About the work
Jonathan Larson's rock musical „Rent" was premiered Off-Broadway in February 1996 — the day after Larson, only 35, died of a heart aneurysm. The musical transferred to Broadway in April 1996 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards. The work is a rock-musical reimagining of Puccini's „La Bohème".
Plot
East Village, New York, around Christmas 1989. The aspiring filmmaker Mark and his songwriter friend Roger live in a rundown loft. Roger is HIV-positive; his girlfriend April killed herself after both received the diagnosis. Mark's ex-girlfriend Maureen, now lesbian and an activist, plans a protest performance against landlord Benny — Mark's and Roger's old roommate, who has bought the building and wants to evict them. Mimi, an HIV-positive dancer in a nightclub, falls for Roger; their relationship is strained by his trauma. Tom Collins, an HIV-positive philosophy lecturer, falls for the drag queen Angel — also HIV-positive. Angel dies of AIDS, leaving the community shattered. Mimi is found near death from an overdose; Roger sings her his song. Through the love of the community Mimi recovers — at least for now.
Cultural significance
Rent gave the modern Broadway musical a new direction — diverse casting, queer themes, AIDS as central content, rock score. „Seasons of Love", „La Vie Bohème", „Light My Candle", „One Song Glory" became standards. The original Broadway production ran for 12 years (5,123 performances). Chris Columbus's 2005 film and the 2019 Fox live broadcast continued the legacy. Larson's death the day before the premiere has shaped the work's mythos.