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Rent. By Jonathan Larson. Nederlander Theatre, New York City. 1 September 1996.
Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk. By Savion Glover and George C. Wolfe. Book & Lyrics by Reg E. Gaines. Music by Daryl Waters, Zane Mark, Ann Duquesnay. The Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival. Ambassador Theatre, New York City. 30 August 1996.
Much was written this past year about Jonathan Larson's Rent and, to a lesser degree, Savion Glover and George C. Wolfe's Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk-two musical productions that originated off-Broadway prior to making Broadway debuts in April 1996. In addition to receiving numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Rent, the two musicals dominated the 1996 Tony competition over several big-budget contenders, causing consternation among Broadway producers and speculation over the future of the American musical theatre. In retrospect, there is little doubt that these two productions, which extend the boundaries of musical theatre farther than any Broadway musical since A Chorus Line, have helped resuscitate that ever-dying American art form, the Broadway musical.
With so much coverage devoted to the history of Rent and the death of its author, Jonathan Larson, two days before the show's first preview, it is difficult to analyze the work apart from its hype. In the first act, one of the show's central characters, Roger, sings of his need to create a work of lasting value: "One song / Glory / One song to leave behind . . . ." Would Rent have had the same effect on critics had Larson's words not so perfectly described the yearnings of a struggling young artist who died hours before the debut of his breakthrough work? Whatever the answer, it is clear that Rent is a work of true originality, created by a serious young artist who has written passionately about people whose lives he understands. In so doing, he has used contemporary musical idioms (rock, gospel, calypso, rap) within a dramatic context far more effectively than previous Broadway composers. Larson's work has come closer than any other since Hair to solving the dilemma of making Broadway music once again "popular."
Rent is based on the Puccini opera, La Bohème. Its physical production (set design by Paul Clay, costume design...