Rent: A Unique and Revolutionary Musical Essay

This musical helped me gain confidence because I could relate to a character more than I ever have before, his success reassuring me. Alexander Hamilton was similar to me because he argued for what he believed was right, stopping at nothing. Mediocrity could not satisfy Hamilton and he rose from his circumstances as an orphan immigrant to make an impression, later heading the treasury of the United States in its formation. Listening to the soundtrack of Hamilton inspires me to take a stand and make the most out of my life, no matter what challenging circumstances I face along the

Music has continued to change throughout each decade, but the 1960s was the most influential decade in the history of music. Starting in the early 1950s, rock music was first introduced. Major record labels were releasing new “cover songs” which were originally made by black artist, but now by white artist (Rock and Roll). These cover songs changed a few lyrics from the original songs to avoid copyright issues and to also make the song more appropriate for the white listeners. The biggest star of the 1950s was Elvis Presley, who was known as the “King of rock n’ roll”.

Within Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda brings history back into the present through his musical. Originally performed at The Public Theater in 2015, the musical was quickly a popular hit and made its way to Broadway. Now performed at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, Hamilton has won 11 Tony awards and multiple honors. Director Thomas Kail and lead producer Jeffrey Seller made many of the final decisions of the production, and through them Miranda’s time and investments, the musical became a success. Now, the musical functions as a public history as it revives the importance of the past, as well as redefines the ways history is made and learned through the integration of rap and hip-hop style in musical theatre.

The musical “Hamilton” is the most sought after musical in years. It is the first seen rap musical and it has received the most ‘Tony’ awards and nominations in Broadway history. Hamilton premiered off Broadway in 2015 and soon moved to Broadway to stun the world with it’s incredible everything, from plot to casting. For best albums, Hamilton was second ranked in Billboard magazine and has got endless supply of recognition for the ingenious play written by the phenomenal Lin Manual Miranda. Hamilton is currently the most popular sensation on Broadway because of the music with its creative lyrics and hidden messages, it’s stellar performance and the perspectives it gives us on the people that founded our county. (on the people that shaped our past and developed our future).

This paper focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of the character Maureen Johnson from the musical Rent. The story of Rent takes place in New York City in the 1990s and focuses on a group of young adults as they struggle for success while staying true to their beliefs and their relationships with one another (Columbus, 2005). Through her interaction with the other characters and beliefs about herself, Maureen’s psychopathology becomes evident.

In my paper I will be discussing what makes Rent such an extraordinary rock musical, the care that went into creating it, and how it was different from what came before. I will provide analysis of characters and the plot, plus I will be describing the importance and relevance of certain songs.

I propose that all unsigned rising artist should target the business side of the music industry to be successful in the entertainment business because it allows the artist to be taken seriously and make solid connections that can further his/her career. Learning the works of the music industry also enables a new artist to be further successful and profitable. Recent studies show that most new artists without professional representation and a business mindset have a slimmer chance in getting signed to major or independent labels (Lowry, 2011). Overall, the specific change needed is that unsigned artists should be concentrating on their careers as professionals and not amateurs, thus focusing on the ins and outs of the music business and

First of all, I decided to watch the movie Rent, which was based on Jonathan Larson’s Pulizer and his Tony award-winning musical, which has also appeared on Broadway many times. The film and musical are about a group of artists, eight friends, who are living in New York City during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They each are dealing with different problems in their lives, such as HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, rejection, and poverty. This movie had a very tremendous impact on me, and I was very impressed with how they tied each theme into it. I was moved in a way that it has even effected the way I look at others, and overall at life.

Hamilton has created a revolution. Hamilton: An American Musical is a musical created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. The musical is based on a book written by Ron Chernow about Alexander Hamilton’s life. The story narrates the founding of the United States. The show is being called a revolution due to its language. Lin-Manuel Miranda is being called this generation’s Shakespeare. They both use modern language to reach their audience. In this case, the language is Rap and Hip Hop. Most broadways show reach fame, Lin-Manuel Miranda manages to capture the attention of not only broadway fans but also captures the attention of non-broadway fans.

Jukebox musicals began in film and later shifted to theatre. They had begun to make theatre more popular with the public, which had begun to gravitate towards film and music. By combining the two, they gain some of the same as well as a whole new audience. I will discuss how this came to be by speaking of the shift that occurred.

When I hear the word Rent, I immediately see an eclectic Broadway production, overflowing with talent, adventure, and magic. I picture scantly clad actresses, strutting across the stage. I envision stunning duets and thought-provoking lyrics. That single word transports me to a different time and place.

Anyone who watches Lin Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway show, Hamilton, can clearly see that he chose hip-hop as the genre throughout the play. But by doing so, it made people question why and what affect it has on the audience. Some people believe that Miranda chose hip-hop because that was simply what came to mind when he examined Hamilton’s characteristics. Rebecca Mead shares this belief by stating, “Miranda saw Hamilton’s relentlessness, brilliance, linguistic dexterity, and self-destructive stubbornness through his own idiosyncratic lens. It was, he thought, a hip-hop story, an immigrant’s story” (Mead). Her response is a simple answer for a simple question.

Easily one of the most sought after artists of this age, Lin-Manuel Miranda has made a name out of himself as a creative genius. After already writing In the Heights, Miranda’s first musical to win the Tony of Best Musical, and cowriting music for another Broadway musical, Bring it On!, he shook the world by writing the hit musical Hamilton: book, music and lyrics by Mr. Miranda, in addition to him originating the role of Alexander Hamilton. From that point on, Miranda’s career skyrocketed. Coming from humble backgrounds, Miranda uses his platform on social media to discuss topics like racial and gender inequality, as well for fighting for help for his family’s home of Puerto Rico in financial and physical distress after Hurricane Maria.

The musical Rent was first produced in 1994 by Jonathan Larson and is loosely based on the opera La Boheme (1896) by Giacomo Puccini. This rock opera production tells the story of the lives of 8 bohemians living in Manhattan for a year. Many of the characters in Rent are pulled directly from Puccini's La Bohème. There are 8 main characters the story follows; Roger Davis, a musician who is HIV positive, Mimi Márquez, an exotic dancer and Roger's girlfriend, Mark Cohen, a Jewish filmmaker who is Roger’s roommate, Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist, Joanne Jefferson, a lawyer who is Maureen's girlfriend, Tom Collins, a gay part-time philosophy professor at New York University with AIDS. Angel Dumott Schunard, a drag queen who is Collins' partner, and Benjamin 'Benny' Coffin III, their landlord and the former roommate of Roger, Mark, Collins, and Maureen.

Two great writers of American musical theatre, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, had one idea in common. They wanted to present to the American public a new and revolutionary musical that would stand out above the rest. They wanted to make an impact on the societies of the era. They wanted to be creative and do something that was considered rebellious. When they finally combined their ideas together they created an American masterpiece in musical theatre: Oklahoma!. It was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, starting the most successful creative partnership in the history of American musical theatre.