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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2004)
o Super Savings! BY MELISSA BEARNS (See us at the Home Show) Sewing Machines Rent Proves Timeless Record-breaking play still draws crowds and devotees. A Sewing, Vacuum, Spa & Stove 484-6006 Stoves: Pellet, Gas, Wood 1963 W. 6TH AVE. • EUGENE Vacuums & More T a st y Th ai K it c he n T ra d it i on a l Th a i Cu is i n e by Owner and Chef Pismai WEEKLY SPECIALS FOR LUNCH & DINNER VEGETARIAN & VEGAN OPTIONS AVAILABLE WE HAVE BUBBLE TEA BEER & WINE NOW AVAILABLE NOW OPEN FOR LUNCH ON SATURDAYS! Mon - Fri 11 AM - 9:30 PM • Sat & Sun 12 PM - 9:30 PM 80 E. 29th & Willamette 302-6444 T HE S POT FOR $6.50 BOMBS IRISH CAR NEVER A COVER * FREE POOL FREE POPCORN! lmost a decade after Rent raised the bar for Broadway and shocked its complacent directors out of a slow, slide into boring, irrelevant theater, fans are still packing the room at every performance. More than 15 years after HIV and AIDS first exploded into the national con- sciousness, mesmerizing us with fear and mystery, people stand in line for hours to get cheap front-row tickets to a theater production where three of the eight main characters are HIV-positive. Rent is so much more than a slice of life in the late ‘80s. While everything from the rockin’ tunes to the hairstyles and slang capture the essence and energy of New York’s Lower East Side during that time period, the themes are universal and eternal. Rent is about life. My life. Your life. Everyone’s life. And on one level or an- other, we can all relate. That’s part of the reason that on Feb. 10, Rent beat out Fiddler on the Roof to become the 10th longest running show in Broadway history. “I think people relate to the struggle these characters are going through,” said Ava (she doesn’t use her last name) who plays the character of Maureen. “These are the stories that are timeless. They’re all artists trying to have a life, trying to make a difference. They want to be in love and live their lives to the fullest and at the same time, they’re struggling with their own mortality.” Rent is about being 20-something and trying to figure who you are, how not to sell out, how to make the most of the time you’ve got. Who hasn’t asked those questions at one point or another? Inspired by Puccini’s La Bohéme, Jonathan Larson’s creation was first per- formed off Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on Feb. 13, 1996. The powerful , in-your-face musical RENT IS ABOUT LIFE. MY LIFE. YOUR LIFE. EVERYONE’S LIFE. Energy Efficient! rapidly gained popularity and moved to Broadway just two months later. It won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama, the 1996 Tony awards for best musical, best score, best book and best featured actor in a musical, the 1996 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for best musical, three Obies, and a slew of other awards. But the success was tinged with tragedy because Larson never lived to enjoy the it. Just hours after the final dress rehearsal he died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on Jan. 25, 1996 . Speaking to the Washington Post in 1997, Larson’s father Allan said “He (Jonathan Larson) was very confident that it was going to bring about a mar- riage of the MTV generation and Broadway.” The music of Rent, which ranges from the blues to pop to dance club, ac- complishes that, and is one of the reasons the production has die-hard fans who’ve seen it dozens of times, and know every line and every word to every song. “We see a lot of high school and col- lege kids coming to the shows and just freaking out,” Ava said. “This show is speaking our language, much more so than a play like Oklahoma. Plays like that are purely for entertainment. And Rent is real life.” Since it first opened, Rent established a unique tradition: the first two rows of seating go on sale the day of the show for $20. “Jonathan was himself a struggling artist and his dream was to create a uni- versal piece of musical theater that’s available to everyone,” said original Rent producer Kevin McCollum. That tradition will continue at The Hult Center when Rent makes its return Oct. 8 and 9. The $20 tickets go on sale an hour before the show at the Hult Center box office. Cash only. For general tickets or more information, call 682-5000. ew * FREE POOL HOURS: TUES. - SAT. • 4PM-10PM SUN. & MON. • ALL DAY/ALL NIGHT 99 W. BROADWAY • EUGENE • 683-3154 Presents One Night Only! ZOE BRITTON WED., OCT. 20TH SHOWS AT 9PM, 11PM, & 1AM HOT BODY INTERNATIONAL VIDEO STAR 2165 W. 11TH AVENUE ❤ EUGENE ❤ 683-6021 Monday - Friday 12-2 Saturday & Sunday 2-2 www.hotbody.com 38 OCTOBER 7, 2004 “Wrenchingly funny...Don’t miss this performance! We’re lucky to have such a theatre here.” - Register Guard
