Campbell Robertson of the New York Times has a great piece about the ways in which the passage of time has made Rent anachronistic since it first appeared more than a decade ago. My favorite part:
There is a fascinatingly antagonistic attitude among the characters toward virtual reality and what they call cyberland. The creation of a cyber studio on a lot on East 11th Street is the great evil of the musical, seemingly more ominous than AIDS or drugs, and yet if “Rent†took place today, half the characters in the show would be blogging.
She also has some insight into the authenticity, or lack thereof, in musical theater.
Thanks for sharing this! It used to be my favorite show…always will have a place in my heart, but it does feel very dated at this point.
Granted, the great theatrical classics are those that transcend time and space, yet Rent‘s music still remains totally listenable and it does much to transport one wistfully back to 1996.
Who ever thought the mid-90s would seem like an Arcadian idyll?
I’d do Campbell in a heartbeat.
BTW, Campbell is a he.