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Definately a disambiguation -- "Rent" would be an important economics article, for classical and socialist theories, as well as many others. -- Sam
There is a disamiguation for "rent" and "Rent". It only redirects to the musical page if you search "RENT" in all-caps, which is fairly appropriate since that is how many Rentheads distinguish the work.
(One set of new comments had been incorrectly placed well above EARLIER comments, which is not appropriate for a Talk page. Please note that "I don't get it" and its replies have not been deleted, but simply moved to their chronological place in the discussion. --Lawikitejana 18:48, 18 September 2006 (UTC))
The plot summary is much too long and rambling. A concise summary with spoiler warning would be optimal. I have not seen the musical, so if someone else is ready & willing to do it, I would appreciate it. After an acceptable amount of time, I'll do it myself, the necessary information is already contained within the article, it just needs to be hunted down & gathered. -- Zenosparadox
The opening comments imply it opened at the Nederlander which is incorrect. it opened and ran at the NYTW before moving uptown. Facts should be fixed. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 24.128.175.73 (talk • contribs) 3 April 2006 (UTC)
I changed the introduction, but on the whole a section about the NYTW should be added since it was a very significant part of the musical's history. I think a noting of the original NYTW cast as well as a track listing is appropriate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hours (talk • contribs)
I really enjoyed it. It was vibrant, moving, original. The songs worked at many levels (as did the staging, and other aspects) and I especially appreciated the social/economic criticism (love the song on living in America at the end of the Millenium, as well as the homeless interventions on Christmas). Yet I was disappointed that while it was one of the first representations of LGBT characters on Broadway, the gay (male) love story is ended by death while the equally HIV-infected heterosexuals (Roger & Mimi) don't have their love story shortened in this way (though the threat looms). I know, another reading is possible: the romantic value of the gay relationship is elevated (made equal?) to that of Mimi's in Puccini's La Bohème through Angel's death (and heterosexual sympathy is aroused perhaps, and possibly equal respect for such relationships); also, the lesbian relationship doesn't end in this way. RENT was written when AIDS was a death-sentence, not a chronic, manageable illness as it is today (*if* you have access to meds and aren't fighting a secondary disease or condition like addiction or homelessness), so someone dying is inevitable (and in keeping with operatic tradition). Perhaps it was meant to honor, recognize, publicize the number of gay men who had died due to AIDS-related complications from the early 1980's until RENT's production in the mid-1990's. Yet, as a gay man living with AIDS, I admit I felt cheated after an initial flush of pleasure at *finally* seeing something on stage that didn't require me to translate culturally or romantically. Why couldn't Mimi (or Roger) be the one to die? Not to mention other questions I had... Was Angel's relationship with another man palatable because he did drag and the presumably majority-straight audience could sustain a fiction and avoid the reality that this was a male-male love relationship? Or was it more radical because of this? Does it simply reaffirm gender stereotypes (and assumptions about same-sex relationships that they must parrot these terms) or upset them completely? I don't know... Perhaps I'm just too critical or thinking too much about it. I know, being starved for representation affects this for me. I also know it's a work of art, not a political statement (or, rather, not solely a political statement, and not necessarily one that must support any of my pet ideologies, though it comes close). :) No matter; I would see it again and recommend it to others. -- Kamal
--Julia528 21:58, 20 July 2006 (UTC)
Besides, eventually, they'll all die. angel wasnt the first. seriously.Dragon queen4ever 22:23, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
In response to Kamal, I understand that seeing someone in the same predicament on stage makes it feel more alive and that finally people are recognizing there are others living with disease (just as "La Vie Boheme B" states: "To people living with, living with, living with, not dying from disease") that still make an impact on life. People I have talked to after they have seen the movie adaptation fail to get what the musical was meant to get across. Sure, we can say it's a bad stereotype that Angel, a gay man who has AIDS, dies.
But we don't know the backstory except for tidbits. Maybe Angel has had AIDS for years on end and Collins recently contracted it. Maybe Angel's DNA couldn't fight it, or maybe he knew his time would be short and would just rather spend it living than in despair. RENT did so many things for society that, probably up until the night prior to it's opening (bless Jonathan Larson and his family and friends for his untimely death at that time) any off-the-street yuppie, a.k.a. real-life Bennys, would probably have scoffed at it for portraying a dark existence in the light. What everyone fails to see is that the musical was not meant to cause stereotype-based discussions, but to provoke the thought that maybe, just maybe, by living with a disease such as these high-profile ones, doesn't mean certain death.
In fact, although I understand there will be those in the medical field which will get ticked that I make such a non-medically based statement, the only thing in this world that will get you killed is yourself. I'm not suggesting suicide, mind you, and I don't mean the word "kill" in the same fashion as murder or suicide.
Look at Roger at the start of the musical: He's holed himself up for a year. He's basically starting "killing" himself from the inside. He pushes Mimi away, once again in just what I think, for multiple reasons, such as the fact that he's HIV+ and doesn't want her to get involved with that (figure she would end up already having it), that's he started destroying himself since April's death, and, who knows, maybe he's so mad at himself for letting her commit suicide that he's come to blame her death on his own inactivity in the matter.
Let's look back at the initial worry here: Was Angel a victim of AIDS or stereotype? RENT's core character base is 8, no more, no less. But who brings them all together? Angel. Everytime they start to drift apart, Angel pulls them back. And what event causes them to fall so far apart? Angel's death. One way to look at it is that perhaps Angel was indeed an Angel of sorts. The natural thought of angels is that they come down to help others. Perhaps Angel was here to help these people through the dark times. Plot-wise, the characters become one unit up until Angel's death, then upon his death, the foundation by which they stayed stable (Angel) was no longer there. They started to fall through the cracks and had to fight for what they wanted. That's where it probably should stop. Angel's death was nothing more than a plot device. It wasn't meant to provoke stereotypes. Stenir (talk) 16:50, 30 July 2008 (UTC)
Old discussion, but I just wanted to say my fair share here, even though my stance here is more about plot development than symbolism: I always thought the reason Angel was the one who died was because (s)he was more or less the one holding the group together, keeping them at peace. If any other character had died at that point, it wouldn't have had as huge an impact as Angel's death, especially on Collins. Mimi dying wouldn't have had as big an impact on the group, as Roger has already had a girl die (April). Also, Angel's death was (arguably?) what ended up saving Mimi's life in the end. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 35.46.103.48 (talk) 01:19, 27 April 2017 (UTC)
Maybe I'm naive, but I think that "Since its first run on Broadway, "Rent" has caused over 15,000 people from all walks of life to claw their own eyes out in despair and then jump into oncoming traffic." is not exactly part of RENT's cultural impact.
Rent had a huge cultural impact. Rent, which is one of Broadway's longest running musical teaches its audiences over and over again about taboo subjects such as AIDS and homosexuality. It focuses on tolence and acceptance of everyone. This play/movie (although much better play ... if I could add on) opened up new avenues for many people by introducing them to support groups, encouraging them to learn about the AIDS virus, attend seminars. Also, in the movie, people see a variation from the original Broadway play, where the characters Mimi and Maureen get married. There "wedding" is broken up when they decide to split up, but one can see the political comentary of this director, struggling with the real life controversy of approving gay marriage.
Anyways, thats just my 2 cents, everyone feel free to add on.
—Preceding unsigned comment added by 137.49.230.39 (talk)
Something I was thinking as I looked on the page is that I would have liked to see some information on Rent's reception. Obviously, the show covers some controversial topics and viewpoints, which I'm sure must have attracted some praise/criticism, and I think "cultural impact" is a good place to put some information. Anyone have an opinion on this? Theaterdude88 20:37, 28 August 2006 (UTC)
The charges she lists on the source (Slate.com) seem somewhat vague. Is this factual enough to be included? Perhaps someone who has read her book (Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketing of Gay America) could elaborate?--—Preceding unsigned comment added by 64.81.146.219 (talk) 11 December 2005
Throughout Wikipedia's articles about Rent, I have seen instances of male pronouns being used for Angel. Angel is a woman in mind, and that overrides her male body. Please try to fix this wherever you can.--—Preceding unsigned comment added by Devahn58 (talk • contribs) 15 January 2006
the summary is ok, I guess... but there are TWO acts in rent, so where is the summary of the second act? The pointer outer 17:19, 29 January 2006 (UTC)
I removed that bit, clearly labelled both acts, and added an expand tag. Turnstep 04:38, 18 February 2006 (UTC)
In the section on Rent's creative process, it says, "... until one lone voice said "Thank you, Jonathan Larson," which broke the spell[citation needed]." This fact was mentioned on the bonus DVD that came with Rent, the movie. There was a documentary on the creation of Rent. How would one go about citing that source? Robin Chen 02:52, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
I have no idea.. but it was mentioned on the No Day But Today documentary in the Without You segment.. I dont remember who was first talking about it.. I'll have to check and see...
There's a template for it: Template:Cite_video. My understanding is that features on a DVD count as films in their own right, so just include the name of the documentary etc. -- Metahacker 02:38, 21 June 2006 (UTC)
About the organization of cast lists: I think there should be a separate section for casts, and include both the OBC and the current broadway cast in it as subheadings. The current setup is a tad illogical. Also, I think the cast section should include celebrity cast members and replacement cast members as well. i.e.:
Cast section
what do you all think? Drenched 19:14, 26 June 2006 (UTC)Drenched
I changed my mind; now I think the article should only include the OBC and the current Broadway cast because it already has too many long lists. There are so many tour/international casts that I don't think cast lists of those productions should be included. And over the years, so many people have been in the Broadway production that I'm feeling wary of making a replacement cast section due to length and organizational messiness. What are your opinions of what cast lists should be included/excluded? --Drenched 19:29, 14 July 2006 (UTC)
I think we have somewhat redundant sections (i.e. the introduction, theatrical run, cultural impact). Could we perhaps just have a general "History" section that would include 1. Creative process 2. Theatrical Run 3. Impact all in one place instead of scattered all over the article? Also, I think the contents of the Trivia section right now is basically the same as in cultural impact. Couldn't we more explicitly just have a section called "References to Rent in Pop culture" or something that would just take care if it all? Then trivia could be reserved more for stuff like "Hey, Taye & Idina are married, awesome!" What do you guys think? Drenched 21:04, 1 July 2006 (UTC)Drenched
You don't need to understand everything.
I watched the movie "rent" yesterday. It was the movie version, but I have heard that that was fairly unchanged from the original (Is that true?).
And, I can't NOT understand how it was ever popular!? Is the stage version so different in plot from the movie?
The story is basically a bunch of ungrateful twerps who think the world owes them something and yet are unwilling to even say "thank you" for it when they get it. Not even unwilling to say "thank you", but actually ask for MORE while at the same time going out of their way to call you names. The entire play is filled with horrible, mean, nasty, cruel, jealous, hypocritical, self centered people who are considered the "heroes" and reasonable, generous, mild-mannered, *extraordinarily patient* "villains".
Like the very first scene the group is getting *free rent* on a entire building, in the middle of New York, for a YEAR (worth, what, well over a million dollars a year? I mean this is an entire building, right?) and then they decide to stage a protest against the very people giving them free rent...
So basically, the guy who owns the building is like, "Hey, either pay rent or stop protesting against me you ungrateful jerks!" and then they proceed to demonize that guy through the whole thing... Not one thank you. Just a lot of nasty incrimination and sarcasm towards him.
The theme of "I deserve special treatment and free stuff for no reason, but I want to be self-righteous about it and at the same time slap you across the face for not hurrying up with the gifts" is basically the theme. Even their internal relationships are like that.
One guy has a cheating girlfriend who decides to be a lesbian who gets "married" to another lesbian and then attempts to cheat on THAT girl her wedding day and finally has the audacity to sing a song about how, "So what, I lied to your face, and insulted you and your family. This is who I am, and obviously there is nothing wrong with *me*, so YOU need to get over it". Basically the same theme... Give me what I want, give it to me now, but I don't care what you want.
One guy eventually gets a job, the most amazing DREAM JOB of his life (he is a "film maker", and he films stuff all day long, and the company wants to pay him to just keep doing what he is doing), and calls it "selling out", gets all angry about it, stays just long enough to pay for rent for a month and quits.
Seriously, what was the message in this thing: Human trash is great? Aspire to make the most hyper-left-wing commune-living teaching-killer-whale-stolen-from-sf-oceneographic-society-to-eat-pure-vegan hippies look like industrious, clean-living upstanding members of society by comparison? Being a diseased, drug-addicted talentless loser with no means of income nor any redeeming qualities whatsoever is no reason you shouldn't expect the world to bow to your every whim?
Why would New Yorkers watch this thing and leave without throwing rotten fruit? Are we to believe that they are so unintelligent? Do they like people going home with the impression that, "New Yorkers are vapid, worthless dregs of human trash who can't think past their own self-centered egos, and we are proud of that impression. And, before you go, give us money, you stupid jerk."
Like you end up thinking, a city where something this THIS kind of retarded monkey message in what many consider one of the "high class" art form is revered with SUCH high acclaim must NOT be a great loss if someone took a match to the whole place.
To that end, the only saving grace, and what I *assume* is the reason why everyone liked this musical so much, because there is no other reason that makes sense, is that they *all* seem to have AIDS, and even if they don't it's reasonable to assume they will catch it soon... and at least one of them dies outright and another comes close enough for you to cheer... And I suppose we are left to hope the rest will die soon?
I guess the message of the musical, in the end, is: "You wouldn't think that watching people dying of a horrible wasting disease could make you happy, but it really can happen... Don't believe me? Here let me give you an example." --—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.159.227.60 (talk) 5 July 2006
All of you people are crazy. This is the BEST musical ever. Each character has a strong inner struggle. Roger a man in his 20s who has already peaked in his musical career which was always his dream, not to mention he has AIDS, the worst diseas in the world. Mark a film maker who is doing whatever he can to live, stay true to his passion, and not sell out to the corporate world.Maureen is the one person who dosen't really have a problem other than the fact she has problems with committment. Joanne like Maureen has relationship probs and has no personality. These are just some examples of the wonderful deep characters. Along with these characters the score is great and sad and happy all at once. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Fiyero554 (talk • contribs)
Welcome newcomers. Please don't forget to sign your comments! --Drenched 08:51, 13 August 2006 (UTC)
In the pop culture section, it says there are references to Rent in Avenue Q. I (think I) know Avenue Q] well, but I can't find a direct reference. Anyone know? —Preceding unsigned comment added by No1cubfan (talk • contribs) 8 July 2006
I feel like the part of the NYTW in RENT's history is not given sufficient attention. I'll leave it to someone with more knowledge than me, but I feel like we should at least include the 1994 cast as well as the prototype song list, with acknowledgements as to each song's update in the finished musical (Splatter = RENT, Right Brain = One Song Glory, etc). —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hours (talk • contribs)
I don't know who took over for them, but I know that Bryce Ryness, Jed Resnick, Arianda Fernandez, and Ben Roseberry have all left the tour, along with others. If anyone could do research and see who took over for them it'd be much appreciated. 152.163.100.68 22:06, 5 October 2006 (UTC)
The cast lists were mentioned in July; I'm revisiting the topic here. Other than the original cast list (and maybe the current Broadway cast list), these aren't really useful and are difficult, if not impossible, to maintain and document with reliable sources. (Who has access to documentation for the Japan tour cast, for example? The Rent website doesn't stay current on cast lists; it means constant trivial updates to the article, and isn't really encyclopedic. To list well-known actors and actresses who have done "guest turns" in the various casts is one thing; listing every actor and actress who has ever appeared in the show is another. If there are articles on individual performers, those articles can include the information that they were in Rent and link to the article(s) (movie and stage; not everyone in the film has been in a stage production).
I'm not even sure I'm in favor of including cast lists for tours that have ended. Which list do you use? The original? The closing? Mention everyone who was ever in the cast while it was on tour? Just doesn't make sense.
As for splitting the information off into a separate article, see What Wikipedia is not: Wikipedia is not a directory.
Also see the subpage about this article being nominated to be a Featured article; one of the specific mentions is the long lists.—Chidom talk 17:32, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
Should we keep the list of notable broadway replacements? I think it's also remarkable to keep their names in record in addition to the ones played their rolds in the three versions mentioned. Also, it would also be better to have the names of actors played minor roles, since some of them are understudies of the main characters. Dustinchan (talk) 07:55, 13 February 2010 (UTC)
It makes no sense for an encyclopedia to include information on amateur productions of a muscial; and none of the entries were sourced. I deleted the section.—Chidom talk 17:18, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
It's generally accepted that Featured articles shouldn't have Trivia sections. If the information is important enough to be included in an encyclopedia, it should be included in the text of the article, not as a list. I'm not sure that much of this information is necessary, but when I have time I'll try to convert this into more of a narrative, unless someone else wants to do it. (Hint, hint. Please?)—Chidom talk 19:15, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
If somebody else can find it, I read in an old review of RENT that two of the main cast members were actually gay. I know one of them is Anthony Rapp, and I'm positive it's not Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs, or Idina Mendzel. --68.51.88.109 02:52, 3 February 2007 (UTC)
Anthony is bisexual. He mentions that in his memoir. As for another cast member, I believe Rosario Dawson is also bisexual (I heard by word of mouth so I doubt that it's true) but she was in the movie, not OBC —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.21.96.68 (talk) 22:09, 27 March 2008 (UTC)
This section does not need the level of detail that an editor keeps restoring. The individual productions are listed in the info box at the top right of the article under "Productions"; lists in articles are one of the things that get evaluated in reviews for Featured Article status. This article needs to be tightened and shortened, not expanded with additional detail that can be summarized and still get the point across. In this case, it's that the musical has been produced all over the world. Whene exactly is was produced in each location, and what the cast there was, is just unnecessary information for this article. Maybe a separate article is needed, but that information doesn't belong here.—Chidom talk 12:41, 29 December 2006 (UTC)
Shouldnt this go under the category of LGBT plays.
But also, is Rent really one of the first Broadway shows to feature homosexual/bisexual character? Applause, back in 1970, had a homosexual character as Margo Channing's dresser. Sextet in 1976 featured characters of all sexual orientations, and even had gay characters for the leads. Dance A Little Closer had a pair of gay characters ask to be married, and La Cage Aux Folles was about a gay couple and their child, and both of those came out in the 80's. I think this section of the article should definitely be edited out. I don't even really know what you could qualify it as, since Rent doesn't seem to be a breakthrough show in this respect. Maybe transsexual?
I've just gone through and edited the Broadway cast, which had Matt Caplan credited as Mark Cohen instead of Chris J Hanke. But, another thing that stood out to me, is that Karmine Alers is credited as playing Mimi; as well as being understudy for the role of Maureen. I'm just not sure whether that was right? Is anyone able to clarify?
The hyperlink for Michael Potts in the section about the New York Theater Workshop staged reading is incorrect. The Michael Potts who played Benny is a black actor currently teaching at NYU. He has no Wikipedia page. Tischman 15:03, 14 August 2007 (UTC)
Can someone who is a rent fanatic and knows the jargon, please add explanation in the article as to the various cast names. Why are they called the "Collins tour", the "Benny tour," etc? As someone who enjoys the show, but is not part of the fan culture, I find these insider terms confusing, and no effort has yet been made to explain them.24.165.188.30 00:45, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
This article seems pretty complete. Why not nominate it as a Good Article and see what comments you get? Or else put it up for comment? Best regards, -- Ssilvers 04:01, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
My watchlist keeps popping up with 192.138.89.235 as deleting an entire reference and other text. Quite frankly, I haven't been on Wikipedia long enough to know how to report a user (the user has MANY warnings). Can someone either give me a quick reporting tutorial or actually go ahead and do it yourself? It would be greatly appreciated. Anonymous~Source (talk) 02:58, 23 November 2007 (UTC)
I think we're playing a little fast and loose with the definition of the word "Celebrity". I think I've heard of all of two people on that list. One of the listees doesn't even have a WP article! Most of those people wouldn't even qualify to be on Dancing with the Stars. I'm all for deleting it. — MusicMaker5376 16:07, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
I'm probably being dumb, but why is it called Rent? Shouldn't there be an explanation in the article? 86.133.214.216 (talk) 17:04, 16 January 2008 (UTC)
The list of songs for the first act is missing the song On The Street, I believe. It should be between Will I? and Santa Fe. RoganTaigra (talk) 23:38, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
The Plot summary is 'way too long. Can't anyone tame it? Also, the article states that critical reception of the show was good, but there is no critical reception section -- There really should be such a section quoting the major initial reviews of the show, and also reviews of revivals/tours. Best regards, -- Ssilvers (talk) 22:31, 5 March 2008 (UTC)
The Broadway closing is being given a lot of prominence in the article. See WP:NOT; Wikipedia is not a current events forum. I guess it's no big deal to leave it there for now, but once the show closes, the section should be converted into a sentence at the end of the Broadway production info, and the extension will no longer be notable. Lots of shows get extended, because when you announce that a show is closing, it gets press and people buy tickets. The Fantasticks stayed open for years by constantly announcing new closing dates. -- Ssilvers (talk) 21:52, 26 March 2008 (UTC)
The first sentence is weak - "Rent can be considered a rock musical..." Rent IS a rock musical; I'm changing it to "Rent is a rock musical (sometimes considered a rock opera)..." That should work. Skiasaurus (skē’ ə sôr’ əs) 15:32, 13 May 2008 (UTC)
Should some mention be made of the fact that RENT started the rush ticket system? For those who don't know, when RENT first started playing its ticketing was unique for the fact that the tickets for the first two rows of the orchestra went on sale the day of the show for $20 each. The majority of the people willing to wake up early and wait in line all day ended up being local students. Eventually this policy spread to other shows, so now most Broadway shows have a rush ticket policy where you can get highly discount seats (usually $20-$40) on a first come, first served basis a few hours before the show opens. Most also have a special student ticket rush where a certain number of rush tickets are reserved for people who present valid student IDs. Maybe this could go under the cultural impact section? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.14.131.232 (talk) 22:27, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
At the very bottom of the page, right before the categories is something that reads "[[vm:α▼YΘ:gú²b}╜]] (musical)]]". Does anyone have any idea what this is, and, if so, could you either fix it if it's something that needs to be fixed or remove it if it's something that doesn't need to be there? Thanks! —MearsMan talk 06:53, 29 June 2008 (UTC)
I was thinkng, shouldn't the characters have their own Wikipedia page (not necessarily one page per character, but y'know, a list of the characters in depth? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.43.1.77 (talk) 15:47, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
A list of the characters, though, should give out character info, but not too much
Almost every day, editors (mostly anon) change the info on Maureen's sexuality from lesbian to bisexual and back again. This is not very entertaining anymore. Can anyone give a citation and the exact quote here to prove which it is, and then we can put a comment in the text with the cite and reference to this talk page? Thanks! -- Ssilvers (talk) 20:37, 29 October 2008 (UTC)
Maureen is lesbian. Jonathon Larson, from the veeeeery first draft of the rock opera, intended for her to be lesbian. She went from heterosexual, with Mark Cohen, to homosexual with Joanne Jefferson. Maureen is too dramatic of a person to change from hetero to homosexual. It's simply too subtle for her taste. In Anthony Rapps novel Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and The Musical RENT he stated many times that she was lesbian. In a song that was from a early workshop and later cut from the show Mark and Maureen are fighting. He thinks she's just going through a phase but she keeps telling him she is lesbian. So no, she is not bisexual. I'm not too fimiliar with Wikipedia yet so don't know how to link. Sorry! But siteforrent.com, Anythony Rapps book, and the documentary on the second disc of the movie version state this. And in Anthony Rapps book he quotes from the cut song and I can almost guarantee it says it in there somewhere! But I am 100 % positive she is lesbian! --ThankYouJonathon
I added the reference to page 19 of Rapp's book. -- Ssilvers (talk) 18:56, 2 November 2008 (UTC)
I added what I think is a stronger reference for Maureen's sexuality, the Libretto published in 1997 which includes extensive interviews from friends family, cast director, etc. Here is the relevant passage, from director Michael Greif, Larson's friend Lisa Hubbard and and photograph of one of Larson's notes, where he writes: "Musetta – a lesbian performance artist" (Musetta being Maureen's La Bohème counterpart. Here is the full passage, on page 25):
"The main structure, characters and music were already in place. But [Jim] Nicola and [Michael] Greif felt that some of the subplots were confusing and the characters cardboard. Larson's efforts to be multicultural and inclusive could be clumsily executed; sometimes his own intellect and earnestness got in his characters’ way. At points, he adhered too much to La Bohème, or to his own experience and didn't give the show space to grow. The relationship between Maureen and Joanne, for instance, was problematic: in early versions, Maureen gets back together with Mark in a plot twist that does parallel La Bohème, but comes across as wishful thinking on a straight man's part. In fact, Jonathan had had a girlfriend who left him for a woman.
Michael Greif: Until late in rehearsal, there were a lot of dyke issues. It was my point of view that they were the characters Jonathan had the most distance from, or the least handle on. He wasn't seeing what Jim and I were seeing very clearly, which was that if you're writing a piece that celebrates queer life, then let the women be queer.
Lisa Hubbard: I talked to him a lot about the lesbian characters. I felt at first that he didn't know how pat they were. They didn't feel like they were people, you didn't feel like they were relating to each other, in the same way those kinds of characters often come across in movies – as if they were written by straight men. At first you felt Maureen's connection with Mark more than with Joanne. It was almost like a joke that she'd turned gay. Jonathan needed a little kick in the butt. But we never argued about it. He wanted it to be good. Jonathan was very different; he wasn't like most straight guys. Two or his very closest friends were gay – Matt and me. So he knew a lot about gay life.
Maureen's sexuality is a confusion point for a lot of people, so I think this source that goes at length on the topic enhances the article. And yes I KNOW this discussion is 10 years old, I just wanted on record the source I was adding and my rationale :) Leesandeul (talk) 20:34, 15 August 2018 (UTC)
I am very curious as to why the part of Joanne is listed as being played by a contralto? Even more odd, it then goes on to say it could be played by a mezzo-soprano. Maybe I'm missing something, but something seems very wrong. A more likely scenario seems to be alto that could be mezzo-soprano. In all, I'm more inclined to just change it to mezzo-soprano. Alex (talk) 01:36, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
Just curious, why is it often called RENT (in all caps)? What's wrong with just Rent? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.153.229.234 (talk) 11:57, 19 February 2009 (UTC)
Given that this is a musical, with a heavy emphasis on music, I think that the character list should have the voice parts of the respective characters. I added the parts of the male characters (I can't vouch for the female characters), and I received a message that I entered information that was not encyclopedic or verifiable. I fail to see the objection. In any entry about an opera on here, AND in a number of musicals where there is a great deal of music, such as Les Miserables and Sweeney Todd. If the goal is to provide information on a subject, then why delete information, especially given that this is an article on a performance piece. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.152.189.93 (talk) 03:20, 11 April 2009 (UTC)
I've noticed that several times in this article that the HIV/AIDS status flips back and forth, which as far as I know, are not necessarily interchangeable (although HIV almost always develops into AIDS). We know Collins and Angel had AIDS. The problem seems to be with Roger and Mimi. Most mentions of Mimi disease are HIV, although in the Main Characters section it lists her as having AIDS. For Roger, it seems to be an even mention of HIV and AIDS (with the character sections using HIV, and the Plot sections using AIDS). Which is it? -- 204.112.159.179 (talk) 09:02, 12 April 2009 (UTC)
I noticed repeatedly that Rosario's name is on the list of performing on the stage version. Did she? If not, it needs to be removed. Jedi Striker (talk) 07:02, 16 June 2009 (UTC)
No, she's never done a stage production, just the movie, but I don't see why it should be removed
I removed the paragraph on the CYC being the first youth group to put on a production of Rent. FOr a start, they weren't, I was a member of the cast of the drama society in Dublin City University that put on a production in April 2009. I'm not saying we were the first either but the CYC weren't either. Also, what next,every production gets a section? With the rights on sale, it would make the page much longer than it need be —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.44.19.193 (talk) 18:02, 26 July 2009 (UTC)
Hi,
Well, the Dublin City University isn't a youth theatre. Also, unlicensed productions were not considered. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.207.105.134 (talk) 17:30, 10 August 2009 (UTC)
If you read the Wikipedia article on Rock Operas, you clearly see that Rent is not a rock opera. A rock musical, yes, but not a rock opera. Rock operas only have loose stories, while Rent tells a very exact story. Rock operas are also a form of music albums, while Rent is a form of musical theater. Anyone disagree? Cuardin (talk) 15:03, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
I see your point: I have seen debate on whether or not to consider RENT as a rock opera or rock musical. However, I fail to see how RENT does not fall under the guidelines set by the RENT Wikipedia article. To quote the introductory paragraph for reference:
A rock opera is a musical work that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include metal opera and rap opera (sometimes also called hip-hopera). A rock opera tells a coherent story, though details are often vague. A rock opera is similar to a concept album (of which it is a subset), though the latter may simply set a mood or maintain a theme.
However, to make sure I was not making too many assumptions or misinterpreting Wikipedian standards, I turned to another rock musical/opera on Wikipedia, The Who's Tommy. There, the opera is called a musical. Looking further into the Wikipedia page for rock musicals, I found Tommy classified as an opera performed on stage. From a personal stance, I believe RENT is a rock opera, as is The Who's Tommy. RENT differs from a rock musical (like Spring Awakening, for example) because of its extremely little spoken dialogue, most of dialogue in the musical being sung. Can it be considered both? Surely. If I had to choose, Rock Opera. Lvb314 (talk) 23:12, 9 June 2010 (UTC)
Bit confused as to what the voice types are 'cos people keep changing around, and when I looked in the characters section just now no voice types were listed. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the voice types are: Mark - Baritone Roger - Tenor Mimi - Mezzo-Soprano (someone listed her as a contralto which isn't true) Collins - Baritone Angel - Tenor with Falsetto Maureen - Mezzo-Soprano Joanne - Contralto/Mezzo-Soprano (can't decide/remember which) Benny - Tenor (someone said he was a Baritone but I think he is tenor) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.176.71.61 (talk) 15:19, 27 July 2010 (UTC)
I disagree about the item: "In June 2010, Hollywood High School in Hollywood, CA was the first high school to perform the original broadway version of Rent, including the song "Contact," which is omitted in the School Edition."
This may be the case in the US, but certainly not in the UK, I have seen at least two secondary school performances that did the whole original broadway version and one of them was in Spring 2009. There is also no reference for this claim. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Flower the skunk (talk • contribs) 08:39, 11 April 2011 (UTC)
I propose that Rent The Musical (Greece) be merged into Rent (musical). Much of the content from Rent The Musical (Greece) appears to have been copied and pasted from Rent (musical), so they're largely redundant. It also appears that consensus on this talk page has been that detailed descriptions of international productions, as well as the proliferation of cast lists, are to be avoided as they are hard to source and tend to take over the whole article. Also, the images used in Rent The Musical (Greece) have some issues; they claim to be free images, but I think they're really copyrighted images that could possibly be justified under fair use but possibly not. MarianWilde (talk) 01:44, 25 June 2012 (UTC)
I was wondering whether this very minor character should be added to the list. The character Parpignol in La Boheme is represented by The Man in RENT. Originally the character was named Parpignol in RENT too, but does not have an actual name. The character is described as "Drug dealer" so we can assume it's talking about The Man, who is Mimi's drug dealer and appears in Christmas Bells. It also makes sense as Parpignol and The Man appear in a large group number towards the end of the first half, but have very few lines and are easily ignored by viewers. The source can be found here: http://earbirding.com/3020summer2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Over-The-Moon.pdf on page 72.
The character probably won't be added to the main list as he's very minor, but it would be interesting to make this connection. Plus, on the La Boheme wiki page, Parpignol is listed in the characters list even though he has a very small role with a grand total of two lines. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.139.28.234 (talk) 00:15, 29 December 2013 (UTC)
I'd like to work more on cleaning this up. There are some dead links. I'd like to see an article on actor Corbin Reid. Bearian (talk) 23:47, 20 February 2014 (UTC)
Typo??? Under "Sources and inspiration", there's a table of characters. One character is twice referred to as "Collins" and once as "Colline". 132.244.72.6 (talk) 20:55, 16 February 2016 (UTC)
Further to the above, I don't mean the bit in section 8 (Cast). I mean the bit in section 2 (Sources and inspiration). 132.244.72.6 (talk) 17:55, 24 February 2016 (UTC)
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The Cleveland Show should be added to the shows that showed a reference of RENT, as there is an episode in which one of the characters is seen singing in a school representation of RENT. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Drumerwritter (talk • contribs) 00:40, 29 December 2018 (UTC)
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