Is Spring Awakening the new

In regards to what you described, yes, I would say SPRING AWAKENING is the new RENT.

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LOL, Spring Awakening isn't good enough to replace Rent.

If in ten years, Raja Gosnell makes a movie of it with the original cast and half the music, then sure, why not?

The only real thing the shows have in common is their pop-rock score and the teenage audience. And also some of the coming of age issues. Yet, based on that, I wouldn't call it the "new Rent."

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Updated On: 5/2/07 at 09:01 AM

I guess that could be said, but I jsut don't like saying it. I love them both, but for totally different reasons.

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Note to C is for Company:

[W]hereas I feel Rent is grounded IN that time period, Spring Awakening has origins in 1800's Germany! It doesn't necessarily attach itself to any particular "time" persay but rather the youth generation of any time. It shows that issues present back then still are here today!

Actually, Rent is grounded in 1890's Italy. Or, if you prefer, 1830's Paris.

The issues present back then, too, still are here today.

(Exit Mr. Obvious into the wings, bowing.)
Rent's source

What I mean is the time setting of the musical itself. I'm aware of Rent's origins, but what you see on stage is obviously not 1890's Italy OR 1930's Paris. Spring Awakening does set it in the actual time period it is based off. Rent updated the material while Spring Awakening barely did.

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maybe another edge of Rent was the dynamic multi-race cast. Any idea if the SA is exclusively white/caucasian? Just wondering.

Updated On: 5/1/07 at 03:04 PM

Any idea if the SA is exclusively white/caucasian?

One of the girls in SA is African-American, I think, and one of the ensemble is half Hispanic.

However, one of points of Rent was diversity, whereas in SA, one of the themes is that that society was too repressed, intolerant, and homogenous.

I was just thinking that...Rent is full of topical references and has a specific time and place. Despite the 1890s-Germany setting, SA has a more universal, timeless feel to it. And Rent, although I like it, hits you over the head like a sledgehammer....SA is more subtle, in a way.

Spring Awakening and Rent are definitely cut from the same mold. However, there are a few differences. I'd say Spring Awakening has a teeny bit more depth in its music. There's a lot of very nice string orchestrations you won't see in Rent. While SA has pop/rock music, it's not really presented in Rent's fashion of "this is a loud rock musical with lots of drums and electric guitar..." Also, Spring Awakening is about teenagers still in school while all the characters in RENT are in their twenties- trust me, it's a huge difference.

I love Rent, but I really doubt it would have been as popular if it wasn't for the Jonathan Larson story. Whereas... Spring Awakening doesn't have a fantastic news story to keep it going.

However, once SA gets out there, it's going to hit strong. I think a lot of teenagers can relate to Spring Awakening more than they can relate to RENT, and you know how many teenagers love/"can totally relate" to RENT. Because SA focuses on the troubles of school, I can see songs like "All That's Known" becoming really popular among high-schoolers.

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"Rent appeals to all ages and seems to bring in all types of audiences (making it more popular when it first came out). Spring Awakening, on the other hand, appeals to the younger teen audience."

I do not agree with this statement at all. There is plenty in both of these musicals to appeal to people, no matter what their life experiences. I was in my 20's the first time I saw Rent and in my 30's when I saw Spring Awakening a couple of weeks ago. They both touched me in a way that few things in my life have. If young people can find something in Spring Awakening that speaks to them, then that is wonderful. However I don't believe that many of the underlying themes can be truly appreciated by a lot of them. Most just haven't experienced enough to be able to look further than the things that reflect their own lives.

Also, just as a VERY limited sample, the vast majority of the audience I saw it with were well into adulthood, and it was very well recieved.