RENT is not a "Watershed" musical... — Page 2

Well, people who say poorly-informed things like that are the reason for the bad reputation. But I have said over and over again that it's unfair to lump everybody in just because they like Rent. Blatant stupidity or unwillingness to be informed isn't a requirement for enjoying the show.

our dear friend, Winston, is the exact reason why I question its significance. It's hard not to when I have RENT Heads calling it "groundbreaking" and "revolutionary"

You shouldn't question the significance of the show in the trajectory of the art form's history because of its fans.

And I still believe it can have broken ground without having been a "watershed" in the sense of Hair or Oklahoma! etc. in being first. Claiming that a show had to have been the first to do one thing or another in order to have been ground breaking is a little closed-minded, honestly. It still changed the face of the American musical at the time. And further, we're still looking at direct results of that change now.

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Updated On: 8/17/08 at 07:49 PM

"Winston - your examples are exactly why I believe it's NOT a watershed musical. it was NOT the first musical to deal with aids or homosexuality, and it was NOT the first musical with a drag queen. it was also NOT the first musical to bring teens to the theatre.

Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair did a great job at doing it, first. The whole controversial "rock show" found that young edgy audience. RENT was not the first to do anything you have claimed, Winston. "

JCS and Hair are from a completely different era. There was no where near the competition for a young person's attention. The fact that Rent was able to capture a teenager with a 90's mindset was a miracle. Broadway at that time was a wasteland of theme-park musicals and stale revivals. Did Rent "reinvent" musical theater? With the exception of Showboat, which really was the first, no show ever really has. However, I do believe it gave theater, and Broadway itself in particular, a much needed shot in the arm. Like it or not, Broadway had not seen anything like Rent in decades, and really hasn't since.

Updated On: 8/17/08 at 08:00 PM

Winston... you just repeat what everyone else says!!!

and when you finally do come up with something on your own, it's absolutely ridiculous.

how old are you?

Emcee - I appreciate YOUR added perspective to the argument. I do agree that RENT did have some type of impact on Broadway... just not sure it's so "revolutionary" as some like to cry out (Winston).

TDH I was saying I agreed with Emcee and saying what it was I agreed with him on. How, is that just copying what he is saying?

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Her.

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Drunk - no need to get nasty towards me. I'm not bashing on RENT at all (compared to how I usually am)... I see the signifigance. I am not ****ing deaf, dumb, and blind. my dear.

But it's not a revolutionary "watershed" musical.

There are a lot of shows that brought the younger generation to Broadway. RENT, in my opinion, has no direct correlation to WICKED or SPRING AWAKENING. those teeny bopper massacres would have happened regardless of Larson's lament to homosexuality and aids.

Kate-Monster puts it best for sure.

It's stubborn RENT freaks, like Winston, who fail to understand that it's absolutely ridiculous to trample over the boards with this whole 'RENT is revolutionary ' mentality.

I still think that RENT has a terrible message.

Sorry, just wanted to chime that in while it was being discussed.

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I think the answer to this is: there is no answer. Having art be groundbreaking depends on the person viewing the art. Isn't that the beauty behind it all anyway? A show that one person may loathe may be the same show that inspires thousands.

I think the words "groundbreaking" and "revolutionary" are a bit pretentious, and I think when people call any show that it's a red flag for everybody to disagree.

That being said, you can't ignore the impact that RENT has had on not only Broadway but the Broadway community and audience. No it is not the first musical to present many of it's issues. It wasn't the first of it's kind in regards to genre or storytelling either.

Really, everything we see now is just a version of something else anyway. I don't think anything hasn't been done before.

But I would consider it to be watershed because it had the power behind it to change and alter the landscape. Sure there have been rock musicals. Or RENT could be considered the HAIR of the 90s. But RENT became a cultural phenomenon. There's no denying that. It reached a wide array of people and audience members and remained on Broadway for twelve years. It became incredibly mainstream and because of that alone, I consider it to be watershed.

I suppose I look at things from a producer's standpoint, but smaller rock musicals or even small commercial "successes" like She Loves Me or Smokey Joe's Cafe were not nearly as wide heard or mainstream as RENT. Sure it's message may not be for everyone, and it was/is flawed, but the fact that it was what it was (controversial, youth friendly, rock musical, etc.) is only illuminated by the fact that it was an incredible success. Most people hadn't heard of the aforementioned, by they knew what RENT was.

It's not necessarily who did it first, but who did it better. And though you may not recognize RENT as the best musical of its kind, it was indeed the most successful. And that's where it's watershed.

TDH. I am NOT a "Rent freak" by any means. Yes, I do love the show and it is on my long list of favorite shows I have seen. That doesn't make me a "Rent freak" it just makes me a causal fan.

I just realized that the whole point of you creating this thread was as follows. You have a particular viewpoint about Rent. Which is perfectly okay to have. However instead of expressing your view in a " this is how I feel about Rent, are there any other people out there who feel the same way I do?" You set it up in a way to say this is what you feel, and everyone else who disagrees is wrong. You love it when there are people who say something that you agree with. But, you lash out and attack people just because they have a different view point as you.

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Updated On: 8/18/08 at 03:12 AM

Updated On: 5/2/09 at 04:22 AM

The very fact that you started this thread proves, in a way, that it was.

This debate wouldn't even be happening if it weren't.

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I agree that it takes some time and distance to determine whether anything's a watershed moment. Shows can be controversial and engender debate without leaving a lasting mark on the theater. I might not wait ten more years, but I think declaring Rent a watershed moment before it's closed is premature. I'd like to see what its progeny, if any, look like a few years down the road.

songanddanceman2: Sorry, but I don't think that everyone can relate to RENT. My sister always complains that she can't relate to any of the characters, and I feel the same way.

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