Musical 'Rent' defines generation
Campus Times
November 21, 1997
by Rob Strauss
Editorial Assistant
Every generation has a musical that defines itself. In the '60s, it
was "Hair" and now the '90s has "Rent."
The 1996 musical came to the Ahmanson Theatre in mid-September. It
is one of only seven musicals to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and
also won the Tony Award. It was written by Jonathan Larson, who unfortunately
never got to see its premiere in New York on Feb. 13, 1996. He died of an
aortic aneurysm a few weeks beforehand.
"I thought 'Rent' was amazing," said sophomore Kelly Young.
"It was one of the best plays I've ever seen."
"Rent" depicts the story of a group of twenty-somethings living
in an abandoned New York building. The main characters, Mark (played by
Neil Patrick Harris of "Starship Troopers" and "Doogie Howser,
M.D.") and Roger, are being kicked out of the building by their former
roommate Benny, who purchased the abandoned building after marrying into
a wealthy family. As a result Benny wants to change the building, and the
bordering lot, where homeless people reside, into a cyber-arts studio.
With the help of Mark's ex-girlfriend, Maureen, the tenants decide to
fight back. Act Two deals with the events following the eviction.
As the musical progresses, it deals with many important issues of the
'90s, including homosexuality, AIDS and homelessness.
"I thought the storyline reflected a lot of modern issues, people
dealing with hunger and disease," said Young, a broadcast major and
theater minor. "It was sad but also touching."
One of the subplots of "Rent" is the journey victims of AIDS
go through to find themselves. The song, "Will I?" reveals this
search as they ask the question, "Will I lose my dignity? Will someone
care?"
The music of "Rent" is diverse, ranging from rock to dance
to gospel. One of the best known songs is the gospel-like "Seasons
of Love."
The song inspired Stevie Wonder so much that he performed it with the
original New York cast on the soundtrack, which is available in most music
stores.
One of the unique features of "Rent" is that the set is designed
so that the musicians are actually on stage. They are under a wooden structure
in the left part of the stage while much of the action revolves around the
two tables, and the fire escape stairs that make up the building.
Along with the music, Harris' performance is drawing raves.
"He sounded better than the guy on Broadway," said sophomore
Becky Lemert, who is familiar with the Broadway version through the CD.
"Rent" is scheduled to play through Jan. 18, 1998 at the Ahmanson
Theatre, which is located at 135 N. Grand in downtown Los Angeles.
"It wasn't what I expected it to be, but it was enjoyable,"
said senior Sharlyn Preece.
