Rockin' out on Broadway: RENT and its fans (the culmination of my research this semester)

A Broadway phenomenon that touches hearts of all ages. A fresh, new sound that brought a new generation to the theater. A lasting, emotional story that has stood out for over a decade. This, my friends, is RENT.


This is a collage I made for a different class (Playwriting) in response to RENT.

In my studies, I have attempted to discover the power behind the Broadway musical RENT; just what makes it so captivating to its audience? RENT has millions of devoted fans across the globe. Why are they so dedicated to this one show? What is it about this particular show that brings them together, either online or at the Nederlander Theater, creating such a passionate community?
Through interviews with fans, studies of RENT’s creation, examination of my own position as a fan, and readings about Broadway, theater, and the topics RENT deals with, I believe I have found answers to these questions. My research has consisted largely of interaction with fans on the fan website Voices for Rent. This is the official RENT fan community, where fans from all across the world can chat and discuss the show. This is essentially the strongest community RENT fans have. While the show is only performed in certain theaters, fan websites like Voices for Rent connect fans from far and wide, in the comfort of their own homes. All quotes from fans in this blog are from fans I’ve communicated with through Voices for Rent.

The Fans

Rentheads at the Life Cafe, where the scene "La Vie Boheme" takes place and was filmed for the movie.

I sent out a voluntary survey to members of Voices for Rent. Responses came mostly from teenagers who visited the site daily. Most were female high school or college students, and most stated that they were involved in or enjoyed music and/or theater. They lived in various places all across the country.
It’s hard to generalize about RENT fans. In my experience at the show, I observed audience members of all ages, dressed appropriately for a Broadway show so that their class or typical lifestyle was hard to guess. When asked about the typical fan, members of Voices for Rent were hesitant to stereotype. Cassandra, a fan of age 20 from Mississippi, said, “Any one can enjoy the show if they open up their mind.” And most fans are willing to include anyone who enjoys the show as a fan. “It doesn’t matter how many times you have seen the show, or if you know all the words to the songs,” says Lauren, age 19 from Pennsylvania, “because not everyone has the chance to see it. All that matters is that you love the show and you love the meaning of the show.”
Of course, there is a higher level of fandom that goes beyond watching and enjoying the show. Avid fans are often called “Rentheads”. The term originally referred to those fans who would wait for hours in line outside the Nederlander Theater, where RENT is performed on Broadway, before the show when it first opened. While waiting in line, fans talked, played games, entertained each other, and forged bonds of friendship, creating a strong community. “Renthead” is now a more broadly defined term, if it is defined at all. While some fans would consider any fan of RENT a Renthead, others are hesitant to place that title on themselves. Mary, a 16-year-old fan from Long Island, said “In my opinion, a "Renthead" is a person who was constantly camped outside the Nederlander in 1996 for tickets. I see the show all the time (I've seen it 67 times in less than a year…) but I don't consider myself a "Renthead"…we call ourselves the “regulars”… None of us really like the term "Renthead".” The term implies a crazed obsession that most fans do not want to admit to. And some fans are crazily obsessed. They plaster their walls with posters, see the show on a weekly basis, dress up as characters from the show for Halloween, and crowd outside the theater to see the actors as they exit (commonly known as stagedooring.) These fans have been called “fangirls” – because they are most often young, teenage girls obsessed with the actors or the fame of Broadway.
Here is a video of “fangirls” stagedooring when the original cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp returned to Broadway in 2007. Notice the huge crowd of teenage girls, all just hoping to get an autograph from these stars.

“Renthead,” I believe, is a term that deserves more respect than “fangirl.”
“A major factor in being a Renthead is learning more about Jonathan and his life,”
said another fan, Joe, age 52 from New York City. The most devout fans, the fans that I would consider Rentheads, know and appreciate the show’s history. They respect the writer of the play, Jonathan Larson, more than the actors, because it was his difficult life that inspired the play. They do not have to stagedoor every performance, but they understand and take to heart the message the show sends – a message of faith, love, and acceptance.
No matter what label fans would give themselves, they all share a special bond. Many fans are brought together at the show or online and create lifelong friendships. “I've made some of my closest friends through the show,” says Mary. “I see Rent at least once a week, usually more, and what draws me to the show, in addition to the music and the message, is just this amazing feeling of home and warmth. I never really fit in anywhere. I always felt like an outsider. The Nederlander is the one place where I feel truly happy.” Teens who struggle at home find a different kind of family through RENT. The RENT fan community is a place where they fit in. Just having love for the show in common is enough to make them feel connected.

The Music
Another thing that attracts fans to RENT is its music. The music in RENT is not your typical Broadway music. RENT is a rock opera – the majority of the lines are sung to modern music. Jonathan Larson’s goal in writing a musical was to “bring the MTV generation and the theater together” (quoted from "No Day But Today"; see my full bibliography for more information). In a time when youth were often put off by Broadway and the idea of musical theater, Jonathan Larson brought them back to the theater with music that they liked.
Watch this video of the song “Rent” from the moive. This song is a perfect example of the show’s rock style of music. Also note the scenery in the video and the lyrics – this is how many people in New York actually live, how Jonathan Larson and his characters lived.

In the Broadway show, the band is set up onstage. The band is more of a rock band and less of a pit band, consisting of guitars, drums, keyboard, etc. No wind instruments, no orchestral conductor. Young fans love this style of music. Some would not otherwise have ever gone to Broadway. Nina, a 15-year-old fan from LA, said, “Rent has changed my life in so many ways, it opened me up to theater as well as some other music.” RENT has re-introduced the youth to theater, and introduced theatergoers to a new style of music.

The Message
In a poll on Voices for Rent, members were asked for the number one reason why they tell their friends and family about RENT. The majority, 49.5%, said that the story touched their life and they wanted to share it. RENT tells the story of a filmmaker, a struggling musician, a gay anarchist, a transgender street musician, a lesbian performer, a lesbian lawyer, and a heroine-addicted strip club dancer living in Alphabet City. Several of these characters are diagnosed with AIDS. Together, they struggle through addiction, disease, discrimination, unemployment, love, life, and death all in one year.
RENT has a very inspiring message. One of the most famous quotes from the show is “No day but today.” “It gives everyone hope that today can always be better then yesterday,” says Erika, age 15 from Miami, “or to just live your life in “Today”, don’t think about tomorrow and the problems waiting for you. Think of today, and only today.” Aside from living life for today, RENT inspires people to accept everyone. Gay, straight, diseased, poor, rich – we all have our place in the world. It also relays a message that love conquers all, and with help from friends you can get through anything.
No one can say it better than the fans: “Rent stands for living life to the fullest and accepting people even though they are different,” says Lauren. “Live in the now, never compromise love of any sort, and celebrate life while you have it. Any struggle will be worth it in the end,” says Sophie, a 17-year-old fan from Massachusetts. “Rent has been a HUGE part of my life! It just has made me accept people for who they are, and to give them another chance,” says Erika. Acceptance, no regrets, and love are the lessons RENT is trying to teach.

The Poor, the Diseased, and the Discriminated
RENT reveals its setting in run-down East Village immediately with the appearance of the theater. The stage is designed to look like a nightclub (RENT: The Podcast.) Abstract art lines the walls as you enter the theater. Outside, the sign is incomplete and the walls are covered in graffiti. This “decoration” immediately establishes the atmosphere and the place where the characters live – poor, Bohemian, East Village.
The Nederlander Theater from outside:

The stage:

The stories in RENT are very real. The debate over homosexuality and its politics, ethics, etc. has become part of America’s culture (Yingling 1991). The AIDS epidemic was a bigger shock in the 80’s, but is still a problem that affects millions across the country now (discussed in Watney 1987). And although Alphabet City and the poor regions of New York are slightly better off than they were in the 70’s and 80’s, they are still struggling. The bohemian lifestyle portrayed in RENT thrives around these poor regions (Florida 2002), partly because these people have so little to work with. They become artistic out of necessity, making the junk they have seem beautiful. They also struggle with authority – in RENT the authorities are trying to shut down a Tent City that has built up as a community for the homeless; things like this do happen in reality. Bohemianism is a way to speak out against that authority.
To go into detail on these subjects and their realities could be a separate research project, so for now I will simply state that the fictional tales in RENT are realities for many people, and fans of RENT clearly sympathize. Fans may not be on welfare – after all, the unemployed can’t quite afford Broadway tickets – but they are also nowhere near upper class. They, like the characters, and like Jonathan Larson himself, are happy as long as they can express themselves, and would never trade their passions for money. That is the philosophy of the bohemian lifestyle, “La Vie Boheme.”
This video shows a scene from the Broadway show, the song "La Vie Boheme." Notice the costumes and the lyrics during this song - this song defines the bohemian lifestyle.

About half of the fans who responded to my survey also said that they know someone who has AIDS or died of AIDS, is homosexual, or uses/has used drugs, therefore they relate very directly to the characters. As one of the show’s producers said in the movie’s documentary, “I cannot think of anybody who at times doesn’t feel isolated or lonely the way that Mark does. At times we’ve all been depressed and going through a really tough time the way that Roger is. And we’ve all had that reckless side like Mimi, and we are all playful like Collins, and we are all generous at times like Angel…Not only do we know these people, we are these people, all of us.” In this way, every fan relates to the characters. Fans are living for their passions and often fighting disease and discrimination just as much as the characters are, and they are drawn to the show because they relate and feel at home with each other and with the show’s characters.

In Conclusion…
RENT has attracted fans from far and wide ever since its debut in 1996. I believe this is because the lessons and themes that RENT deals with carry on throughout time. The controversy over AIDS and homosexuality has not died out in a decade. Drugs will always be an issue. People will always fight for love, and people will always be struggling to pay their rent. The artistic, liberal youth are attracted to RENT because they empathize with the characters and enjoy the music. Many fans can relate to the way the characters are living; others just relate to the ideas they represent. RENT has affected many lives. Fans say the show has helped them through hard times, introduced them to lifelong friends, taught them to accept everyone, and taught them to live their lives to the fullest. Fans are dedicated to RENT because they respect its history and its truth, and they believe in its messages. This belief and love for the show is enough to create a worldwide community, which remains connected through the internet.
There are many aspects of the show and the fan culture that I did not mention in detail – the lives of those actually living in Greenwich Village, the different effect on those struggling with AIDS or homosexuality, the effect the subject matter had at the time it came out, the differences between the stage show and the movie… I would like to continue further research on these subjects. However, if I mentioned everything now, this blog would go on for ages (I think it’s already long enough!). For now, I will conclude with one final statement.
For the music, for the history, for the truth, for the story, and for the message it portrays, fans become addicted and dedicated to RENT. The wide web of fans out there have stuck together and stuck with the show for a decade, and will continue to live its lessons in every moment of their lives – “Forget regret, or life is yours to miss. No other road, no other way, no day but today.”