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Rent is one of the most popular musicals of our time. This rock musical was seen for the first time at New York Theater Workshop in 1994, which lasted for only 3 weeks. The same off-Broadway production was also home to the official opening of the musical, which happened on January 25, 1996. The show was created by Jonathan Larson, who wrote the music and lyrics based on Giacomo Puccini’s opera La boheme. Unfortunately, Larson died suddenly the night before the grand premiere. Despite of his sudden death, Rent musical was a real success and even won a Pulitzer Prize, leading to the show being moved to Nederlander Theater on Broadway. Its great critical acclaim and numerous awards also led to Rent being transformed into a movie.
Rent, the movie version of the musical, tells the story of some Bohemians in the East Village of New York City who were struggling with life, love and AIDS. The action of the movie lasts for about a year and is centered around two roommates, Mark and Roger. After Roger becomes numb to life due to a former tragedy, his roommate Mark tries to make a movie that captures his struggling days. In the following year, they have to face the modern day East Village, New York, while dealing with life, loss, love, and AIDS. The movie perfectly captures the impact that these problems had on Americans. Rent the movie version was directed by Chris Columbus and runs for 135 minutes. It was released on November 23, 2005, and grossed $10,016,021 in the opening weekend in the United States.
Cast members include actors Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Rosario Dawn, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Idina Menzel, Tracie Thoms, Taye Diggs, and many others. Even though the movie was not a box office hit, the idea it was based on is still exceptional. After all, the movie was created after Rent musical, which not only won a Pulitzer Prize, but also a Tony Award. Few people know this, but Rent the movie was produced by Robert De Niro. Before resorting to Chris Columbus, De Niro tried to persuade the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese to direct, since he was a good friend of his. However, Scorsese was unhappy with the screenplay drafts and therefore departed the project. With or without Scorsese directing it, the movie would have still been great, considering that Rent musical is one of the best and most impressive musicals ever.
The names Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L.Martin, Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin Vega did not mean much until the release of, perhaps one of the best known musicals, Rent Musical, in 1996. The musical was a Pulitzer Prize winning hit Off Broadway that quickly transferred to Broadway and won the Tony Award for the Best Musical. Jonathan Larson was the genius behind the whole idea of Rent. He was noted for the serious social issues of multiculturalism, addiction and homophobia explored in his work. Unfortunately for him, he did not manage to see his now world famous musical Rent on stage, since he had passed away one evening before. Nevertheless, the cast decided to go on with the release and somehow turned the show into a service in his memory. They say down on chairs and sang in front of Jonathan’s parents and friends. This is just one of the reasons that makes Rent so special and so loved worldwide.