It took composer and lyricist, Jonathan Larson, eight consecutive years to create the rock musical project known today as RENT. It was the artist’s magnum opus and it changed the trajectory of musical theatre. Creatives and patrons of the arts who are millennials or in later generations have probably seen the show on tour or the film version of the production. Even for those whom have not seen the musical, there is a high probability that they’ve heard “Seasons of Love,” the production’s most famous musical number. The song is iconic and one of many aspects of the show that has a lasting impact on audiences.
Analyzing the show from page to stage starts in New York’s East Village at New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW). Here, the show was shaped into the extradentary production it is today. The show was originally staged at NYTW. Larson visited the theatre with his friends after it was renovated and decided it was the perfect place to develop and showcase RENT. He decided to leave a copy of the script to the production managers at NYTW and shortly thereafter they wanted to produce it. The development started in 1994 and lasted for almost two years before it premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 and then produced on Broadway.
The music evolved over those two years. The following songs did not make the final version of the score: “You’re a Fool,” “Voice Mail #4,” “He’s A Fool,” “Open Road (which later became “What You Own”),”He Says,” “On The Street #1-3,” “You’ll Get Over it (which became “Tango: Maureen”), “Right Brain (which later became “One Song Glory”), “Do A Little Business” (which later became “You’ll See”), “Female to Female A &B,” and “Real Estate”.
At NYTW, Anthony Rapp was cast as Mark and Daphne Rubin-Vega played Mimi. After the workshop, they both appeared in the original Off-Broadway and Broadway casts.
Over the two-year period. Larson continued to revise the script until his untimely death in 1996, days before the show’s Broadway premiere. Larson planned to continue his revisions during the Broadway run.
Larson’s script covered many social issues. Two significant ones are the bohemian lifestyle and infectious disease. Art is at the center of the script and score. Two leading characters, Mark and Roger are both creatives. Audiences view the difficulties artists face at the beginning of the show with the song “Rent”.
Class and financial status are also a running theme. Benjamin Coffin III is the landlord and former roommate of the two artists. He wants to evict everyone and turn the apartment space into a profitable business area.
When Tom and Angel meet each other, they both disclose they are living with infectious disease. The song “I’ll Cover You” shows audiences the growing relationship between the characters and Larson’s lyrics places emphasis on love and appreciation.
RENT humanizes its characters and tells stories in ways that are fresh and inspirational. It addresses many different social issues and each of them are showcased in a unique, creative way that gives audiences the opportunity to experience the ambitions and struggles of characters from many walks of life.
The musical is innovative and refrains from depicting stereotypes. Each character is carefully crafted, each possessing his or her time in the spotlight. Larson’s script is diverse and highly-engaging.
