by David Cohen
In Theater Magazine
October 3, 1997

If anything, the juggernaut that is "Rent" is stronger now than at any time since its world premiere in February 1996. Two national companies are playing extended runs across the U.S., with more on the way. An original cast album, released last year, was the highest charting cast recording since 1982’s "Dreamgirls". Miramax has optioned the musical for a film. A "Rent" coffee-table book, which includes a map of the East Village locations mythologized in the show, is now in stores. Angela Wendt’s funky costume designs have inspired a successful clothing line. And "Rent"’s sellout run has springboarded the careers of some actors who have left the show, including Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi) and Idina Menzel (Maureen), who have been signed to recording contracts, Jesse L. Martin (Tom Collins), featured in the new Fox TV show "413 Hope St.", and Taye Diggs (Benny), who’ll play a leading role in the film of Terry McMillan’s "How Stella Got Her Groove Back."

The history of "Rent", by now well-known, is the stuff of Broadway drama itself. Jonathan Larson, a young man from Westchester who grew up idolizing Billy Joel, the Beatles and Stephen Sondheim and who, at 35, had yet to achieved any success or acclaim, had been working on an update of Puccini’s "La Boheme" transplanted to "fin de siecle" Alphabet City in New York’s East Village, for more than five years. Larson poured his considerable talents into adapting an opera considered by many in his sphere to be safe, tame, and without a "hook to connect it to today’s tumultuous events.

Larson’s unshakable commitment -- "I’m the future of the American musical theater," he often said -- attracted others to his mission. James C. Nicola, artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop, was among the first. "I’ve met few artists as confident as Jonathan," he says. "I believed in his talent and gifts." Nicola, along with independent producers Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, and Allan S. Gordon, has been involved with "Rent" since 1994. "My role was to do what I could with whatever resources we had," says Nicola. That’s what producers do in the usually cash-poor downtown arts scene, but what stood out for Nicola was that "Jonathan always had a sense that he was headed for something."

Dedicating himself to his project Larson took time off only to wait tables at the Moondance Diner in Soho, where he had worked for more than a decade. Constantly revising and honing his vision, he saw "Rent"’s debut pushed back from fall 1995 to early the next year. When rehearsals were to finally begin in December, Larson knew his moment had finally arrived. The composer iced his usually active social life and disappeared into his Greenwich Street apartment, often putting in 20-hour days for six final weeks of tweaking, anxious to meet his deadline. At "Rent"’s first sing-through, everyone agreed that Larson had lived up to the challenge. Expectations were high.  The composer even resigned from the Moondance.

Artistic creation is often akin to giving birth, as it can be draining, exhausting, or worse. And so it proved for Larson, who died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on January 25, 1996, the morning of "Rent"’s first preview performance. Not only did Larson leave behind the book and score for one of the seminal theater pieces of the late 20th century, but his untimely death left a gaping void in the theater world and an immediate legend, albeit one tempered with sadness and dreams of what might have been. His faith in his own talents had been borne out.

Since then, a Pandora’s box of issues has surrounded "Rent": Larson’s family successfully sued the two hospitals that failed to diagnose and treat his illness during emergency visits, and in a closely watched lawsuit, Lynn M. Thomson, "Rent"’s dramaturg, lost her bid for 16 percent of the author’s royalties and credit as a co-writer of the musical. But the show itself is proving it’s appeal to a national audience that has never heard of Avenue A and may never have met a young drug addict or a person with AIDS.

Indeed, the "Rent" team is finding that Larson imbued the play’s radiant characters with a tenacious desire to touch lives and be heard. " "Rent" is rich and elastic enough to respond differently to different people playing the parts," says director Michael Greif. "This is maybe the greatest indication of its marvelousness."

Greif has now directed four versions of the musical -- off-Broadway, Broadway, The first national touring company (known as "Angel"), and the second national company ("Benny;" each is named after a leading character). "When we moved Uptown, we did some text editing, as well as concretized performances," Greif, who is also artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse in California. "It was the first time I’d worked on Broadway, and it was exhilarating in knowing that we were preparing the play for a very long life, but also sad in that we were preparing it without Jonathan."

For Greif, rehearsing and directing "Rent"’s two national companies has meant a chance to revisit the situations and characters that moved him so deeply. "I try to make it a new investigation each time," he says. "When we initially put the show together, we were never quite sure of where it was going. When we moved to Broadway, we focused on different things -- and, of course, coping with Jonathan’s death."

All the "Rent" companies describe themselves as families, but none more so than the Broadway troupe. In as organic as way as is possible in the theater, the 15 original members performed, grew, and experienced dizzy-ing success as one unit. Anthony Rapp, the 25-year-old actor who plays Mark on Broadway, says, "When each person leaves, there’s a hole. One of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced was the performance when Daphne (Rubin-Vega) left. It felt like another death. It was the end of an era of the precious chemistry of our family." But as "Rent" was created to reflect reality, life -- as well as the show -- must go one. "Some things are lost, others are gained," Rapp notes. "The piece doesn’t suffer. The arc is as strong as ever."

A recent visit to the Nederlander proved that Rapp wasn’t speaking hyperbolically. The entire Broadway company, including new cast members Marcy Harriell (Mimi), Michael McElroy (Tom Collins), and Sherie Scott (Maureen), as well as veterans Adam Pascal (Roger), Rapp, and Tony-winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), burst with energy and breathtaking commitment. The performance was superb.

A national company, on the other hand, is a different animal. By definition, it is a re-creation, often staged quickly in an effort to convince lightning to strike twice.  But like an original company, it is also created from the ground up with a new cast from a variety of backgrounds. "The challenge is to imbue each company with the same human, charismatic, and empathetic spirit with which we imbued it in New York," says producer Jeffrey Seller. "We audition in every city we play, going to all the underground places to find new and fresh talent."

"Rent"’s first national company debuted in Boston in November 1996 to ecstatic notices and full houses. "The thrill of Boston," says director Greif, "was finding out how the piece lived, breathed, and sung through other people for the first time."

Some of the original cast, who traveled to Boston "en masse" in a gesture of support , were unprepared for the experience. "We all went, ‘Whoa! They’re wearing our clothes!’ " says Rapp.  "We were still in the thick of it, and already somebody else was doing it. It was bizarre. We felt very protective of the show, like it was ours. The 15 of us went through an incredible amount together. There’s an unshakable bond that exists."

After the first national company was completed, work began on the second. As he did previously, director Greif continued to welcome new interpretations within the familiar framework.

This latest company had an extremely rewarding rehearsal period," he says. "Each time, there’s a different chemistry, and different relationships form. What I try to do is leave room for that to happen."

The second national company premiered at Greif’s home base in La Jolla in July and opened in Los Angeles in September at the Ahmanson Theatre. For the first time, a "name" performer, Neil Patrick Harris (aka "Doogie Howser, M.D."), was cast.  "I didn’t sit with a cigar saying, ‘C’mon, give me a star for L.A.,’ " says Jeffrey Seller, adding, "Having Neil doesn’t change the focus at all. He is doing something so diametrically opposed to what he previously did that in this light he is almost unknown.  He auditioned and was the best one for the role of Mark."

Excited to be making his musical debut, Harris says, "Michael made the feel like we were creating the show. He didn’t say, 'Anthony stands here and turns on this line, so you do the same.'   He insisted we just do the scene as we felt it. We didn’t feel we were donning other’s clothes so much as sewing our own."

With two national companies flourishing, Greif is committed to directing the Toronto, London, and Australian productions, with others perhaps to follow. "It’s never going to be just another stamped out version," he believes. "There’s always a slightly different stew. It totally incorporates the hearts and minds of the company working on it."

As the show morphs into an event to be experienced in many locations, those involved with "Rent" speak about its "colors" and shadings. "I have a very good gauge about how the story needs to be told and what points need to be hit," says Greif. "But I also think there are a lot of colors available. I’m thrilled to e able to let a company find those."  Echoes Rapp, "Because the chemistry is changed, other colors came through.  Some will shine differently, but the power comes through despite the different dynamics."

As "Rent" becomes ubiquitous, and with more audiences signing the lease, it is worth examining why this musical is being embraced so warmly by the public. "The audience sees themselves in the characters," notes Greif. "A friend said to me that "Rent" reminded him of who he was when he was young. A lot of people feel that way.  Despite the sorrow, people recognize the joy.  Even if they didn’t live those kinds of lives, some part of them wishes they had."

That simple emotion goes a long way in helping to understand the lines of people queuing up each day for tickets at "Rent"’s three current productions, many on a repeat visit. "Rent" is the theater experience that most resembles their reality -- messy, and not always pretty, but vibrant, life-affirming, and brimming with hope, energy, and wonder.

"RENT" Times Three

Three actors. Three companies. Three sweaters. One role. The road map to "Rent's" clamorous emotional journey is captained by Mark Cohen, video artist, cyber-guide, and stage shepherd for the 15 East Village denizens who populate the hit musical. Mark, who is an integral part of the action, is also strangely removed from it, as any filmmaker would likely be.  He observes.  He agonizes.  His are the eyes through which we see the others. (In many ways, Mark can be seen as an alter-ego to Jonathan Larson, "Rent's" sadly departed author).

Anthony Rapp, 25, has three years as Mark under his belt, having created the role in "Rent's" 1994 studio production at New York Theatre Workshop. He continues to explore the character nightly at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. Newer to the role are Luther Creek, 25, and Neil Patrick Harris, 24, who portrayed TV's babydoc, "Doogie Howser, M.D.," from 1989 to 1993. They appear in "Rent's" first two national companies, currently in extended runs in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles, respectively. Here are some of the trio's thoughts about making their mark in "Rent:"

Anthony Rapp

"In a weird way, the play helped me grow. Through the past year and a half my mom was very ill and passed away. It was strange playing somebody unable to deal with death; someone who distances himself. Personally, I tried not to do that with my mom. When she did die, I realized I had grown much further than Mark Cohen.... I hope Luther and Neil can continue to find things in Mark that they can revisit, because the journey isn't that apparent. I hope they understand how much of Jonathan is Mark... "Rent" isn't a perfect piece.   But I would rather be in a show that was flawed and had some amazing stuff in it than something that was all neat and packaged. There's a heart to "Rent" that you don't see anymore... We knew what we had and how it was affecting our lives, and how it seemed to be affecting audiences. No one can take away the experience we had in creating "Rent." That's forever."

Luther Creek

"The reason I originally auditioned for "Rent" was to pay mine... I was afraid that I would be asked to do exactly what the others had done, and was surprised and excited that the opposite proved true. Anthony Rapp certainly had a strong impact on the direction I was coming from, but where I went was more my own course... The audience identifies most clearly with Mark. I feel he's almost more a part of the audience than the on-stage group. At times I certainly wish I were more a part of the other group.... There are moments on stage when I just want to check on myself to make sure I'm doing OK. Those are the moments when I sometimes get a bit lost, because I pulled myself out far enough to be aware of where I was... I can't tell you the number of boys and girls who come up to me and ask where I got Mark's sweater. Or more significantly, can I give them mine?"

Neil Patrick Harris

"The first time I saw "Rent," it was a bit overwhelming. Then I actually figured out what was going on with the specifics of Jonathan's music and lyrics. Then I fell in love with it... I never wanted to do a fluffy "Grease-y" type of musical that I wouldn't want my friends to see. "Rent" is a very cool show, and I take pride that his is my entrance to the musical world... I always imagined that when I was in the "Rent" movie I would be cast as Mark, but when I'm singing in my car I think, "Wouldn't I be a magnificent Roger?" ... Mark is not a difficult slipper to fit into.  His job is to make sure everything goes smoothly and also to sort of helm the ship.  I enjoy being the glue that holds "Rent" together.  I flourish in that role in real life as well as on stage.  I'm sort of the game show host at the party."

The Rent/Chorus Line Connection

The parallels between "Rent" and "A Chorus Line," both of which channel the Zeitgeist of their respective eras, are many. Both moved quickly to Broadway after premiering downtown in non-profit theaters; both feature large ensembles of explosive, unfamiliar talents eager to strut their stuff; and both promote strong identification between actors and their roles, obscuring the line between reality and fiction. When Adam Pascal strums his Fender guitar onstage, thinking of "writing one great song," he might very well be doing so for the real-life rock band he fronts on "Rent"’s dark days.

Both hits have also rescued financially strapped institutions dedicated to producing quality, adventurous theater. "There’s an impression out there that "Rent" is the "Chorus Line" of Theatre Workshop," acknowledges James C. Nicola. "It is not," he insists with a laugh, "but I’m not complaining." Still, the steady flow of income has been a godsend. "We’re defraying an accumulated deficit and putting it in the bank," he continues. "We have decided to save it for an endowment, capital fund, or something for the long term. It’s nice to know if there’s a disaster we’re not going to fold up and go away."

As with "A Chorus Line"’s history-making engagement, "Rent"’s success raises many questions.  Chief among them is how to replace actors who have become totally invested in, and identified with, their roles.  Oddly enough, Nicola was working at the Public Theater 20 years ago when, as he puts it, "Chorus Line" was wondering what was going to happen when all these people got ready to go. There was such authenticity; these were their lives. This is a very similar circumstance, but we’re learning that the writing is strong enough for the roles to become slightly different with subsequent casts." "Rent"’s resiliency does not surprise Nicola. "Jonathan’s understanding of what is good theater is innate," he says. "It makes sense that he would construct a hearty machine."