Coffee Break - Rent

Welcome to this week's Coffee Break!  This one is going to be a little bit different.

Some of you who read my blog already know that I love Rent!  It's my favorite musical!  Well, it's playing at Zachary Scott Theatre here in Austin and I am in heaven.  I saw it with my mom in October and I'm seeing it with my friend Velma this Sunday.  Then...I get to see it again with my sister next Sunday when she's visiting from Denver.  That's three times!!  It's like my dream come true! 

I have been a fan of this musical since it opened on Broadway years ago.  Since I don't live in New York I had to settle for listening to the soundtrack over and over and over for years until I finally got to see the touring cast in Austin.  It was magical!  Even better than I thought it would be.  The second time I saw it was when Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal toured during the final year.  This made me very happy.  I'm a big fan of Anthony Rapp and it all kind of started with Rent.

I love seeing the show at Zach because they cast is filled with amazing local actors, singers and artists.  Austin is such an amazing town.  I think this story fits well here.  I wasn't too sure how well it would go staging such a big show in small theatre, but they succeeded and exceded my expectations.  It was beautiful!

Rent is based on the opera La Boheme and the story was adapted to fit modern times and themes with a rock and roll background.  Jonathan Larson left us too early.  Can you imagine what other masterpieces we would have been blessed with had he lived longer?

I've read a lot about Rent and Jonathan Larson over the years.  As I was reading the Zach blog's information on the show I found these notes that Jonathan wrote when he was coming up with the concept for the show.  Who better to tell you about the show than Jonathan himself?  :-)

Love = Art = Disease = Pain = Life

Humanness

'Otherness'

In our desensitized society, the artists, the bohemians, poor, discarded, “others”, recovering addicts– all are more in touch with their human-ness than the so called mainstream.

despite everything– humanness,

Love,

Life,

Art

Survives.

Okay, thanks for stopping by.  I hope you liked my coffee break.  Time to go have a great day.  Remember to enjoy every moment of it.  :-)

No day but today!

{all pictures and music are from the Zach production of Rent.  Go see it!}