Hot Take, Read until the very end!
I want to talk about RENT for a little bit and its ultimate downfall. Â While RENT still has its fans today, the musical's popularity is nowhere near what it was when it first came out. Â It opened to rave reviews and particularly resonated with the younger generation. Â This is a musical, that was very much a product of its time. Â At the time RENT felt new, fresh and most importantly relevant. Â It took the music that was popular at time and fused it with the Broadway style that theater-going audiences were used to. Â But as time has gone on, and we have distanced ourselves from that time, we have started to notice RENT's glaring flaws. Â The characters are selfish and make morally questionable decisions, yet face no consequences for their actions. Â Not to mention an ending that feels a bit like a cop-out. Â Despite its catchy tunes, and masterful direction by Michael Greif, the original production of RENT just doesn't have the same power that it did when it premiered. Â The issues raised in RENT have now been explored in other, more thoughtful works and RENT no longer feels unique. Â RENT will always have its die hard fans, and if you are someone that loves RENT I am not going to take that away from you and tell you you're wrong. Â For me however, the more I see RENT, the more I am reminded just how much this show is a product of its time. Â I appreciate its contributions for theater, and I appreciate it for opening up conversations on issues that had never been talked about on a Broadway stage before. Â But I also can't help but feel like in retrospect some of these issues were mishandled and that the musical just doesn't hold up to time.
Now read this same post again, but replace "RENT" with "Dear Evan Hansen" and read it as a prediction of what people might say in 20 years.
