![]() ![]() Larson's genius lies in updating Puccini's classic. Love is their shield, their one protection from the harsh reality of trying to claim their dream. These young rebels battle disease and crushing poverty and yet retain their dignity. It's about family and connections and “fighting the system” against all odds. It is a masterpiece.Ī free-form flowing ode that lauds young love among the outcast bohemians of the Millennial generation that uses rock music as its base but is clearly indebted to those ageless verities of Broadway's past: superb plotting, inventive lyrics, ear-catching melodies, a sure sense of showbiz style and know-how, and lively characters you truly care about and root for, no matter how drug-addled and personally messed up their lives are. There is no question about Rent's enduring legacy, a cultural icon for many and object of veneration for the rest. There's no telling what he could have achieved had he lived. ![]() These accolades were presented posthumously. When the musical transferred to Broadway after its cult-like run downtown, the show conquered, winning the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama three Tony Awards for Larson personally (Best Musical, Original Score, Book) three Drama Desk awards (Book of a Musical, Music, Lyrics) the New York Drama Critics Circle Award (Best Musical) the Outer Critics Circle Award (Best Off-Broadway Musical) and three Obie Awards (Music, Lyrics, Book). With Stephen Sondheim's encouragement and letters of introduction, young Larson was headed for glory. ![]() Morgan Saves the Nation, as well as incidental music for Sesame Street and numerous scores for Books on Tape. Larson wasn't a complete unknown, having written the autobiographical musical Boho Days, posthumously reworked as tick, tick.BOOM! (2001) and the revue J.P. Not the show itself, a deft grunge riff on Puccini's war horse opera La Bohème, which in Theatre Under the Stars' magical version is an exuberant, life-affirming experience and an absolute gem, but the fact that young creator Larson (composer, lyricist, librettist) died of a heart attack on the eve of its Off-Broadway premiere. Jonathan Larson's Rent (1996) is perhaps the most unhappy musical ever. If Tolstoy ever attended a Broadway show he might have said: Every happy musical is alike, every unhappy musical is different in its own way. ![]()
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