The producers of Rent have extended the show's run by another three months to accommodate the sudden rush of ticket sales that the show's announced closure precipitated. The landmark musical is now scheduled to close September 7th. Folks who bought tickets for the express purpose of seeing one of the show's final performances will have a chance to exchange their tickets for a performance closer to closing.
After my last post about the show's closure, in which I described the show as admirable but flawed, I received a number of...well...passionate responses. Readers took particular exception to my questioning the quality of the number "Today 4 U," a criticism I continue to stand by despite admonitions I received to go back and "listen to the lyrics" again. I did: it's still a stupid song.
But the fervor of these respondents illustrates the intense feeling that Rent engenders in its fan base, which BTW includes this blogger. People just love this show, some so much so that some feel the need to attack anyone who dares appear to impugn it.
As I've said, I'm an admirer of this show, although over the years I've come to acknowledge its weaknesses, while still appreciating its many strengths. I may even decide to take it in one more time before it closes. Rent really began the Little-Show-That-Could trend, demonstrating that it was possible for a small but ambitious Off-Broadway show to move uptown, capture hearts, stretch the form, and make money. Such shows as Avenue Q, Spring Awakening, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee have Rent to thank for paving the way.
The show also represents an important step in the evolution of the portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in Broadway musicals. Prior to Rent, most shows that contained gays were about the characters being gay: the struggles (A Chorus Line, Falsettos), the prejudices (La Cage aux Folles, Kiss of the Spiderwoman). Rent was the first Broadway musical in which gay characters simply happened to be gay: it wasn't about gay people and straight people, it was a about people. AIDS isn't a gay disease, it's a disease that affects everybody.
So believe me, I appreciate the place that Rent holds in the history of musical theater. It's something I remind my students of every time we cover it in my Conservatory course. I'll never forget the night I first saw Rent, the power it had to entertain and devastate. It remains one of my favorite and most memorable nights in theater. And considering I just entered my thirtieth year of serious theater-going, that's saying quite a bit.
