The first weekend of November I happened to find myself pretty sick after a random and sudden case of tonsillitis. It was a Friday night, and also Homecoming weekend, so I found myself alone in my room while my friends were all at the concert on campus. I decided I couldn't get myself to do anything other than just lay down, so I decided to watch something to keep myself busy while I was exerting all that hard energy. I just so happened to run across a recorded stage performance of the musical Rent on Broadway, and watched it for the rest of the evening.
Anybody who really knows me knows that I love musicals. I have a teensy-tiny obsession with Gene Kelley, and occasionally (and by that I mean quite often) will burst out into some of my favorite songs filling in all the roles myself. Although I'm too young to have partaken in the original movement of the musical Rent, it's become one of my all-time favorites, and definitely one which I can relate to on some level.
While most musicals are cheesy and full of flair, which no lie, is partially why I enjoy them, Rent is raw. It's not bright colors and skipping, but it's dirty- and it's not afraid to talk about the hardships of life. It deals with what real relationships are like, not ignoring their ups, but not denying their downs. It also isn't afraid to deal with difficult issues head on- with multiple characters living with HIV or AIDs, not knowing where their next meal is coming from, and don't really have a real place to live. As it says in the song Rent, "How can you connect in an age/ Where strangers, landlords, lovers/ Your own blood cells betray."
The characters of the musical are also extremely well developed. They all have flaws, but they're all relatable- not too over the top. They all deal with the same problems that people in real life do too. Everybody knows a drug-addict, a struggling musician/filmmaker, somebody dealing with a terminal illness, trying to keep a stable relationship with jealousy and mistrust involved, or just simply getting over being dumped. Maybe you're one of these people yourself! Not only do you begin to develop a relationship with these characters whom you're watching, but you find yourself in them and all of their relationships. When they're in pain, you're able to channel that feeling which you've once felt yourself.
One of my favorite things about the musical is obviously the music. All of the songs were written to have a rock edge to them, make it closer to the music of that time period. They easily sounds like songs which can be found on the radio. But most importantly, many of the songs from Rent can be read at poetry themselves; such as their hit song Seasons of Love which I've embedded the song in a video in this post. Just sit back and really listen to the words of the song.
If you haven't seen the musical, I highly encourage it. Unfortunately it's no longer being performed on Broadway, but most of the original cast (whom really took them on and defined them, since they were still being developed after they had been cast) can be seen in the movie- which is not to be missed. Or, if you don't really want to put in all that effort, you can find some pretty amazing clips online. I definitely encourage watching Another Day as a stage performance, especially with original cast if you can find them.
I just want to end this post with what I've learned from Seasons of Love. Time moves fast. Enjoy it while you can. Live every minute of your life with an agenda, and make the most of it while you can. Accept all of the things which come with living- the good and the bad, because just being able to feel is what makes life worthwhile.
