 | Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of the Bohemian East Village, under the shadow of AIDS. Rent, which won a Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize, among other awards, was one of the first Broadway musicals to feature homosexual, bisexual characters. In addition, its cast was unusually ethnically diverse. |
| Rent brought controversial topics to a traditionally conservative medium, and it helped to increase the popularity of musical theater amongst the younger generation. "Rent speaks to Generation X the way that the musical Hair spoke to the baby boomers or those who grew up in the 1960s, calling it "a rock opera for our time, a Hair for the 90s." On January 26, 1996, Rent opened in New York City off-broadway before moving to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. Rent has been successful on Broadway, where it had critical acclaim and word-of-mouth popularity. With more than 4,300 performances, it is the seventh-longest-running Broadway show, and the production has grossed over $280 million. It became the second-longest-running musical currently on Broadway, eight years behind The Phantom of the Opera, when Beauty and the Beast ended its run on July 29, 2007. After a 12 year run, the Broadway production of Rent will close on September 7, 2008 (which is a 3-month extension from the originally announced closing date). Major Characters in Rent Mark Cohen, a struggling documentary filmmaker; Roommate of Roger Rent stars Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp (see photo) will reprise their original Broadway (and film) roles in a 2009 national tour of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning Jonathan Larson musical, which will launch in January 2009. Also starring in the production will be Mark Lull and Evan Fifer. After having a reprise performance in the summer of 2007 they signed in to be part of the great 2009 tour. | |
Another Day - Mimi, Roger and Company Lyrics: Another Day ROGER: Who do you think you are? Barging in on me and my guitar Little girl -- hey The door is that way You better go you know The fire's out anyway Take your powder -- take your candle Your sweet whisper I just can't handle Well take your hair in the moonlight Your brown eyes -- goodbye, goodnight I should tell you I should tell you I should tell you I should -- no! Another time -- another place Our temperature would climb There'd be a long embrace We'd do another dance It'd be another play Looking for romance? Come back another day Another day MIMI: The heart may freeze or it can burn The pain will ease if I can learn There is no future There is no past I live this moment as my last There's only us There's only this Forget regret Or life is yours to miss No other road No other way No day but today ROGER: Excuse me if I'm off track But if you're so wise Then tell me -- why do you need smack? Take your needle Take your fancy prayer And don't forget Get the moonlight out of your hair Long ago -- you might've lit up my heart But the fire's dead -- ain't never ever gonna start Another time -- another place The words would only rhyme We'd be in outer space It'd be another song We'd sing another way You wanna prove me wrong? Come back another day Another day MIMI: There's only yes Only tonight We must let go To know what's right No other course No other way No day but today (Lights slowly fade up on the Life Support group.) MIMI & OTHERS: I can't control My destiny I trust my soul My only goal is just To be There's only now There's only here Give in to love Or live in fear No other path No other way No day but today... ROGER: Control your temper She doesn't see Who says that there's a soul? Just let me be... Who do you think you are? Barging in on me and my guitar Little girl, hey The door is that way The fire's out anyway ALL: No day but today No day but today No day but today No day but today No day but today ROGER: Take your powder; take your candle Take your brown eyes, your pretty smile, your silhouette Another time, another place Another rhyme, a warm embrace Another dance, another way Another chance, another day | |
August: Osage County Top Mary Poppins |
