Gay Inography: It's Time To Pay 'RENT' Praise - Towleroad Gay News

Contents:

• GAY INOGRAPHY: IT’S TIME TO PAY ‘RENT’ PRAISE
• THEATERGOER WALKED OUT OF 'RENT' BEE THE 'SHOW WAS ABOUT GAYS'
• THE 10 BT GAY MILS OF ALL TIME
• AUDIENCE MEMBER STORMS OUT OF MIL RENT BEE THEY “DIDN’T REALIZE WAS ABOUT GAYS!”
• TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: THE CULTURAL LEGACY OF RENT BY JENNI HOLTZ 8 FEBARY COMMENTARY & CREATIVY, MIC & ENTERTAMENT FOX’S RENT: LIVE WAS ANYTHG BUT. OVER 3.5 LN VIEWERS TUNED TO THE WORK’S MOST RECENT MIL ADAPTATN ONLY TO SEE A “PREVLY RERD” DISCLOSURE TAKG CENTER STAGE. IT WASN’T TLY LIVE DUE TO AN ACCINT DURG DRS REHEARSAL THAT LEFT ST MEMBER BRENN HUNT WH A BROKEN FOOT. THEY ED A BATN OF FOOTAGE OM DRS REHEARSAL WH THE LIVE PERFORMANCE ON THE NIGHT OF THE BROADST. THE FOOT JURY WAS NOT THE BIGGT PROBLEM OF THE NIGHT, THOUGH. THE SGG AND OVERALL PRODUCTN FELT UNRPREPARED, WHICH IS LIKELY A FLT OF AIRG THE DRS REHEARSAL. EVEN SO, REVISG THE NOW-CLASSIC TUN OF THE SHOW N BE ENJOYABLE AND NOSTALGIC FOR MANY. YET, THE REVAMPED RENT MAY HAVE MORE PROBLEMS AT S RE THAT NEED TO BE UNPACKED. SO, OM ONE PERSON WHO LOV TO BELT ALONG TO ANOTHER, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RENT’S PROBLEMS.ORIGALLY A BROADWAY MIL, JONATHAN LARSON’S RENT BUTED 1996, LS THAN A AFTER THE AIDS CRISIS. THE ROCK MIL WAS A SMASH H, EARNG 10 TONY NOMATNS AND FOUR WS. IT FOLLOWS OF SEVEN STGGLG ARTISTS LIVG AN ANTI-MASTREAM, BOHEMIAN LIFTYLE. IN 2005, WAS RELEASED AS A FEATURE FILM THAT MATAED MOST OF THE ORIGAL BROADWAY ST. THE FILM WAS MET WH MORE CRIQUE THAN THE IAL MIL. IT HOLDS A 46 PERCENT RATG ON ROTTEN TOMATO AND MANY CRICS POT TO ISSU TRANSLATG THE STORY OM STAGE TO SCREEN AS THE REASON FOR THE BOX-OFFICE BOMB. EVEN SO, BOTH THE FILM AND MIL S ON QUTNABLE FOUNDATNS. LARSON CLAIMS THE MIL IS LOOSELY BASED ON THE 19TH CENTURY OPERA LA BOHEME, GIAO PUCCI’S FOUR ACT OPERA ABOUT BOHEMIAN PEOPLE LIVG 1840’S PARIS. ROGER AND MIMI’S STORY RENT MIRRORS LA BOHEME, BUT MREEN AND JOANNE’S STORY IS NOT A PART OF THE OPERA. SARAH SCHULMAN ASSERTS LARSON RIPPED THE PLOT OM HER LBIAN NOVEL PEOPLE TROUBLE TO BUILD MREEN AND JOANNE’S ARC. IN AN TERVIEW WH THE CHIGO TRIBUNE, SHULMAN SAID, “NOW RENT, STRAIGHT PEOPLE ARE THE HERO OF THE AIDS CRISIS, WHICH IS JT NOT TE… STRAIGHT PEOPLE NEVER HAVE TO AL WH THE GUILT OF HAVG ABANDONED GAY PEOPLE DURG THE AIDS CRISIS.”LARSON TAKG OM SHULMAN’S STORY IS A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE OF THE STRAIGHT-WASHG OF THE AIDS NARRATIV RENT. LARSON, A STRAIGHT MAN, TOOK MAJOR PLOT POTS OM THE LBIAN THOR’S WORK. YET, THEY AREN’T EVEN THE FOC OF RENT. THE SHOW’S MA PLOT IS A HETEROSEXUAL LOVE STORY BETWEEN ROGER AND MIMI. BOTH CHARACTERS HAVE AIDS AND LIVE, WHILE ANGEL, A TRANS WOMAN WH THE SAME VIS, DI OM THE ILLNS THE SHOW’S SEND ACT. SO, AIDS DO NOT KILL THE STRAIGHT CHARACTERS, BUT DO KILL THE TRANS CHARACTER.EVEN THOUGH THE SHOW CENTERS ON S STRAIGHT CHARACTERS, RENT DO HAVE LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN THE MA ST CLUDG ANGEL, MREEN AND JOANNE. MREEN, THE FEISTY BISEXUAL HEARTTHROB WHO IS BOTH MARK’S EX AND JOANNE’S GIRLIEND, IS A PERSONIFITN OF SEVERAL NEGATIVE STEREOTYP ABOUT BISEXUAL FOLKS. HER CHARACTER IS FED BY HER OVERT SEXUALY, TROUBLE WH MONOGAMY AND EMOTNAL MANIPULATN — ALL TRAS ASSIGNED TO BISEXUAL PEOPLE BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNRSTAND BISEXUALY. THERE IS EVEN A TCHY SONG ABOUT ALL LLED “TANGO: MREEN.” IN THIS NUMBER, MREEN’S EX-BOYIEND MARK AND CURRENT GIRLIEND JOANNE TALK ABOUT THEIR TUMULTUO TIM WH MREEN THE REA:“FEEL LIKE GOG SANE / GOT A FIRE YOUR BRA / AND YOU’RE THKG OF DRKG GASOLE / HONEY, I KNOW THIS ACT / IT’S LLED THE TANGO: MREEN.”THE GASLIGHTG AND MANIPULATN MARK AND JOANNE SCRIBE THE NUMBER ARE NOT DISTGUISHED OM MREEN’S BISEXUALY. THE ABIVE TENNCI ARE NFLATED WH BISEXUALY RATHER THAN DISTGUISHG BETWEEN THE TWO. RENT ISN’T RENT WHOUT MREEN, BUT HER CHARACTER’S PRENCE THE SHOW N LEAD TO MORE BIPHOBIA AND MISNCEPTNS THAT ULD BE AVOID.IN NTRAST TO THE QUTNABLE PORTRAYAL OF BISEXUALY, ANGEL’S CHARACTER PROVIS A BTERSWEET VIGTE ABOUT THE AIDS CRISIS’ EFFECT ON TRANSGENR PEOPLE OF LOR. HER CHARACTER IS FED BY HER PASSN AND JOYFULNS, WHICH IS SHOWN THROUGH HER SHORT-LIVED BUT WONRFUL LOVE WH COLLS, WHO IS ALSO HIV-POSIVE. IN THE HEARTWARMG NUMBER “I’LL COVER YOU,” COLLS AND ANGEL SG ABOUT THEIR WHOLOME LOVE:“IF YOU’RE LD AND YOU’RE LONELY / WH A THOAND SWEET KISS / I’LL VER YOU.”SEEG THIS BETIFUL LOVE STORY FEATURG A TRANS WOMAN OF LOR IS POWERFUL BEE ’S NOT SEEN OFTEN ENOUGH. SADLY, SCE ANGEL IS A SENDARY CHARACTER, HER CHARACTER ISN’T AS FLHED OUT AS OTHERS. HER STORY ALSO ENDS TRAGEDY — HER ATH IS THE DRAMATIC CLIMAX OF THE SEND ACT. AT HER FUNERAL, COLL’S REPRIS “I’LL COVER YOU” A SCENE THAT SOLIDIFI ANGEL’S IMPORTANCE TO THE SHOW AND THE FAR-REACHG EFFECTS OF HER LOVE AND KDNS. ANGEL IS A GLIMMER OF LIGHT EVEN FOX’S IMPERFECT RENDN OF THE SHOW. SHE’S PLAYED BY VALENTA, A NONBARY DRAG QUEEN WHO ME TO THE SPOTLIGHT ON RUPL’S DRAG RACE 2017. ANGEL’S CHARACTER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE KD OF REPRENTATN YOU’D EXPECT OM RENT IF WERE AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF THE BLACK AND BROWN LGBTQ+ FOLKS MOST AFFECTED BY THE AIDS EPIMIC.TO ADD TO THE ISSU OF RENT AS AN ENTY, FOX’S ALMOST-LIVE VERSN FAC ANOTHER NUNDM: ADVERTISG. A TVADA MERCIAL PLAYED DURG FOX’S BROADST AND IS STILL PAIRED WH THE PROGRAM WHEN STREAMED ON THEIR WEBSE. TVADA IS A MEDITN FOR PREP, SO IS A PREVENTATIVE DG TAKEN BY PEOPLE AT RISK OF GETTG HIV. IT WILY SEEN AS A BREAKTHROUGH AIDS TREATMENT WH THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE LIV THROUGH HIV PREVENTN. PROTECTN AT A HIGH ST, THOUGH — ABOUT $1,600 PER MONTH WHOUT SURANCE. WHILE AT FIRST, SEEG A PREVENTATIVE HIV DG ADVERTISED ON WORK TELEVISN N FEEL GROUNDBREAKG, TVADA’S AD FEELS OUT OF PLACE. THAT’S BEE RENT ALIGNS SELF WH THE RADIL POLICS OF ACT UP WHOSE ACTIVISTS ARE CURRENTLY LLG FOR TVADA’S PATENT TO BE BROKEN SO GENERIC VERSNS N BE MA TO LOWER THE ST OF THE LIFE-SAVG MEDITN.FOX’S RENT: LIVE MANAGED TO FALTER ON TECHNIL ASPECTS AND PERPETUATE THE ISSU OF THE ORIGAL — THOUGH ’S STILL FUN TO SG ALONG WHEN YOU DON’T THK TOO HARD ABOUT THE SHOW’S IMPLITNS. RAMPANT WH BIPHOBIA AND THE STRAIGHTWASHG OF QUEER STORI, RENT FEELS OUTDATED 2019. IT IS NO LONGER RADIL AND PERHAPS SOMETHG NEW SHOULD BE MA TO FILL THE SPACE RENT HAS OCCUPIED. A MIL ABOUT AIDS THAT DON’T CENTER STRAIGHT PEOPLE AND VILIFY BISEXUAL PEOPLE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START. FOR NOW, THOUGH, THE BT THG WE N GET OM RENT: LIVE IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO WH LGBTQ+ STORI. THE NEW PRODUCTN DIDN’T MAKE CHANG TO MEND THE ISSU OF THE ORIGAL, SO IS SIMPLY EXPOSG A NEW GENERATN TO THE PROBLEMS OF RENT WHOUT ANY ADDNAL MENTARY. EVEN WH S ISSU, RENT LIV ON AS PIVOTAL MIL ABOUT AIDS. THE SONGS ARE MEMORABLE AND CERTA LYRICS REMA MORE RELEVANT THAN THE SHOW SELF. AT S RE RENT IS ABOUT LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE EVEN WHEN S STORYLE STRAYS OM THAT THEME MONUMENTAL WAYS. MAYBE ’S BT TO RRY THE SENTIMENTS OM SOME SONGS AND LEAVE THE BIPHOBIA AND STRAIGHT-WASHG THE PAST.“TO BEG AN ‘’ FOR ONCE / STEAD OF A ‘THEM.’” HEAR ILLTRATN BY JENNI HOLTZ, 14 EAST. TAGS 1980S, AIDS, BIPHOBIA, BISEXUALY, HIV, LGBTQ+, RENT, RENT LIVE, ROX, TRANS REPRENTATN, TRANSGENR, TVADA NO COMMENT

GAY INOGRAPHY: IT’S TIME TO PAY ‘RENT’ PRAISE

The characters reflect a iend group of filmmakers, micians, actors and anarchists of all kds of sexuali and genr exprsns, cludg gay, lbian, bi and drag queens. Schulman (who also alleg Larson ripped off her novel People In Trouble for RENT) told Slate 2005: “The larger issue has to do wh the reprentatn of AIDS, gay people, and urban gentrifitn.

A 2005 film versn further popularized the show, but Fox's live productn of Rent, which aired last night, will surely troduce an entirely new generatn to a story which AIDS is a major plot vice and duets between quarrelg queer lovers appear to be her book Stagtck: Theater, AIDS, and the Marketg of Gay Ameri, prolific playwright, novelist, and activist Sarah Schulman tailed her experience livg, wrg, and eventually watchg what me to be known as the highly-ld Broadway mil. The woman was an artist, but also que homophobic, both ternally and externally.

"My fantasy was that by exposg her to the reali of the AIDS crisis, she would drop her blrs about the functns of homophobia and simultaneoly velop an unrstandg of the value of artwork rooted experience, " Schulman wr didn't work out for Schulman and her lover, but the story and s circumstanc did spire People Trouble.

THEATERGOER WALKED OUT OF 'RENT' BEE THE 'SHOW WAS ABOUT GAYS'

The novel also featur an terracial gay uple, one of whom di of Stagtck, Schulman explas how a poser named Stewart Wallace and librettist Michael Korie wanted to brg a mil adaptatn of People Trouble to the stage. "It would be the first AIDS opera for a closeted but AIDS-vastated opera world, " she om the begng, directors and producers were not thrilled about the major relatnship beg between two women; even gay men wh the theater dtry ma misogynistic and lphobic remarks. "Bee Schulman was so volved wh ACT UP (she was part of Jim Hubbard's documentary Uned Anger, a film she remends to anyone seekg a te history of AIDS), she fds the csant narrativ of alienated gay men whout mer.

"So to have those piec pict alone, abandoned gay men wh AIDS who had no polil movement and no muny support was absolutely the oppose of what had already occured.

"But then there's the specifics about how gay people wh AIDS die and straight people wh AIDS live, and that's the centerpiece of Rent.

THE 10 BT GAY MILS OF ALL TIME

We have Angel who is a drag queen who falls love wh Colls, a gay homosexual relatnship. Joanne and Mreen are a lbian homosexual relatnship, even though Mreen is bisexual. And 4 of our 8 ma characters have AIDS, which durg the late ’80s and early ’90s plagued the gay muny ( addn to the dg addict muny also reprented).

Michael (he/him) is the gay Wrer & Content Manager behd Sce g out as a teenager, Michael has veloped a fascatn for Queer films.

AUDIENCE MEMBER STORMS OUT OF MIL RENT BEE THEY “DIDN’T REALIZE WAS ABOUT GAYS!”

The leavg theatergoer told a staff member they were leavg bee "I didn't realise this show was about gays. A theatergoer left a productn of "Rent" on Saturday, tellg the ont of hoe they did not realize the show was "about gays.

Trans women havema LGBT history time and time aga, only to be swept unr theg or mislabeled as gay men orr to erase their trans be clear: RENT isn’t perfect. He did this by havg the HIV posive characters be not only people who are lbian, gay or bisexual, but also straight people. “Bisexuals, Trisexuals, Homo Sapiens”.

TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT: THE CULTURAL LEGACY OF RENT BY JENNI HOLTZ 8 FEBARY COMMENTARY & CREATIVY, MIC & ENTERTAMENT FOX’S RENT: LIVE WAS ANYTHG BUT. OVER 3.5 LN VIEWERS TUNED TO THE WORK’S MOST RECENT MIL ADAPTATN ONLY TO SEE A “PREVLY RERD” DISCLOSURE TAKG CENTER STAGE. IT WASN’T TLY LIVE DUE TO AN ACCINT DURG DRS REHEARSAL THAT LEFT ST MEMBER BRENN HUNT WH A BROKEN FOOT. THEY ED A BATN OF FOOTAGE OM DRS REHEARSAL WH THE LIVE PERFORMANCE ON THE NIGHT OF THE BROADST. THE FOOT JURY WAS NOT THE BIGGT PROBLEM OF THE NIGHT, THOUGH. THE SGG AND OVERALL PRODUCTN FELT UNRPREPARED, WHICH IS LIKELY A FLT OF AIRG THE DRS REHEARSAL. EVEN SO, REVISG THE NOW-CLASSIC TUN OF THE SHOW N BE ENJOYABLE AND NOSTALGIC FOR MANY. YET, THE REVAMPED RENT MAY HAVE MORE PROBLEMS AT S RE THAT NEED TO BE UNPACKED. SO, OM ONE PERSON WHO LOV TO BELT ALONG TO ANOTHER, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RENT’S PROBLEMS.ORIGALLY A BROADWAY MIL, JONATHAN LARSON’S RENT BUTED 1996, LS THAN A AFTER THE AIDS CRISIS. THE ROCK MIL WAS A SMASH H, EARNG 10 TONY NOMATNS AND FOUR WS. IT FOLLOWS OF SEVEN STGGLG ARTISTS LIVG AN ANTI-MASTREAM, BOHEMIAN LIFTYLE. IN 2005, WAS RELEASED AS A FEATURE FILM THAT MATAED MOST OF THE ORIGAL BROADWAY ST. THE FILM WAS MET WH MORE CRIQUE THAN THE IAL MIL. IT HOLDS A 46 PERCENT RATG ON ROTTEN TOMATO AND MANY CRICS POT TO ISSU TRANSLATG THE STORY OM STAGE TO SCREEN AS THE REASON FOR THE BOX-OFFICE BOMB. EVEN SO, BOTH THE FILM AND MIL S ON QUTNABLE FOUNDATNS. LARSON CLAIMS THE MIL IS LOOSELY BASED ON THE 19TH CENTURY OPERA LA BOHEME, GIAO PUCCI’S FOUR ACT OPERA ABOUT BOHEMIAN PEOPLE LIVG 1840’S PARIS. ROGER AND MIMI’S STORY RENT MIRRORS LA BOHEME, BUT MREEN AND JOANNE’S STORY IS NOT A PART OF THE OPERA. SARAH SCHULMAN ASSERTS LARSON RIPPED THE PLOT OM HER LBIAN NOVEL PEOPLE TROUBLE TO BUILD MREEN AND JOANNE’S ARC. IN AN TERVIEW WH THE CHIGO TRIBUNE, SHULMAN SAID, “NOW RENT, STRAIGHT PEOPLE ARE THE HERO OF THE AIDS CRISIS, WHICH IS JT NOT TE… STRAIGHT PEOPLE NEVER HAVE TO AL WH THE GUILT OF HAVG ABANDONED GAY PEOPLE DURG THE AIDS CRISIS.”LARSON TAKG OM SHULMAN’S STORY IS A REAL-LIFE EXAMPLE OF THE STRAIGHT-WASHG OF THE AIDS NARRATIV RENT. LARSON, A STRAIGHT MAN, TOOK MAJOR PLOT POTS OM THE LBIAN THOR’S WORK. YET, THEY AREN’T EVEN THE FOC OF RENT. THE SHOW’S MA PLOT IS A HETEROSEXUAL LOVE STORY BETWEEN ROGER AND MIMI. BOTH CHARACTERS HAVE AIDS AND LIVE, WHILE ANGEL, A TRANS WOMAN WH THE SAME VIS, DI OM THE ILLNS THE SHOW’S SEND ACT. SO, AIDS DO NOT KILL THE STRAIGHT CHARACTERS, BUT DO KILL THE TRANS CHARACTER.EVEN THOUGH THE SHOW CENTERS ON S STRAIGHT CHARACTERS, RENT DO HAVE LGBTQ+ REPRENTATN THE MA ST CLUDG ANGEL, MREEN AND JOANNE. MREEN, THE FEISTY BISEXUAL HEARTTHROB WHO IS BOTH MARK’S EX AND JOANNE’S GIRLIEND, IS A PERSONIFITN OF SEVERAL NEGATIVE STEREOTYP ABOUT BISEXUAL FOLKS. HER CHARACTER IS FED BY HER OVERT SEXUALY, TROUBLE WH MONOGAMY AND EMOTNAL MANIPULATN — ALL TRAS ASSIGNED TO BISEXUAL PEOPLE BY PEOPLE WHO DON’T UNRSTAND BISEXUALY. THERE IS EVEN A TCHY SONG ABOUT ALL LLED “TANGO: MREEN.” IN THIS NUMBER, MREEN’S EX-BOYIEND MARK AND CURRENT GIRLIEND JOANNE TALK ABOUT THEIR TUMULTUO TIM WH MREEN THE REA:“FEEL LIKE GOG SANE / GOT A FIRE YOUR BRA / AND YOU’RE THKG OF DRKG GASOLE / HONEY, I KNOW THIS ACT / IT’S LLED THE TANGO: MREEN.”THE GASLIGHTG AND MANIPULATN MARK AND JOANNE SCRIBE THE NUMBER ARE NOT DISTGUISHED OM MREEN’S BISEXUALY. THE ABIVE TENNCI ARE NFLATED WH BISEXUALY RATHER THAN DISTGUISHG BETWEEN THE TWO. RENT ISN’T RENT WHOUT MREEN, BUT HER CHARACTER’S PRENCE THE SHOW N LEAD TO MORE BIPHOBIA AND MISNCEPTNS THAT ULD BE AVOID.IN NTRAST TO THE QUTNABLE PORTRAYAL OF BISEXUALY, ANGEL’S CHARACTER PROVIS A BTERSWEET VIGTE ABOUT THE AIDS CRISIS’ EFFECT ON TRANSGENR PEOPLE OF LOR. HER CHARACTER IS FED BY HER PASSN AND JOYFULNS, WHICH IS SHOWN THROUGH HER SHORT-LIVED BUT WONRFUL LOVE WH COLLS, WHO IS ALSO HIV-POSIVE. IN THE HEARTWARMG NUMBER “I’LL COVER YOU,” COLLS AND ANGEL SG ABOUT THEIR WHOLOME LOVE:“IF YOU’RE LD AND YOU’RE LONELY / WH A THOAND SWEET KISS / I’LL VER YOU.”SEEG THIS BETIFUL LOVE STORY FEATURG A TRANS WOMAN OF LOR IS POWERFUL BEE ’S NOT SEEN OFTEN ENOUGH. SADLY, SCE ANGEL IS A SENDARY CHARACTER, HER CHARACTER ISN’T AS FLHED OUT AS OTHERS. HER STORY ALSO ENDS TRAGEDY — HER ATH IS THE DRAMATIC CLIMAX OF THE SEND ACT. AT HER FUNERAL, COLL’S REPRIS “I’LL COVER YOU” A SCENE THAT SOLIDIFI ANGEL’S IMPORTANCE TO THE SHOW AND THE FAR-REACHG EFFECTS OF HER LOVE AND KDNS. ANGEL IS A GLIMMER OF LIGHT EVEN FOX’S IMPERFECT RENDN OF THE SHOW. SHE’S PLAYED BY VALENTA, A NONBARY DRAG QUEEN WHO ME TO THE SPOTLIGHT ON RUPL’S DRAG RACE 2017. ANGEL’S CHARACTER IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE KD OF REPRENTATN YOU’D EXPECT OM RENT IF WERE AN ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF THE BLACK AND BROWN LGBTQ+ FOLKS MOST AFFECTED BY THE AIDS EPIMIC.TO ADD TO THE ISSU OF RENT AS AN ENTY, FOX’S ALMOST-LIVE VERSN FAC ANOTHER NUNDM: ADVERTISG. A TVADA MERCIAL PLAYED DURG FOX’S BROADST AND IS STILL PAIRED WH THE PROGRAM WHEN STREAMED ON THEIR WEBSE. TVADA IS A MEDITN FOR PREP, SO IS A PREVENTATIVE DG TAKEN BY PEOPLE AT RISK OF GETTG HIV. IT WILY SEEN AS A BREAKTHROUGH AIDS TREATMENT WH THE POTENTIAL TO SAVE LIV THROUGH HIV PREVENTN. PROTECTN AT A HIGH ST, THOUGH — ABOUT $1,600 PER MONTH WHOUT SURANCE. WHILE AT FIRST, SEEG A PREVENTATIVE HIV DG ADVERTISED ON WORK TELEVISN N FEEL GROUNDBREAKG, TVADA’S AD FEELS OUT OF PLACE. THAT’S BEE RENT ALIGNS SELF WH THE RADIL POLICS OF ACT UP WHOSE ACTIVISTS ARE CURRENTLY LLG FOR TVADA’S PATENT TO BE BROKEN SO GENERIC VERSNS N BE MA TO LOWER THE ST OF THE LIFE-SAVG MEDITN.FOX’S RENT: LIVE MANAGED TO FALTER ON TECHNIL ASPECTS AND PERPETUATE THE ISSU OF THE ORIGAL — THOUGH ’S STILL FUN TO SG ALONG WHEN YOU DON’T THK TOO HARD ABOUT THE SHOW’S IMPLITNS. RAMPANT WH BIPHOBIA AND THE STRAIGHTWASHG OF QUEER STORI, RENT FEELS OUTDATED 2019. IT IS NO LONGER RADIL AND PERHAPS SOMETHG NEW SHOULD BE MA TO FILL THE SPACE RENT HAS OCCUPIED. A MIL ABOUT AIDS THAT DON’T CENTER STRAIGHT PEOPLE AND VILIFY BISEXUAL PEOPLE WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE TO START. FOR NOW, THOUGH, THE BT THG WE N GET OM RENT: LIVE IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT NOT TO DO WH LGBTQ+ STORI. THE NEW PRODUCTN DIDN’T MAKE CHANG TO MEND THE ISSU OF THE ORIGAL, SO IS SIMPLY EXPOSG A NEW GENERATN TO THE PROBLEMS OF RENT WHOUT ANY ADDNAL MENTARY. EVEN WH S ISSU, RENT LIV ON AS PIVOTAL MIL ABOUT AIDS. THE SONGS ARE MEMORABLE AND CERTA LYRICS REMA MORE RELEVANT THAN THE SHOW SELF. AT S RE RENT IS ABOUT LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE EVEN WHEN S STORYLE STRAYS OM THAT THEME MONUMENTAL WAYS. MAYBE ’S BT TO RRY THE SENTIMENTS OM SOME SONGS AND LEAVE THE BIPHOBIA AND STRAIGHT-WASHG THE PAST.“TO BEG AN ‘’ FOR ONCE / STEAD OF A ‘THEM.’” HEAR ILLTRATN BY JENNI HOLTZ, 14 EAST. TAGS 1980S, AIDS, BIPHOBIA, BISEXUALY, HIV, LGBTQ+, RENT, RENT LIVE, ROX, TRANS REPRENTATN, TRANSGENR, TVADA NO COMMENT

There’s no qutn that when Rent opened on Broadway April 1996—wh a pair of gay love stori, a narrative that put the AIDS crisis at s heart, and one of Broadway’s first openly queer romantic duets— was a tone of queer reprentatn. Of the, two (Joanne and Mimi) are cis women, and another (Angel) uld be read ( morn parlance) as eher a trans woman or a genrfluid/femme-prentg gay man. That two of the romantic subplots (between Angel and Colls and Joanne and Mreen) are queer—and queered, given that Larson drew on Pucci’s La Bohème as source material—is stris ahead of the more faiar “token gay iend” narrative more faiar across theater, film, and televisn still today.