The musical Rent

Rent is without question one of the greatest musicals of the 90's, and probably of all time. It's filled with great songs like "La Vie Boheme", "Take Me or Leave Me", "One Song Glory", "Tango Maureen", "Happy New Year" and of course the theme song, "Rent". It was among the first musicals to deal with drug use, HIV, homosexuality and the general declining quality of life in pre-Guliani New York City

Rent is misunderstood in many ways. Primarily I think it's about Roger and Mark and their friendship. They are the first characters you are introduced to and most of the plot revolves around them in some way. Maureen is one of my favorite characters (I love her quirkiness and anti-authority edge) but she is first introduced as Mark's ex. Roger's ex, April who is deceased when the play begins is also crucial to the play because we find out Roger is HIV positive through the backstory of April and his relationship. 

I used to view the characters with much more sympathy in my 20's then I do now at 36. Roger and Mark expect to live rent free in a building another character owns. Benny apparently promised them the place at least for a little bit-but Roger and Mark still seem very entitled to me. 

Rentheads (die hard fans of the musical) think the play is a giant middle finger "the man" and an unapologetic statement of love for the Bohemian lifestyle. It is partially that, but Larson also saw some of the drawbacks of that lifestyle. When a homeless women asks a benevolent, compassionate artist for a dollar, she isn't surprised when he doesn't have one. When Mark isn't exactly welcome at the local Life Cafe, it's because he skipped out on the bill. No wonder he's not given the welcome mat there. The chew and screw was funny when I was in college if I could talk my way into doing the dishes or get the number of the waitress but now I think it's a deadbeat thing to do. 

Rent will, of course, always be considered groundbreaking-and it is, in many ways. I'll always love it, even though I do look at differently.