A Tribute to Rent, the Broadway Musical

The Void

Rent

When I was about to type in some of the things I'd written about Rent, I remembered how much it meant to me the first time I heard the 2-CD soundtrack. That night I had been too inspired even to sleep... Anyway, I suppose I should give some background on the play. It was written by Jonathan Larson, and based on La Boheme, a classic which I don't really know anything about. The main idea of the plot is that a group of people living in the slums of New York City with aids are trying to find some meaning in life before they die... one tries to write a song, while others are performers, a computer genius, and a film-maker. The all come to one conclusion: Love.

It's hard to really say anything about it because, Jonathan Larson wrote it so well that there's really nothing left to say. You just have to listen to the CD's or see the play. The first song draws you in, and every song leads up to something. Pure genius, told through 33 rock songs. I've gotten a burning sensation in my stomach over a few things that inspire me, and Rent is one of them. I saw the play in June, and there is really no way to express it. It makes you so sad, and then so overjoyed you want to cry. You feel their pain, and yet it makes you smile.

A lot of people have prejudices about Broadway, but I assure you that this different. Not many plays are based on Rock music or real life. Quite a few of them are meant just to entertain, and the people who listen to heavier music are not really entertained, but Rent really makes you think. If you don't agree with me yet, give it a chance...

No day but today...

I realize this is brief, and if anyone has something to add, I'll gladly to put it up. E-mail me. You can buy the soundtrack at CDNow for the best price I've seen.