Grand Larsony

Of course, the word "larceny" is misspelled in the title. This post will not be on thievery, though it will relate to holding captive the hearts of all Americans who've witnessed Jonathan Larson's hit Broadway musical RENT. The musical first played off-Broadway on January 26, 1996 and moved to Broadway in April of the same year. Unfortunately, Larson wasn't alive to see his Magnum Opus achieve the national success that it has--he died on January 25, 1996, one night before the show's opening.

The show ran on Broadway until 2008, but there was a supplement to the Broadway performances--one that could reach a larger audience. In November of 2005, the film version of RENT was shown in theatres and became a cultural phenomenon (if it hadn't already been before). The film starred 6 of the original 8 Broadway members: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, and Taye Diggs.

Though the scripts differ between the play and the film, the messages are still the same: love knows no bounds, and the artist shouldn't have to struggle. Larson's script tackled homosexuality and the pressing issue of AIDS. He showed that love follows through sickness, through struggle, through any obstacle. It knows no gender and it may even put a stopper to death (or at least slow it down). Also, the setting for the story--a rundown, Bohemian location in the East Village of New York City, often called Alphabet City--reveals the poverty and hardship that most aspiring artists deal with. Though the problems aren't necessarily solved in the resolution of the musical, the songs and the plot in general are blunt enough to broadcast a vivid message to audiences everywhere.