When the musical "RENT" closed on Broadway in September 2008 after a 12 year run, the devoted fans of playwright Jonathan Larson's last musical effort mourned the closing of a show that, for many, defined a generation. Less than three years later, the show has been revived off-Broadway to mostly strong reviews.
The Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera is modern interpretation of Puccini's classic opera, "La Boheme." In "RENT," a group of friends living in Manhattan in 1989 and 1990 deal with the crushing epidemic of AIDS, their maturing and changing relationships and of course, their struggle to pay the rent.
Now, "RENT" plays at New World Stages Stage 1 on West 50th Street. For college students, this means tickets are slightly cheaper than mainstream Broadway shows, and the performances are often just as good. No day but today to see "RENT."
Erin Bell can be reached at erin.bell@student.shu.edu.
