Big news in the Broadway world tonight. The seventh-longest running show in Broadway history will close June 1st. Cite.
For better or worse, it’s hard to imagine theatre taking the turn it did without this show existing. As he was writing it, Jonathan Larson would answer the question “What do you want to do with your life?” with “I want to change the face of American theatre.” And by God, he did. Of course, sadly, he wasn’t around to witness that because he passed away the night before the first performance of the show.
Say what you want about the quality of the show, but the bottom line is that it wouldn’t have run for twelve years solely on the basis of its creator’s untimely death. Shows don’t run that long unless they have substance. If you have the means and haven’t seen it yet (or even if you have), I highly recommend getting yourself to the Nederlander Theatre!
I’ve seen it on stage three times: twice in Florida with the same touring cast, and once on Broadway, last August at the Nederlander. The timing was perfect, since Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal were reprising their roles as Mark and Roger. (We met Adam on his way into the theater… chummy guy!) I don’t always love the characters, but I love the show, and the songs really grow on you.
Can’t stand the show, but I’ve got to agree with DooWahDiddy that it was a landmark show that either changed the face of Broadway, or happened to be the first to take advantage of a change that was happening.
Always sorry to hear of a show closing on Broadway…I never had the chance to see the show on stage, but could hardly wait to see the film when it finally came out.
I absolutely hated it. Perhaps it was a bad transition to film or the story simply didn’t age well, but boy did it suck.
I saw it on Broadway, and I wasn’t a huge fan, either. The Light My Candle scene was inspired, but overall, it just seemed way too melodramatic and preachy, and had a fairly cornball ending.
I’ve grown up with this show. Despite initial resistance because of just how popular it was (yeah, I was and still kind of am an elitist little shit. sorry!) I eventually actually saw it and fell in love. I can remember this tape consistently and some times even constantly in the players of every one of my friends for quite a while. I’ll miss it.
I saw one of the road tours and the movie. It’s a good musical, if a bit overrated.
The ending was reminiscent of the “Romeo and Juliet” scene in Nicholas Nickleby – but in Nickleby, it was a ridiculous example of cheap pandering to the audience. In Rent it was a cheap pandering to the audience.
I don’t think it’s as influential as people think, either.
Saw it in Boston shortly after it came out. My husband hated it and thus ended our shaky “You, too, can enjoy something other than football.” experiment. (If only I’d have stopped at Miss Saigon and its really cool helicopter scene!) He was poleaxed when he figured out, about a half hour after everyone else, that the teenage hooker was really a boy.
Me? I liked it. Loved the music and have “Light My Candle” on my iPod. I appreciated that it was something other than the “Boy meets girl and they fall deeply in love in 20 seconds flat” kind of musical…but also hated the corny ending.
Ending its first Broadway run is not a bad thing altogether. I think it’s good to put these things back on the shelf for a decade or two and then bring them back, with a fresh perspective, for an entirely new audience.