Rent at TPAC

I can't believe I never saw the gritty and moving remake of Verdi's La Boheme, Rent. Michael and I love the theater as most of you know. Last Sunday, my friend Joi arranged for a few of us to go see the show together. I had seen the movie and wasn't all that thrilled with it, so when she suggested we go I was like..."whatever". Wow! From the opening sequence we were riveted. The show is exciting and raw with fast-paced music and action. I can see why it has played for so long in so many venues, cities and countries.
The history of Rent is as moving as the script. It took 11 long years for Jonathan Larson to create his swansong. The night of January 26, 1996, the final dress rehearsal, Jonathan Larson thanked the cast in a heartfelt speech, returned to his tiny apartment and died an hour later of an aneurysm. The cast not knowing whether to go on the next day decided to open in Jonathan's memory and the rest is history.