Music from RENT

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:00pm

I am starting to write a report for a class on the music of Rent and I wondered what all of you think would be a tragedy to leave out when talking about the different songs and styles. I am already planning on using "Tango Maureen" and I wondered for those of you who have seen Rent more than I have what you would consider the most important songs in Rent. Thanks for the help.

[Jwei123]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:02pm

"RENT" - It sets the mood for the show, and really explains what it is all about.

"Light my candle" -our lovers are introduced

"La Vie Boheme"- it helps better the audience's understanding of the lifestyle, etc.

"Contact"- for obvious reasons

[LaeloftheLakes]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:04pm

Adding to what Jwei said:

What You Own--in many ways the climax of the show

contrast the sort of traditional operatic recitative in songs like "Goodbye Love" with the more 'song-that-stops-the-plot-instead-of-moving-it-along' "I'll Cover You"

[musicnmath]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:11pm

shall I name the obvious? Seasons of Love. Choral number emphasizing unity in a very different way than La Vie Boheme. The only song that has been successfully taken from the show and played on the radio because it works without context -- not that that's a mark of "success", just interesting to note.

[zzannahk]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:24pm

I don't know if I need to point out the obvious allusion to Eliot in "Seasons of Love." But in T.S. Eliot's poem "The love song of J alfred prufrock" Eliot wrties, "Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons"
Sound familiar??

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/30/05 at 11:42pm

Feel free to repeat songs and what you think makes them so important. Any help on this is great. It is going to be ten pages long. Also if the music has really left some kind of effect on you and would be willing to share you can PM me. That is to show how moving the music is. I don't need it to be personal. I just need a few examples for it. I have only seen rent once and am waiting to get the CD in the mail. Only seing it once I can't really say that certain songs have made an impact on me. Again thanks for all the help you are giving me. I am so excited about this report.

[renthead2005z]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 12:28am

I think that Halloween is a great song and it is short, but it kinda gives a short synopsis and it is a great song to do for a presentation. I guess i just love the words in it...haha "how can a night so frozen be so scaulding hott, how can a morning this mild be so raw etc.."

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 12:39am

My opinion is to play a song that sort of represents each character (either individually or in groups to save time) and maybe a couple others.

Take Me or Leave Me- Joanne/Maureen

Halloween- Mark

Glory or Your Eyes- Roger

Goodbye Love or Another Day- Mimi or Mimi/Roger (I would say Out Tonight but I think there are better songs to represent her deeper emotions..)

I'll Cover You- Collins/Angel

You'll See- Benny (?)

And then Seasons of Love, La Vie Boheme, and the Finale (No Day but Today).

[ToDaysOfInspiration]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:09am

I would definitely go with "Another Day" because of the No Day But Today message that Mimi gets across. That is one of the most critical parts of the show, and shows SO much passion. I think so at least! Good luck, sounds like fun!

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:16am

Yeah, Another Day really conveys so many critical messages at the same time. It's showing Mimi's beliefs (no day but today), Roger's vulnerability and how he hides in his anger and they have the life support members singing in unision with Mimi in the end. I definitly think that's a good song. And maybe What You Own because it shows Mark and Roger's newfound ambition and hope for the future and they both realize that they aren't alone in the world.

[actress_06]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:30am

Well from the stand point of someone who knows both Boheme and Rent, and understanding the similarities of the two, I would have to say it would have to be Light My Candle. In both shows it begins the relationship between Rodger(Rodolfo) and Mimi(Mimi a.k.a. Lucia). I feel that this relationship is the one thing that is understandable and easy to follow throughout the show.

[apdarcey]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 2:51am

i feel like the most important song is la vie boheme

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 11:05am

BUMP

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:06pm

Bump

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:23pm

Ohh yeah and I add RENT (the song) to that list as well. :-P I agree that it sets the feel and stage for the whole show, I think. I don't feel that its THE most important song in the show but if you had enough time to play one more song, I'd go with that one.

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:38pm

For those of you who have helped so far thanks. I've gotton so many Ideas this paper is starting to turn out. If you have time also I am puting my plot synopsis below this. Tell me if I have left anything major out that would make it a totaly different show if it were not in it. For instance, I don't have every phone message in this, also I don't have We're Okay synopsis in it. I don't think I will be talking about We're Okay, but if I do I will add that in.



My Synopsis of the Rent Plot

The story of Rent goes like this. Mark and Roger are in there apartment on Christmas Eve. Mark is writing screen plays and Roger is trying to write a song. Neither of them have succeeded. We learn about Maureen, Marks girlfriend, left him for a Harvard Law graduate named Joanne. We also find out that Rogers girlfriend killed herself recently when she found out that she had A.I.D.S and now Roger does to. We are also introduced to there friend Collins who is getting mugged. Then Benny, there landlord, calls and tell them that there rent is due. Then the electricity in the apartment is turned off. Next we meet Joanne who has called Maureen to tell her that the equipment that she is going to use for her protest has broke down. Instantly Maureen calls mark and ask him to come fix her equipment and he agrees and leaves the apartment.
We then meet Angel, a man that has Aids. Angel and Collins fall in love with each other. Collins is also a man with aids.

Now Roger is in the apartment alone. He tries again to write his song and fails. Mimi then comes and knocks on the door because she like them has no power and ask Roger to light her candle and there relationship lights there. Roger refuses to admit it. Mark, Collins and Angel arrive at the apartment. We find out that Angel has killed a dog to get a good sum of money. Angel lets Collins give some of the money to Mark and Roger. Benny shows up and tells Roger and Mark that if they can get Maureen to stop her protest against him. They don’t agree. Benny leaves as does Mark, Collins and Angel.

Mark goes to the lot where the protest will take place and meets Joanne and fixes the equipment and tells Joanne of his former relationship with Maureen. Collins and Angel goes to a life support meeting and Mark joins them there even though he doesn’t have A.I.D.S.

We see Mimi in her apartment getting ready to go see Roger. She goes down to ask him to take her out on the town for the night. He refuses and tells her to leave. Next Mark, Collins, and Angel head out on the street where people are vending there different items. They dream about opening a restaurant in Santa Fe. Mark leaves then Collins and Angel admit there love for each other. Next on the street we see Angel buying Collins a new coat since his was stolen when he was mugged. Mark meets Roger who tells him about a girl he met named Mimi. Mimi is getting some drugs and Roger goes to apologize for the way he treated her and ask her out for supper.

Then Maureen shows up and does her protest titled “Over the Moon”. After that they go out for supper to party. During the party both find out that the other has A.I.D.S. They leave the party. Joanne comes back to tell everyone that the building Roger and Mark live in has been locked down, and due to Maureen’s protest a riot has broken out. End Act 1

Act two opens with the cast singing the famous “Seasons of Love”. We find out that Mark filmed the riot and it got on TV. All the characters previously talked about, except Benny, are trying to break into the apartment. It is also now New Years Eve. A lady named Alexi Darling calls Mark to get him to film for her sleazy TV show called Buzzline. They end up getting into the apartment. Joanne and Maureen get into an argument.

Mimi goes to confront Roger about there relationship. We see them get closer. Then Alexi calls Mark to convince him to film for her. She has to leave a message. All the couples then spend an evening with each other in bed. Angel then dies. Then Maureen and Joanne split, also Roger and Mimi break up.
Next we see Angel’s funeral. Mark starts feeling bad about him self. He decides to accept the contract. He looks back on what has happened all year so far. Roger decides to leave for Santa Fe. Everyone is now fighting with one another. Mimi continues to get sicker. Roger leaves for Santa Fe. Mark finally realizes that taking the easy way out and accepting the contract from Alexi is not what he wants. He quits the contract. Roger realizes that he can not run from all his problems by getting out of town. Roger goes back to New York.

Finally Roger is back and Mark are back in the apartment. Mark has almost finished his film. Roger has figured out his one great song. Collins comes over with money he has withdrawn from an ATM he has rewired with a special password, ANGEL. Again Collins reminisce about opening up a restaurant in Santa Fe but Roger tells him that he would miss New York to much. Maureen and Joanne show up with Mimi who has a fever and is on her death bed. Mimi admits to Roger that she can only love him. She climbs closer to her death bed. Rodger sings his song to her and shares how much he loves Mimi and then plays his song, a guitar version of “Musetta’s Waltz. During the guitar part it seems that Mimi dies. But she doesn’t as we see her suddenly twitch her hand when the song is done. Mimi has had a near death experience and she tells everyone about it. Then Mark starts showing his move. Finally the show closes with everyone reunited and the ghost of Angel smiles upon them as they realize that there is “No Day But Today”.

Updated On: 3/31/05 at 04:38 PM

[whatyouown223]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:43pm

Despite what a lot of people say, Out Tonight IS so important for Mimi because it establishes that she is not comfortable without a man and that she relies on drugs. Also, it shows how she is insecure.

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:52pm

You get the main points across okay, but the writing is very dry and bland.

And please at the beginning, you have a lot of "there"s that should be "their"s

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 4:59pm

Thanks for the pointer. I still have to get this edited. I wrote this at 11:00 last night. There is still alot of work to do. I just needed a brief synopsis of the show but this is as brief as I think it can be without taking something important out.

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 5:21pm

I would include "Will I?" in that.

[renthead2005z]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 6:14pm

Def. use the quote "Forget regret or life is yours to miss."

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 7:33pm

One other question for you to consider is which style each song is such as Tango Maureen is a tango and how it is a tango. I am working on that one now. I am doing reasearch on each style and then talking about the song that coinsides with rent. SO that way I am truly showing that The story is diverse and the music is even more diverse as it tells the story.

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 8:15pm

bump

[musicallover2008]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 11:09pm

bump

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 3/31/05 at 11:16pm

Well I may be misunderstanding your question but it's probably considered a tango type song because of the instrumentals in the background and the fact that Joanne and Mark are tangoing to it most of the time.