Why all the hype about Rent?

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 1:14pm

I've seen the show many times. I really like the music and the message the show stands for. But I don't understand why people overly obsess over it....uhhumm....rentheads.

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 1:16pm

Every show has its fans...not everyone is one.

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 1:18pm

Everybody has their something. For a lot of people, Rent is it.

Why do people over obsess about a lot of things? Sometimes there's just something there.

But to answer your question, though I hate the term "renthead", I follow the show because I love the show itself, I've come to really enjoy a lot of people involved with the show (past and present) and there's quite a community surrounding it which is much closer and more positive than tends to be represented. So, yes.

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 2:08pm

Oh, I too love the show, and am friends with a few cast members(past ans present). But what I don't understand is why people see it 40 or 50 times, have all of the merchandise, and start crazy obsessive websites devoted to the cast. Is there a line between liking the show and being obsessed with it?

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 2:10pm

Everyone has their obsessions...I'd rather be obsessed with RENT than Eminem, like most teenagers today. BLECH. (my apologies to Eminem fans) Anyway, something about the show just touches some people more than others. Updated On: 4/7/04 at 02:10 PM

[~*Triple Star On Broadway*~]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 2:17pm

Its just like anything else. You probably have a show you are very much in love with. Wicked is a big show right now and MANY people go to see it numerous amounts of times, as well as other shows.
RENT IS a popular show for many different reasons, but I wouldnt get into a tizzy about it just because its not YOUR favourite. There are lots of websites deticated to many different musicals. Its not just RENT.

[lostwallflower]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:03pm

It's just a matter of preference. It was something people identified with: young characters with semi-palpable problems, a modern time period, and rock music. It took some people by surprise that a show like that was on Broadway, and it attracted a mass of teenagers to theatre.

To the average person on this board, it may not be anything extraordinary, however to a 13 year old girl who can't identify with Britney Spears, it may be a lot.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:04pm

Where's PrincessMimiChica?? She can answer this question far better than I can, but I'll try...

There are certain fans to every show, like you have your people obsessed with Les Miz, or Cats, or Wicked, or any other show. RENT is just like those shows- some people (like me) think it's amazing, and they would like to see it 40, 50, or 1000 (like Joel) times because they love it so much.
I don't see anything wrong with obsessing over it. Like NYCBabe said, "I'd rather be obsessed with RENT than Eminem", which is totally true. Where all my friends are "obsessing" over Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, I guess I would say I "obsess" with RENT, because it's my favorite show and everything. But have I seen it 40 times and own all the merchandise? No, but I still think I'm a bit obsessed.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:18pm

This is my opinion: WHY DO PEOPLE CARE? If they are obsessed with the show, than they are obsessed with the show. I (and you) enjoy Broadway very much...they just really enjoy one show.

Updated On: 4/7/04 at 03:18 PM

[secret-soul]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:19pm

I think part of the reason there's so much hype is the fact that it can touch anyone. It has something for everyone and each person can associate with it in their own way. People will obsess over rent the same way anyone can obsess over any show.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:22pm

I would tend to agree... it's all about what theatre moves you in ways other shows/movies/books don't. I've seen RENT 13 times, and Wicked 9 for that matter, and many other shows two or three times, and the reason I go back is because I walk out of the theatre each time having grown, somehow.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:24pm

No one's going to have a statement that will plausibly explain a personal obsession with a show. It's intangible. Someone saying 'it moved me really, really, really, really a lot' isn't going to explain it to anyone.

[Karma76]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:37pm

Why all the hype? best I can explain it is YES it touches people but it is also not the "typical" musical I guess non theater goers would expect. Take my sisters...musicals..yeah right. Maybe for a night out for drinks, food and a show, other then that they couldn't care less. Usually when I thought a show was pretty good they make fun of every last BIT of it.

Took both of them to see rent separately...HOLY GOD!! I have never seen them react to any show like this. They loved it. They for some reason loved everything about it. I think cause it was something that was not as they expected.

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 3:42pm

This is my opinion: WHY DO PEOPLE CARE? If they are obsessed with the show, than they are obsessed with the show. I (and you) enjoy Broadway very much...they just really enjoy one show.

Can I ask what you mean by this?

I'm not so sure I'd use the word "obsessed" with Rent for myself, though I have seen it very many times, but if you're making the generalization that people who see one certain show a large number of times don't see or enjoy any other theater, you're very mistaken. There are a number of shows I love and enjoy, a huge number that I have seen on Broadway, Rent just happens to be the one I follow. Generalizations are baaaad.

[liveforeverybreath]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 4:26pm

woah, how do you know joel? I love him..he's such a sweetheart.

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 4:33pm

Anyone who went to Rent semi-regularly knows Joel. Can't believe he finally "retired" from seeing the show.

My friend saw him on the subway this weekend actually.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:11pm

Well, most people get obsessed with something (or someone) at some point in their lives. Some people have the money, time, and geographic advantages to be obsessed with a Broadway show. Good for them.

I've never even watched a movie more than 5 or so times, let alone a show, but at one point I did listen to nothing but Abbey Road for 2 months. So I understand the compulsion. :)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:17pm

Beats Me

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:22pm

Why are people obsessed with WICKED? That's a better question. What are they called? Munchkins? Shizers? PopUlers? Gravity Defyers? or uneducated?

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 8:38pm

CATSNYRevival they are called the reason psychiatrists (sp?) stay in business

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 10:15pm

GirlfriendFromCanada...that is not what I mean. The question asked why are people obsessed with RENT? I answered the question by using the word obsessed. I love RENT. I have seen it on tour 2 times and will see it on the 16th (first show on Broadway)...it is going to mean a lot to me after that. I also did not say that rentheads do not like other shows. Here is my opinion in easy terms:

Why does it bother people so much that others love RENT? If they love RENT, they have a reason to love it...we all have shows that we love. If I had to say...a lot of you LOVE LOVE LOVE Wicked...others LOVE LOVE LOVE RENT.

I was not making generalizations...you were...sorry for the misunderstanding. Does that make more sense?

[citylights]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 10:35pm

I used "Another Day" from Rent in a music class project, and I had to explain the impact of the song (or show) on me. It was so difficult to explain, I didn't know how to say why this show was so important to me, how these particular lyrics, songs, and story just hit me a certain way. Rent wasn't my first Broadway show, but it was the first one that left me with something more than a burning desire to take tap lessons (42nd Street).
Being a Renthead was what made me into a Broadway fan- I started knowing who is/was in the cast, and I found out what else those actors were working on, etc. I became interested in what else was happening on Broadway...while Rent is still my favorite show by far I've discovered so much more.

[Princess MimiChica]

Posted: 4/7/04 at 10:47pm

to answer the original question, it's because RENT is the single most amazing peice of theatre ever created in the history of man-kind =)

Ok, no seriously, I think everyone else pretty much covered it. Some people just have addictive personalities ,and i'm one of those people. When I was 5, I was obsessed with Billy Joel and listened to his music non-stop. When I was 13 ,I was obsessed with Titanic and Leo. The list goes on.

People latch on to certain things because something touches them. RENT touched me (and a lot of others, obviously)but I can't pin-point why. It's the show that made me fall in love with musical theatre, and RENT is the one show thats helped me become the person I am today.

Was that a cheesey enough answer? lol i know it all sounds cliche, but it's true. RENT really is inspiring and amazing =) Updated On: 4/7/04 at 10:47 PM

[MusicPos2]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 12:10am

I'm just pleased when people are obsessed with something that has redeeming value. I'm "obsessed" with WICKED (although, I don't have the money to see it very much, plus being in MD instead of NYU, where I was last year, makes it hard to see all the time). I don't really even like Idina Menzel that much, but the show as a whole...I think for other people that's RENT.

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 4/8/04 at 12:19am

im no renthead, i couldnt be even if i wanted too, but i do understand the obsession. it is such an original and inspiring piece, its so full of life, there is nothing else like it. with rent, i think younger generations finally found a medium between their culture and broadway and that is why it is genius.

haha, didnt mean to go on like that, maybe i am a renthead at heart, and when i get to the city i'll be at all the shows (i just pray it is still around when i get there)