Rent is entering its 10th season of love.
The musical about a group of bohemians struggling to keep the lights on in their New York City apartment made its debut in 1996 and, a decade later, the show is still packing houses. Now the next generation of theatergoers is falling in love with the show, which tackles issues including friendship, loyalty, homosexuality and AIDS.
To keep the Broadway production affordable for the starving-artist crowd it celebrates, the first two rows of every performance go for $20 a seat in a day-of-show lottery system. Members of Generation Y reminisce about camping out for tickets and following the cast from city to city. They come to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center next week.
Tbt* caught up with Tony Award-winning producer Jeffrey Seller about the staying power of Rent.
How would you say the show has changed in its 10 years?
That's an interesting question, given that the book, the music, the lyrics, the costumes, the set, the sound haven't really changed in 10 years. But I think that over the last 10 years, the show has become an indelible part of the fabric of American culture. Ten years ago, no one had ever heard of Rent, and now Rent has become in some ways a rite of (passage) for teenagers. It's become a form of counseling for teenagers. Rent affirms those on the outside, Rent celebrates difference, and Rent makes a very powerful statement to young people that a person who is different can move to a new place, find their own family and find acceptance no matter who they are and what their own vicissitudes.
How do you think it's changed Broadway?
Rent has brought a younger audience to Broadway. More than half of the audience for Rent is under the age of 35, and I think that Rent has solved that problem of "Where is the show for the person who is older than 12 but younger than 35?"
Why do you think it works as a movie? Because a lot of plays don't.
I think it works as a movie because it very nicely stays true to the heart of the show, which is the characters, the sense of family and the music.
Do you have a favorite song from the show?
My favorite song has always been I'll Cover You, which is just one of the most beautiful, romantic songs to come out of Broadway ever.
Are you surprised by the success of the show or the staying power of it?
Certainly I've been surprised by the staying power of it. When it first opened on Broadway, I thought, Wow, if this runs five years, I'll be so happy. About a year or two into the Broadway run, I went to the 10th anniversary performance of Les Misrables, and I remember a theater professional saying to me, "You'll be at your 10th anniversary before you know it." And I was like, "Well, I don't know if I'd go that far..."
What goes through your mind when you see people camping out for the lottery?
It just makes me happy that Rent has achieved its purpose, which is to bring young people into the theater with a show that has something to say to them about their lives.
Are there any other Broadway shows that you can recommend for people making the transition from Beauty and the Beast to The Producers ?
My new show High Fidelity, which opens on Broadway on Dec. 7 (laughs). It's based on the Nick Hornby novel, and in some ways I think that High Fidelity is Rent: The Next Chapter.
Does any one specific reaction to Rent stand out in your mind?
"I just want to hang out with those people."
Who said that?
A friend of mine who was in his 30s saw the very first run-through ever at New York Theatre Workshop and he said, "I just want to hang out with those people." And that's why the show is so successful - because audiences want to hang out with those characters.