybe we could do something funnier, but he really wanted to do this\u2026his music was so expressive, and in that way <em>Rent <\/em>is more like <em>La Boh<\/em><em>\u00e8me<\/em>. So even though there were differences, I wanted to work with him and see what would happen.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Larson and Aronson took the aspects of <em>La Boh\u00e8me<\/em> and rewrote them to fit the then modern day New York City. The characters in <em>La Boh\u00e8me<\/em> suffer from tuberculosis. To bring the plotline into the then modern day New York, the characters that were infected with tuberculosis were written to have AIDs. Likewise, instead of living in Parisian garrets, the characters now live in the East Village of New York. Even though Aronson originally wanted the plot to originally change a bit, the plot did not stray very much from the plot of <em>La Boh\u00e8me<\/em>. Although the two were working together, in the end, Larson asked if he could take over the project on his own and he made Rent what it was today.<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Since <em>Rent<\/em> is based off of an opera, it is a predominantly sung show. The songs are a door into the times and plot of the play. For example, the titular song <em>Rent <\/em>states \u201cAnd we\u2019re hungry and frozen some life that we\u2019ve chosen how we gonna pay how we gonna pay how we gonna pay last year\u2019s rent.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a> The characters singing are struggling artists that are struggling to survive on very low income, which was very common of artists in the East Village\u2014one of the exact reasons Aronson originally came up with the idea to write the play. Next, the most recognizable song from <em>Rent<\/em>, \u201cSeasons of Love\u201d, discusses how much can happen and how to measure a year. A particularly relevant lyric in the song is \u201cIn truths that she learned, or in times that he cried? In bridges he burned, or the way that she died?\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a> The people, both in the play and in this time period in New York, were living and going through a lot\u2014the city was in a decay period which made many people uneasy about the state of the city. Within the city, crime rates were up, drug use was an issue, and homelessness was also elevating. The wealthy were not keen on seeing the city in shambles and the impoverished were struggling to make ends meet. The song talks about the ups and downs, this particular lyric being a down, but it is a reality for many people in that time period. The song also states to \u201cremember the love\u201d and \u201cshare love, give love, spread love, measure your life in love,<a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a>\u201d bringing a more positive light in how to really portray life.<\/p>\n<p>The legacy of <em>Rent <\/em>has stayed relevant for the 21 years since it premiered on Broadway.\u00a0 <em>Rent<\/em> had become a phenomenon because it spoke to a generation. It also plays on many typically seen theater traits that are commonplace, but <em>Rent<\/em> elevates them. There were taboo subjects that were covered in <em>Rent <\/em>that rely heavily on classical musical theater structures and images. The romantic leads in the show, Mimi and Roger are complimented with two other couples\u2014the always quarreling Maureen and Joanne, who function as comic relief, and Angel and Collins who are an HIV positive couple who have a never ending amount of devotion toward each other, which will ultimately end in tragedy. The lively end of first act number \u201cLa Vie Boh\u00e8me\u201d, where the romance between Roger and Mimi is established, is an anthem of youth and nonconformity.<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Rent<\/em> provides viewers with a little bit of everything and gives everyone who watches a relatable character or moment. Also, people love when a character grows in a piece of work and <em>Rent<\/em> delivers. Roger, one of the eight New Yorkers the play follows, grows from a broken man with no hope in sight to a man who has found love and a reason to write music again. Roger wants to live again and <em>Rent <\/em>chronicles Roger on his way back to life. Roger learns how to accept that he is a person \u201cliving with living with, living with, not dying from disease,\u201d and at the end, Roger chooses to be alive and happy\u2014no longer living in fear of not getting a tomorrow. <a href=\"#_ftn7\" name=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a> People believe that they can connect to a character that changes over time because no one in their life remains stagnant. <em>Rent<\/em> provides people with a character that begins as too scared to live and eventually becomes scared to not live.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rent<\/em> is influential in New York not just because it is one of the most popular and successful Broadway shows, but also because it takes place in the city. Notable places such as the East Village and the Life Caf\u00e9 are present in the play as places the characters live and frequent. Among that, the two theaters, the New York Theater Workshop and the Nederlander, were the two theaters that showed <em>Rent<\/em> both off and on Broadway. These are iconic places in the city that add to the authenticity of <em>Rent<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>Rent <\/em>has left a major impression on New Yorkers and on the rest of the country. It has become a phenomenon with a movie that has been produced and 20<sup>th<\/sup> anniversary tour still going on. It is convenient that places that are important to the play can be visited and seen by fans. Although there are more places to visit, these are a few key areas to go to see where important events occurred in <em>Rent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan. Rent (book). New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 18<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan. Rent (book). New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc. 20<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan, writer. Rent. Performed by Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Daphne Ruben Vega, and Fredi Walker. Rent (original broadway cast). 1996<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan, writer. Seasons of Love. Performed by Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs,x Fredi Walker, Wilson Jermaine. Heredia, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Idina Menzel. -original Broadway recording. 1996.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan, writer. Seasons of Love. Performed by Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs,x Fredi Walker, Wilson Jermaine. Heredia, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Idina Menzel. -original Broadway recording. 1996.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a>Elizabeth L. \u00a0Wollman, &#8220;Rock Musicians in the Musical Theater: The 1990s.&#8221; In\u00a0<em>The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig<\/em>, 2006, 171.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref7\" name=\"_ftn7\">[7]<\/a> Scott Miller, &#8220;Inside RENT.&#8221; New Line Theater. 2001. Accessed November 14, 2017.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref8\" name=\"_ftn8\">[8]<\/a> &#8220;NYTW \/ What We Do.&#8221; NYTW. Accessed November 14, 2017. https:\/\/www.nytw.org\/about\/what-we-do\/.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref9\" name=\"_ftn9\">[9]<\/a> &#8220;NYTW \/ What We Do.&#8221; NYTW. Accessed November 14, 2017. https:\/\/www.nytw.org\/about\/what-we-do\/.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref10\" name=\"_ftn10\">[10]<\/a> &#8220;NYTW \/ What We Do.&#8221; NYTW. Accessed November 14, 2017. https:\/\/www.nytw.org\/about\/what-we-do\/.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref11\" name=\"_ftn11\">[11]<\/a> Nederlander Theatre &#8211; The Official Website &#8211; Ticketmaster is the authorized ticket service for this theatre. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/nederlandertheatre.com\/about.php.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref12\" name=\"_ftn12\">[12]<\/a> &#8220;Nederlander Theater: View More.&#8221; Playbill. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/www.playbill.com\/venue\/view-more?venue=00000150-aacd-d8be-af71-ffef18850006.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref13\" name=\"_ftn13\">[13]<\/a> &#8220;Nederlander Theater: View More.&#8221; Playbill. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/www.playbill.com\/venue\/view-more?venue=00000150-aacd-d8be-af71-ffef18850006.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref14\" name=\"_ftn14\">[14]<\/a> &#8220;RENT Connection \u00ab Life Cafe \u2013 New York City and Brooklyn Bar, Restaurant, Cafe.&#8221; Life Cafe \u2013 New York City and Brooklyn Bar, Restaurant, Cafe. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/lifecafe.com\/rentconnection\/.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref15\" name=\"_ftn15\">[15]<\/a> Janet Abu-Lughod, &#8220;Diversity, Democracy, and Self-Determination in an Urban Neighborhood: The East Village of Manhattan.&#8221; Social Research 61, no. 1 1994 187.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref16\" name=\"_ftn16\">[16]<\/a> Larson, Jonathan, writer. You\u2019ll See. Performed by Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Taye Diggs. \u2013original Broadway recording. 1996.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref17\" name=\"_ftn17\">[17]<\/a> Janet Abu-Lughod, &#8220;Diversity, Democracy, and Self-Determination in an Urban Neighborhood: The East Village of Manhattan.&#8221; Social Research 61, no. 1 1994 187.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Bibliography<\/p>\n<p>Abu-Lughod, Janet. &#8220;Diversity, Democracy, and Self-Determination in an Urban Neighborhood: The East Village of Manhattan.&#8221; Social Research 61, no. 1 (Spring94 1994): 181-203. Political Science Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed November 14, 2017).<\/p>\n<p>Larson, Jonathan, writer.\u00a0<em>Rent<\/em>. Performed by Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Daphne Ruben Vega, and Fredi Walker. Rent (original broadway cast). 1996<\/p>\n<p>Larson, Jonathan, writer. <em>Seasons of Love<\/em>. Performed by Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Jesse L. Martin, Taye Diggs,x Fredi Walker, Wilson Jermaine. Heredia, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Idina Menzel. -original Broadway recording. 1996.<\/p>\n<p>Larson, Jonathan, writer. <em>You\u2019ll See.<\/em> Performed by Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Taye Diggs. \u2013original Broadway recording. 1996.<\/p>\n<p>Larson, Jonathan.\u00a0<em>Rent<\/em>. New York, NY: William Morrow and Company, Inc.<\/p>\n<p>Miller, Scott. &#8220;Inside RENT.&#8221; New Line Theater. 2001. Accessed November 14, 2017<\/p>\n<p>Nederlander Theatre &#8211; The Official Website &#8211; Ticketmaster is the authorized ticket service for this theatre. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/nederlandertheatre.com\/about.php.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Nederlander Theater: View More.&#8221; Playbill. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/www.playbill.com\/venue\/view-more?venue=00000150-aacd-d8be-af71-ffef18850006.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;NYTW \/ What We Do.&#8221; NYTW. Accessed November 14, 2017. https:\/\/www.nytw.org\/about\/what-we-do\/.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;NYTW \/ Who We Are.&#8221; NYTW. Accessed November 14, 2017. https:\/\/www.nytw.org\/about\/who-we-are\/.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;RENT Connection \u00ab Life Cafe \u2013 New York City and Brooklyn Bar, Restaurant, Cafe.&#8221; Life Cafe \u2013 New York City and Brooklyn Bar, Restaurant, Cafe. Accessed November 14, 2017. http:\/\/lifecafe.com\/rentconnection\/.<\/p>\n<p>Wollman, Elizabeth L. &#8220;Rock Musicians in the Musical Theater: The 1990s.&#8221; In\u00a0<em>The Theater Will Rock: A History of the Rock Musical, from Hair to Hedwig<\/em>, 158-200. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2006.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"lcp_catlist\" id=\"lcp_instance_0\"><li><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2017\/12\/06\/new-york-theater-workshop\/\">New York Theater Workshop<\/a><\/h5><p class=\"lcp_excerpt\">The New York Theater Workshop was founded in 1979 and is dedicated to ensuring the presence of artists in society. The New York Theater Workshop states that they do this in two ways, \u201c\u2026first through producing an annual season of productions in our 199-seat theatre in Manhattan\u2019s East Village and second, by inviting theatre-makers at ...<\/p><\/li><li><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2017\/12\/06\/the-east-village\/\">The East Village<\/a><\/h5><p class=\"lcp_excerpt\">The East Village is where the play takes place and where it was written. The East Village has changed over the years, but in the time that Rent was produced, it was a hub of artists. However, it was also where gentrification was occurring. The remnants of 300 homeless people still resided in the East ...<\/p><\/li><li><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2017\/12\/06\/the-life-cafe\/\">The Life Cafe<\/a><\/h5><p class=\"lcp_excerpt\">The Life Caf\u00e9 is where the end of the first act of the Rent takes place. The song \u201cLa Vie Boh\u00e8me\u201d, which occurs before the intermission and is one of the most popular scenes from the play, is performed here. The Life Caf\u00e9 was chosen for this particular scene because Jonathan Larson was a frequent ...<\/p><\/li><li><h5><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/2017\/12\/06\/the-nederlander\/\">The Nederlander<\/a><\/h5><p class=\"lcp_excerpt\">Built in 1921, the Nederlander is the theater that premiered Rent in its Broadway debut. The Nederlander is located near the heart of the Times Square theater district. The Nederlander was the perfect theater for Rent and the inside was decorated to look just like the East Village. The interior of the building was inspired ...<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\n\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"builder-section-text_25\" class=\"builder-section-prev-text builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-last builder-text-columns-3 layout-4-8\" style=\"background-size: cover; background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-text_25-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-2\" id=\"builder-section-text_25-column-2\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RENT Broadway is one of the major attractions that people will think of immediately when they think of New York City. New York has been a center of entertainment since the beginning of the 20th century and that has only grown since then. Broadway shows are a sole reason that people will travel for New &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4050,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[230,232,235,229,233,234,231],"class_list":["post-1194","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-broadway","tag-east-village","tag-life-cafe","tag-musical","tag-nederlander","tag-new-york-theater-workshop","tag-rent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4050"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1194"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1714,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1194\/revisions\/1714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/nyc-history\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}