RENT (1996)

 

This Alphabet City rock opera was the show that kicked off my love of musical theatre.  I was 16, and I was in love with this musical.  I remember buying the cast recording at a CD store in the mall and playing it on a loop.  In 2005, when I was in college and the movie came out, I drove to Barnes & Noble to get the soundtrack before class and listened to it in the car on my way to the theater after class.  I haven’t listened to it in a while – so much theatre, so little time – but watching The Normal Heart inspired me to pull out my cast recording again.

 

The Broadway debut of the late great composer Jonathan Larson, RENT had its first preview the night after Larson’s sudden death.  It became a phenomenon, winning heavy-hitter Tonys, running for 12 years, and garnering a loyal following of “Rentheads.”  When it opened, there weren’t a huge number of rock musicals, and even fewer that dealt with gritty subject matter.

 

It’s easier to describe RENT’s focus than its story.  It follows a group of East Villagers, mostly starving artists, through a single, significant night (Christmas Eve) in Act I and the ensuing year in Act II.  The racially/sexually diverse ensemble struggles with love and fear, art and commercialism, and life and death.  Not skimping on sex, drugs, or rock ‘n’ roll, it was an anomaly on the Great White Way in 1996.

 

The reason The Normal Heart sent me back to the CD is because HIV looms large in both stories.  Half of RENT’s eight core characters are HIV+:  Roger the depressed rocker, Mimi the playful S&M dancer, Collins the anarchist professor, and Angel the kind-hearted busker.  Also featured are Mark the rudderless documentarian, Maureen the flighty performance artist, Joanne the uptight professional, and Benny the “soulless” sellout. 

 

In terms of the story, the relationships between the characters are central.  There’s Mimi and Roger, the way they dance around their attraction to each other and struggle to open up.  There’s Roger and Mark, best friends who both can understand the other better than they can themselves.  There’s Collins and Angel, bravely taking the chance to dive into love while they can.  There’s Mark and Maureen, exes who still have enormous pull over each other.  There’s Maureen and Joanne, with their tempestuous on-again off-again romance.  And there’s Benny in the middle of it all, stirring up trouble professionally and personally, even though he used to be their friend.

 

The score is terrific, deftly mixing rock elements and Broadway sensibilities.  From the guitar-driven duet “Another Day” to the poppy love tune “I’ll Cover You” to the Broadway rock scene-song “Goodbye Love,” this musical is filled with great, immensely hummable songs.  The lyrics range from snarky to heartbreaking, and recurring melodic motifs knit the story into the music.  The original Broadway cast is top-notch, combining emotive acting performances with great rock and pop voices.  I discovered so many good actors through the cast recording, including Idina Menzel and Adam Pascal, and they all hold a special place in my estimation.

 

Warnings

 

Strong language, sexual content, drug references, and thematic elements.