Jonathan Larson (1960-1996)"Stay true to yourself and to your dreams and know they can come true."-JL-"At some point in their lives, most creative people have to decide whether to apply their talents to a moneymaking career, or pour them purely into artistic en devours and pay their bills with a day job."-"Art is about love-the love you never got as a child, the love you can't give as an adult-the love you can only give your work."-JL-"Does anyone really appreciate life when they're living it?"-Thorton Wilder, Our Town-Who am I? What am I made up of? What do I want and how do I do it when everybody else is making it so difficult?-"Rent" means "torn apart," "community," "roughness."-Friends In Deed-RENT took JL 7 years to write, from start to Broadway-Adam Pascal didn't have any previous theatrical training-"Glory" was originally called "Right Brain"-"Take Me or Leave Me" was the last song JL wrote-"Over the Moon" was influenced by 'Harold and the Purple Crayon,' Laurie Anderson, and Yoko Ono-Movement and costumes were the actors own "free"-"La Via Boheme" - all of JL's favorite things-Writing order: RENT, Santa Fe, I Should Tell You-"Seasons of Love" is the cast asking the audience questions and suggesting answers-JL said he would only change one scene in RENT-?-JL died the night of RENT's open dress rehearsal at NYTW of a burst aorta-Cast did not know him well-"It's not how long you're here, but what you do while you're here."-JL hours before he died-Life Support scene-names of the characters changed each night to represent a friend of the company's the died of AIDS-4 Tony Awards- Best Musical, Best Score, Best Book, Best Featured Actor In a Musical (Wilson Heredia as Angel)-"RENT is the anthem of all artists"-Wilson Heredia-Maureen was influenced by Patti Smith-Character facts: Mimi left home at the age of 15, Benny and Mark were college roommates at Brown University, Roger's band was called The Well Hungarians. -"The beauty of theatre, unlike film, is that it is always evolving and changing."-Allan Gordon-Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation-Norbert Leo Butz was the understudy for Roger-Idina Menzel-"RENT was the first time I didn't feel alone." "I change everyday as a person, so my character changes."-Bryon Utley-"That's the beauty of being in theater: not having to go thru the motions every night."-"In these dangerous times, where it seems that the world is ripping apart at the seams, we all can learn how to survive from those who stare death squarly in the face everyday, and we should reach out to each other and bond as a community rather than hide from the terrors of life at the end of the millennium."-JL
So as I've said before, Rent is one of my guilty pleasures...the morals are rather...questionable. But there's a lot of thought and soul put into Rent, albeit somewhat misguided and imperfect. And it really makes me ponder exactly what life is about... Rent puts forth an impressive presentation of moral relativism that's just filled to the brim with heartfelt emotion and passion. But is simple emotion enough in the end? Is getting your own way the purpose to existence? Seems like a pretty shallow way to live...This musical is not recommended for children...but I really do like the music...and since I'm reviewing the vocal selections book, I probably should've talked about that instead...there's a lot of melody line in the accompaniment, which doesn't enthrall me. And since nobody I know likes Rent (and that's sort of a good thing), I can't accompany anyone with it...Um...but when I feel like getting loud and crazy on the piano without having to improvise anything, Rent usually does the trick for me.
Do You like book Rent (1997)?
There isn't really a plot to this book. This book consists of information about the musical "RENT." It includes lyrics, pictures, biographies and almost any other question you could have about "RENT." I enjoyed reading this book. The musical meant a lot to me and to read this and be able to find out countless fun facts about it was amazing.There is no true characterization in this book. It allows the reader to learn more about the actors, writer and crew.There is no setting for this book. It was written shortly after it was put on Broadway, which was in 1997.There is no theme of this book, seeing as it is non-fiction.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the musical or movie "Rent." I would also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Broadway musicals.
—Kelsey Trinkner
I was fortunate enough to see this show twice on Broadway before it ended its amazing run at the Nederlander. This book is an excellent companion to the musical. It's like carrying the musical with you in hardcover format.The book has wonderful photos of Jonathan Larson and the original Broadway cast as they progressed through the workshops and eventually brought the show to the Broadway stage. It contains the full libretto of the musical, so it's fun to listen to the cast recording while reading along with the book.
—Kat
I will never get tired of the emotions that I feel whenever I read/see this play. Set in the 1980s during the AIDS crisis, this story based on La Boheme chronicles the lives of different people in New York City who are impacted by the disease. Mimi- the infected but vibrant young dancer. Roger- the infected brooding musician. Joanne and Maureen are an opposites attract lesbian couple, and Collins and Angel are an interesting pair also infected with the virus. Mark is the one who chronicles it all on camera. From the words to the music, everything about this show drips with passion and emotion, and I would be lying if I said I didn't cry every time. I think everyone should see/read this at least once.
—Jillyn
