How did you become a RentHEAD?

My rent obsession was triggered by my Jeremy Kushnier obsession, once i heard he was playing the role of 'Roger' in this RENT musical i HAD to hear some songs from it...

...and then the madness begun

Your so my new hero...

saw rent when i was 6 or so with the obc

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I was stage managing a play here in L.A. for a theater company called Neurotic Young Urbanites...the company members are all transplants from, you guessed it, NYU. Anyway, most of them know Anthony from going to school with him and I heard them talking about "this new show he's in". I went to the music store and sampled Take Me Or Leave Me. It was the first song I heard and I was hooked from there on. Took it home that night and literally read along with the music until I memorized that song, and the rest of the CD. It was the only thing I listened to for the longest time. Then I sort of forgot about it for a while until it came back to L.A. with Daphne in 98 (I think) and I ushered it and saw every perfomance they played while they were here.

So I used to hate Rent (waits for nasty replys) but all my friends loved it so I decided to pick up the CD and listen to it and from then on I not only memorized the lyrics in a week but I also got the book, poster, and 2 bootlegs and I don't think I've listened to anyting but Rnet (except DRS) in the past month. (This all happened like 2 months ago. Don't know if this qualifys though)

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A few years ago my high school had a talent show/dessert theatre type thing. One of the songs done was Take Me or Leave Me. After that, I had to have the cd and have been obsessed for a few years now.

I know it's not like, I saw the first show when it opened. But give me a break, I was 8.

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My story is a bit of a weird one. My parents forbid me from seeing the show until I was almost seventeen; the first time I saw it was December of 2001. I knew very little about the story, maybe just that it dealt with AIDS and drugs, and that was why my parents were the way they were about it. I had only heard Seasons of Love, so I almost went into the show cold. It seems rare that people do that anymore. And I also bipassed the stage of seeing the show at 13 or 14 and being "teenybopperish" about it.

The first time, knowing nothing, a lot got past me, plot-wise. I missed a lot of the little nuances. Because of that, it took me until the middle of the show to really fall in love; but the moment the cast walked out to since Seasons of Love was the exact moment at which that happened. I bought the Best Of RENT CD that week, and became hooked, but only gradually. I remember wanting to buy a poster at the theatre, and being asked if I prefered current cast or original. I truly had no idea WHO the original cast was, even though I had been a mild fan of Adam's through AIDA. (I picked current.) When I got the CD, I immediately recognized that voice, so unmistakable. I did fall in love with what it was I "got" from the show, and saw it again about six months later. That day, I picked up the double-disk and truly started to get engrossed in the whole Renthead... thing - starting to feel a strong connection to the show's material, etc.

It's still all been a gradual process, I guess. Over the past year or so, a lot of things have happened to make that all even stronger, and to put me where I am now in terms about how I feel the show - you all know how. I introduced myself to Tick, Tick... BOOM! last winter, though I had known brief tidbits about Jonathan's story before that. It stole my heart, as did the brilliance of its leading man. Now, finally, over the past year - I've been to where this all took place (in reality or with artistic liberties), I've come along some ultimately bizarre connections with members of that once-mysterious to me original cast; I've seen almost all of them perform at one time or another, I own a copy of the RENT Bible, and have come to understand what a powerhouse that all was, at least as best I can, having missed it myself. I think having missed it the first time, it makes the journey I'm taking with the movie one of even more emotional investment. Since the first time, I've seen the show four more times; and every time, it means so much more. Let's just say that things have happened that - when I first stepped into that theatre - I never, ever expected.

(yay for emotional spillage - and it's not even nine in the morning!)

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Updated On: 8/12/05 at 08:53 AM

I moved to Pennsylvania about two days before the start of my freshman year of high school. There I learned that it was absolute heresy to be in theatre club and not know about Rent. So I was at the library one day and was going through the CD's there and found Rent, so I checked it out. The rest is history. I saw the show for the first time by sophomore year on a NYC trip with my theatre club and the art club. I just wish I had been able to see the OBC.

I remember some kids in High School were talking about it and then somebody from the cast came to our school because we were having an AIDS awarness day. While we were listening to the cast member talk some girls asked him if he could sing a song and he did. Unfortunatly I don't remember the name of the cast member or part of the song he sang hehe... But, all I remember was after seeing him sing it made me wanna see the show even more. Now, when I suggested the idea to my parents since they had been taking me to see a lot of broadway shows they told me that I shouldn't go see it because it wasn't a very good show. But, I thought differently and still wanted to see it. Of course being in high school and jobless I couldn't afford to buy tickets so I couldn't go LOL!! I kept bugging them about it and they kept saying no.

So, finally when I got to college I was determined to go and see it. First I needed to find somebody to go with. When I found out one of my friends had seen the show before she was telling me it was really good so she said she'd go with me. We went into the city and got student tix in the 3rd row and from then I was hooked.

Now whenever my parents are talking with their friends or any relatives about me, somehow the number of times I've seen RENT always gets talked about in their conversation LOL!!!

Updated On: 8/12/05 at 09:44 AM

i don't know that i am an official RENThead, BUT...i was a counselor at a leadership camp in Tennessee and the chorus did Seasons Of Love (we actually had a delegate who was auditioning for Rent in NYC later that summer, so the rendition was AMAZING) and i was so moved by that song! i bought the CD when i got home and saw the show when it came through Nashville later that year. i've yet to see it on Broadway, but plan to before this summer is over. i HATE that i missed the OBC, though!

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My Renthead story is very long, drawn out, personal and a bit cheesy so bear with me and bless you if you actually bothered reading it all.

In 1996, my vocal coach and very good friend took me to New York for the first time to see my favorite show at the time, Les Miserables. Back then, I was listening almost exclusively to more "traditional" musicals. Les Miz, Phantom etc. I wasn't so much into the rock operas.

On a Wednesday evening in December of 1996, my theatre dream was going to come true. I was going to see Les Miserables. There was only one small obstacle before I could see Marius, Eponine and the gang. I had to sit through a show that afternoon that my friend wanted to see. This new show that made some noise and did well at the Tony awards. Rent.

I have to admit that I didn't really care if I saw it or if I didn't, but it was important to Ken, so I decided to go.

Three years earlier Ken had a bone marrow transplant and was doing fairly well after his treatment from leukemia. The "No Day But Today” message applied to him very clearly. I enjoyed the show, but I didn't immediately fall in love with it.

In fact, it wasn't until about 4 hours after we got out of Rent, where I was sitting in Les Miz thinking about Collins, Angel and Mimi's pants (I was 18, afterall) before I realized that it had more of an impact on me than I originally thought.

I bought the CD and it went into heavy rotation for the next few months.

Fast forward to April of 1997...

We were going back to New York in April with some friends and one of the things that we wanted to see was Rent for a 2nd time.

Just before the trip, Ken went to the doctor for some routine tests regarding his transplant and he was told that he shouldn't fly because the cabin pressure would cause problems with his immune system.

So...we went to NY without him.

Literally an hour before we went to the show I called to check on Ken and let him know that we were heading to the theatre and I found out he has been admitted to the hospital and wasn't doing very well.

That night Rent touched me in a way that I can't explain in words. The message hit home in every conceivable way. Angel's death as the "light" of the group really tore me up because Ken was a similar light for our group and as cheesy as it sounds, I formed a bond with the show that April night and I will never forget that particular show no matter how many times I see it. (Currently, I am at 51)

One week later when I was back home in Georgia, Ken's condition worsened and his body rejected the bone marrow transplant and he died. Rent automatically became my support group and helped me get through this experience.

It had found a huge place in my life.

Now...fast forward to December of 1997.

By this time I had formed many relationships with people online who had a similar passion for the show as I did.

When the Benny tour opened with Neil Patrick Harris and Wilson Cruz I knew that i had to see that company so I planned a trip to Los Angeles.

I didn't have a ton of money so I arranged to stay with one of the "LA Rentheads" who I had talked to a lot. When she picked me up at the airport it was like one of those really cavity-inducing movie moments where something just clicked and it felt right. We hit it off very well and I dare say it was love at first site. (Hell, isn't that the formula of most musicals?)

We spent the most amazing week together hanging out and seeing Rent, but both of us were a bit saddened because in the back of our minds we knew that this wonderful week was drawing closer and closer to an end.

When my plane finally left on Dec 23, 1997 from LAX airport, both myself and the girl was devestated and in love.

I spent the next week at home in Georgia an absolute wreck and decided that I was a hyprocrit if I didn't live true to the message that I constantly walked around singing - "No Day But Today".

So, on Dec 29, 1997 (after talking to her about it of course) I was on a Greyhound bus bound for Los Angeles with all of my belongings to come live with the girl.

As I type this on Aug 12, 2005 she and I are happily married and have been for nearly 5 years. We have lived together from that day and she is my best friend. We both feel that we were brought together because of the message of the show.

For all of use back in late 90s, it wasn't just about the show. It was about the friendships that were formed as a result of the experience of "the rent line." A group of people who didn't always feel that they fit in individually, but worked as a cohesive unit that had one love in common.

I realize this story is a bit "fairy tale" and "cheesy" but it's real and true. I have lost a great friend and gained a wonderful companion and all the time Rent was playing somewhere in the background.

Updated On: 1/18/08 at 10:40 AM

Okay so RENT came out when I was 5 years old, and I always wanted to see it but my mom said that I wouldn't like it and it wasn't appropriate because of AIDS and what not. Last year I went on their site and listened to their songs and really liked finale b (which plays when you go on the site), what you own, and seasons of love. I then harrassed her until she finally bought me tickets to go and I knew that I was inlove when the cast came out to do Seasons of Love and I thought it was such a beautiful song and powerful moment in the musical lol. I started listening to the songs online until i finally had the RENT Cd

I went back a second time and wanted to buy a shirt and the lady sold me just about everything in the store, she kept on asking me "anything else?" i was like uhhmmm... YES??. I'm completely obsessed with RENT, i just love it so much, its my favorite show, i liked it better then Wicked. It's such a deep show and I love everything about it.

Patronus, WOW, that is quite a story!!! I'm touched. But, are you saying you made living arrangements with a random girl online you never even met before?? LOL that is so nuts, but look how it turned out...I hope you name your first son Mark!

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