Rent: A Tale of Love and Loss
Michael and I ventured to the Wood Theater in Glens Falls, NY to enjoy the Glens Falls Community Theatre’s production of Rent. The show originally premiered on Broadway back on February 13th, 1996, almost 30 years ago. The musical portrays Lower Manhattan, New York amidst the thriving days of bohemian culture and the terrible HIV/AIDS crisis in the ‘80s. It was the last play by Jonathon Larson before he passed away suddenly mere weeks before the premiere. His legacy as a playwright lives on through Martha Banta, the original resident director of Rent, and several founding Adirondack Theater Festival members. Adirondack Theater Festival is a local organization in Glens Falls that puts on exciting new theater shows every summer. They recently celebrated 31 years since its founding. Gilles Chaisson, an early cast member, performed music from Rent at the second-ever Adirondack Theater Festival winter fundraiser.
One of the other incredible partnerships with this production of Rent, along with the many local non-profit and advocacy groups, is the display of a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, thanks to the Damien Center in Albany. Some of the LGBTQIA+ community in the 80s were going through, what felt like, an extinction event, as this unknown disease caused countless suffering with a government that did not seem to care. Anthony Fauci, then head of the Laboratory of Clinical Investigation in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), spearheaded the research and secured funding to help combat the deadly disease. Today, a HIV/AIDS diagnosis is no longer a death sentence with treatment available.
Jonathon Larson’s Rent provides a chilling reminder of the uncertainty and devastation of this time period, along with a wonderful blend of diverse stories of love and resilience. Their title song, Seasons of Love, is my all-time favorite, and it perfectly encapsulates the marriage celebration that my husband and I are embarking on. And the lyrics also eloquently describe my own mother’s relationship advice to always be with someone for four seasons before making a commitment.
I never realized, until recently, the wisdom behind that advice. On the surface, it makes sense; every person shows a different side of them in the warmer and colder months. But the message goes deeper into the multitudes of changes in a person’s life over the course of 525,600 minutes in a year, as the lyrics from Seasons of Love remind us. So much can happen in a year.
The story, if you are unfamiliar, begins in a dilapidated building in Lower Manhattan with Roger and Mark, huddling inside on a brisk, cold evening as struggling artists. Through beautifully crafted lyrics, wonderful performances, incredible set designs, and diverse costumes, we are whisked on a journey through love, loss, and the power of resilience of a diverse group of individuals thrust together by friendship and fate.
I have seen a local production of Rent before. Back in 2015, I went to a showing in Willingboro, NJ to watch my first girlfriend perform the role of Joann, the love interest of Maureen. The relationship ended shortly afterward, so rewatching this play with my now husband has been a unique experience. The memories of a lost relationship, mixed with the memories of a new relationship, created a dichotomy of emotions has altered my perception of this production.
During the heated song between Joann and Maureen in the second act, I reminisced about the changes noticed between my two relationships. My first relationship with Kiara, my ex-girlfriend, was certainly a learning experience, as I tried to break free of debilitating social isolation and anxiety. It led me to adopt a personality reminiscent of Joann’s character. She had a heightened, anxious mind that led her to frequent concerns over Maureen’s improprieties and pushed her to overlook her own mental health. As Maureen put it succinctly, she was “anal-retentive. a control freak, a lovable, droll geek”.
Being with Michael, my husband, has allowed me to explore the side of Maureen; becoming outgoing and self-confident. But I had not learned to appease my inner anxieties, which eventually overtook my emotional capacity as I struggled to rectify those two personalities. After dealing with those struggles, the creative pride that was chiseled from my soul, piece by piece, from bullies and, at times, my own inner critic, started to flourish again, allowing me to fully embody the spirit of Maureen.
Actresses Grace Davis, who played Joann, and Olivia Dybas, who played Maureen, did a wonderful job, showcasing their incredible vocal talent and comedic timing. As did the rest of cast. It has been loving crafted by the Glens Falls Community Theatre team. Be sure to grab tickets for their final couple performances this coming weekend and always remember the struggles of the past to provide courage, strength, and resilience for the future. We are not going anywhere, and we all deserve to live happy and fulfilling lives.
