Measuring a Year: Rent in Raleigh

November, 05, 2007 , by Jedidiah

The rock-musical Rent opened in 1996 and seems to have continually sold out shows on and off Broadway since then. The cultural issues, AIDS, homosexuality, and sex (to name a few), covered in Rent were groundbreaking on Broadway then and are still taboo issues for many Americans. It has become a Generation X staple, with references in multiple television shows and films since its opening date, including the hilarious rendition of Lease in Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Team America: World Police. Another dramatic aspect of Rent’s history includes the fact that the original composer/writer Jonathon Larson died on the night of the final dress rehearsal for the show and was never able to see the success of the play.

Larson’s masterpiece will be in downtown Raleigh at Memorial Auditorium (Progress Energy Center) Tuesday - Sunday (November 6-10). We recommend spending a bit more to see the live performance than renting the film—which was a flop.

Avenue Q will be stopping in Raleigh around May 2008. It picks up, culturally, where Rent left off in 1996, using humor instead of drama to push forward the issues facing society today. It is a very surreal experience and also not to be missed.