Songwriter-librettist
Jonathan Larson produced Rent following
seven years of revisions. Hoping to finally achieve a break-through in his
career, Larson never witnessed the sensation that Rent came to be because he died from an aortic aneurysm at the age
of 35 on the day public previews were to begin in New York. This tragic event
sparked director Michael Greif to do everything he could to make the show
succeed. Rent ended up a major
Broadway hit and even won Larson the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
Known as a “Hair of the 90s”, Rent updates Puccini’s La
Boheme, revolving around alternative artists in Manhattan’s East Village at
the end of the 20th century rather than bohemians in 19th-century
Paris. Rent includes characters who
are homeless, transvestite, gay, drug-addicted, and more, however it’s overall
celebratory rather than tragic like La
Boheme. Written for a cast of 15 characters and a 5-piece band, Rent contains around 35 songs ranging
from humorous to sobering in style. Rent likely
achieved success due to its contemporary subject and aim to celebrate life
through the midst of the darkness found in death and disease.
Below you can
view the popular “Seasons of Love” from Rent.
Now that we’ve
spent the last month looking at a variety of musicals I’m curious…do you have a
favorite era or style of musical? There are certainly many musicals that I did
not have the time to mention in my blog. Feel free to share your favorite!
