RENT!

Our personalized poster

For the past semester I’ve been a part of AUP’s Whitemask production of RENT! the musical. I’ve been listening to the Rent soundtrack since I was a freshman in high school. I remember the first time I ever heard it, Lei-Ann told me I just had to hear it so we listened to “Light My Candle” in my kitchen and that really began my love of broadway, and Rent will of course have a special place in my heart, especially after performing it.

For anyone who doesn’t know the story of Rent, it’s Based on Puccini’s ‘La Boheme’, and it tells the story of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian life in modern day East Village, New York City, 1989-1990. Among the group are our narrator, nerdy love-struck filmmaker Mark Cohen; the object of Mark’s affection, his former girlfriend, Maureen Johnson; Maureen’s Harvard-educated public interest lawyer and lesbian lover Joanne Jefferson; Mark’s roommate, HIV-positive musician and former junkie, Roger Davis; Roger’s new girlfriend, the HIV-positive drug addicted S&M dancer, Mimi Marquez; their former roommate, HIV-positive computer genius Tom Collins; Collins’ HIV-positive drag queen street musician/lover Angel; and Benjamin Coffin III, a former member of the group who married for money and has since become their landlord and the opposite of everything they stand for. Shows how much changes or doesn’t change in the 525,600 minutes that make up a year.

In a nutshell.

A scene from the finale

We didn’t have a lot of time to put on the show which was a lot more complicated than I thought it would be, but everyone involved was so passionate about it that it was really a pleasure working night and day. For about a month we ate, breathed, and slept Rent but it was so worth it. I have so many memories from working with these talented people, it really made my experience in Paris that much more special to me. After three nights of performing the show for a great audience, I couldn’t believe it was over. All of the hard work came to an end and I’m really sad that I’m not going to be rehearsing anymore. I’ll miss the music, the acting, and most of all the people. It really was a once in a lifetime experience that I would do over and over again if I could. In the words of Jonathon Larson, “No day but today!”

p.s. I have videos, but since they are facebook, I can’t upload them onto wordpress…I’ll work on it.