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Overview
Synopsis
Based on Puccini’s beloved opera La Bohème, Rent follows the ups and downs of a year in the life of a group of impoverished, artistic friends living in Manhattan’s East Village. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, struggles to find his place in the world; his roommate Roger, an HIV-positive musician, wonders how he will leave his mark before he dies. Mimi and Angel look for true love as they face the harsh reality of life as HIV-positive young people, while the businesslike Joanne seeks fidelity from her wild-child performance artist girlfriend Maureen. The group’s dreams, losses, and love stories weave through the musical’s narration to paint a stunningly raw and emotional portrait of the gritty bohemian world of New York City in the late 1980s, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
Show Information
- Book
- Jonathan Larson
- Music
- Jonathan Larson
- Lyrics
- Jonathan Larson
- Based on the Play/Book/Film
- La Boheme
- Category
- Musical
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1996
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- late 1980s
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- Small
- Dancing
- Musical Staging
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- Ideal For
- College/University, Ensemble Cast, Mature Audiences, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Diverse Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Young Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Jonathan Larson first began work on Rent when he was twenty-nine years old. Living in a shabby Manhattan apartment not unlike the one Mark and Roger inhabit in the show, his New York City in 1989 was awash with homelessness, crack cocaine, and the deadly AIDS epidemic. He was recommended as a composer/lyricist to playwright Billy Aronson, who was interested in creating a musical adaptation of Puccini’s opera La Bohème. The two met and workshopped some of the musical (including first
to read the context for Rent and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
It is Christmas Eve in 1987. Mark Cohen, an aspiring filmmaker and the show’s narrator, is setting up his camera in his sparse East Village loft apartment. He turns his camera on his roommate Roger Davis, a former junkie and songwriter and trying (unsuccessfully) to write a new song ("Tune Up #1"). Mark’s mother calls; they screen the call, and she leaves a message saying how sorry she is to hear about Mark’s ex-girlfriend Maureen Johnson, who left him for a woman ("Voicemail
to read the plot for Rent and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Bass-Baritone |
|
|
Ensemble |
Either or Both |
Variety |
Songs
Act 1
- "Tune Up #1" — Mark and Roger
- "Voice Mail #1" — Mark's Mother
- "Tune Up #2" — Mark, Roger, Collins and Benny
- "Rent" — Mark, Roger, Benny, Collins, Joanne and Company
- "You Okay, Honey?" — Preachers, Angel and Collins
- "Tune Up #3" — Mark and Roger
- "One Song Glory" — Roger
- "Light My Candle" — Mimi and Roger
- "Voice Mail #2" — Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson
- "Today 4 U" — Collins, Roger, Mark and Angel
- "You'll See" — Benny, Mark, Roger, Collins and Angel
- "Tango: Maureen" — Joanne and Mark
- "Life Support" — Gordon, Paul, Mark and Company
- "Out Tonight" — Mimi
- "Another Day" — Mimi, Roger and Company
- "Will I?" — Steve and Company
- "On the Street" — Preachers, Squeegee Man, Mark, Collins, Angel and Homeless Woman
- "Santa Fe" - Collins, Angel, Mark and Company
- "I'll Cover You" — Angel and Collins
- "We're Okay" — Joanne
- "Christmas Bells" — Company
- "Over the Moon" — Maureen
- "La Vie Bohème A" — Mark, Waiter, Roger, Benny, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, Mr. Grey and Company
- "I Should Tell You" — Mimi and Roger
- "La Vie Bohème B" — Maureen, Collins, Joanne, Mark, Angel and Company
Act 2
- "Seasons of Love A" — Company
- "Happy New Year A" — Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, and Joanne
- "Voice Mail #3" — Mark's Mother and Alexi Darling
- "Happy New Year B" — Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, and Benny
- "Take Me or Leave Me" — Maureen and Joanne
- "Seasons of Love B" — Company
- "Without You" — Roger and Mimi
- "Voice Mail #4" — Alexi Darling
- "Contact" — Angel and Company
- "I'll Cover You" (Reprise) — Collins and Company
- "Halloween" — Mark
- "Goodbye Love" — Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Maureen, Joanne, and Benny
- "What You Own" — Roger and Mark
- "Voice Mail #5" — Roger's Mother, Mimi's Mother, Mr. Jefferson, and Mark's Mother
- "Finale A" — Preachers, Mark, Roger, Collins, Maureen, Joanne, and Mimi
- "Your Eyes" — Roger
- "Finale B" — Company
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
The name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when the body's immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.
An antiviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS.
References a singer who sings in a more chest voice dominant manner.
Socially unconventional, often using artistic expression.
Public performances of a theatrical production before the official opening, in which the director, cast, or crew can make adjustments to the performance before critics attend.
A form of comedy that presents ridiculous extremes in order to make a point about society or human nature.
French for "living picture," a posed scene in which actors communicate meaning through facial expressions and posture.
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