Culture:
The most interesting way we experience culture through RENT is how the musical thoroughly involves the audience. The strongest example of this happens when Mimi, who wants to start a relationship with Roger, does the simple act of taking a pill. During the song, “La Vie Boheme” she tells him she is going to take an AZT break. AZT, fully azidothymidine, is a drug that slows the growth of HIV and prolongs the lifespan of those who have it (Rogers). That revelation allows Roger to tell Mimi that he is sick too and that is why he was avoiding a relationship. A sense of culture is created for those who know what AZT is while excludes those who don’t. Neither admits to having HIV, but it is vaguely implied. The audience is made aware of a culture of people who are living with the disease, but first it creates a sense of inclusion for those who are familiar with the abbreviation of AZT and its implications. The sense of exclusion arrives with the sense that some members of the audience understands something in that moment that others don’t.
Using culture as a focal point for a play is powerful in its ability to bring awareness to audience goers. There is also the danger of perpetuating stereotypes.
Other types of cultures we see are gay culture, artistic culture, corporate culture, the culture of homelessness, as well as the culture created by those living with HIV. For each one of these cultures we see represented in the musical, we have moments just like the one with Mimi and Roger where a sense of inclusion and exclusion is experienced by audience goers, followed by a new level of awareness as well as an invitation to be a part of that culture in some way.
Technology:
“Larson was faced with a profound paradox: how to condemn the pervasiveness of the media and the alienating effects of technology while exploiting their dramatic possibilities” (Istle). Rent opens with two of the main characters screening phone calls. The scene shows how we use technology to alienate ourselves from the rest of the world. Mark is constantly behind the lens of his camera, which separates him in a way from the rest of the characters.
The behavior comments on how a person’s view of the world changes when looking into a camera. You become director of the world you are viewing, you emotionally distance yourself. The people Mark documents ironically become actors.
What carries over to the audience is an equal sense of alienation through RENT. Imagine you are an audience member. You are aware of the lights, the speakers, the microphones that may or may not be visible, and especially the music itself which is harnessed through technology as well. The level of awareness of these tools alienates the viewer from aspects of the Musical that might make it otherwise very tragic. Don’t forget, what you will be watching or have watched is essentially a group of homeless, some of whom are dying, people struggle to carry on with their lives. In the same way the Roger and Mark screen phone calls from Mark’s mother, the audience gets to pick and choose their level of awareness.
Other Themes:
RENT is full of other themes carried out through the lives of other characters. Love is another major theme in the Musical. Two pairs of characters who are infected with HIV find love with one another. Angel and Tom, as well as Mimi and Roger represent gay and heterosexual love. The fact that they are HIV positive also reminds us that another theme in the play is death. It is interesting that the two themes are meshed together, as well that because they are meshed together they force the reader to put a ticking clock on the relationships that unfold. The concern for their shortened lifespan forces the viewer to more intently examine the relationships.
Other themes that are minor but equally relevant are, Homelessness, corporate America, Family, and Betrayal. All of these ask the audience to take a moment of introspection and consider their own values on the subjects based on the lives of the characters.
Works Cited
Herman, Peter. “How Inside Jokes in Plays Create a Sense of Culture.” In Class Discussion. SDSU, San Diego. 3 Feb. 2015. Lecture.
Istel, John. “‘Rent’ Check.” American Theatre 13.6 (1996): 12. ProQuest. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Rogers, Kara. “AZT | Drug.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Created By: Jon Tobias
From Page to Stage 