30 Years of “Rent”

THE ROCK MUSICAL RENT CELEBRATES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY THIS YEAR WHEN IT DEBUTED ON BROADWAY IN 1996, THE MUSICAL BROKE TABOOS BY CENTERING ITS STORY ON THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY DRUG ADDICTION AND THE HIV AIDS EPIDEMIC AT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS IN FORT MYERS, RENT OPENS TODAY AND RUNS THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WGCUS ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL. DETAILS HOW THE UNDERLYING MESSAGE OF THE MUSICAL STILL RESONATES TODAY. >> IT TODAY, BUT THROUGH TOMORROW FROM THE 2 OF YOU BOB CROW FROM THE STATE TODAY TO DO BROKE FROM. >> RENTS LEGACY IS INSEPARABLE FROM THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV AIDS. THE MUSICAL DESCRIBES A TIME WHEN AN AIDS DIAGNOSIS WAS A DEATH SENTENCE. AND THE SHOW CONVEYS THE CLIMATE OF FEAR, DEPRESSION AND DESPAIR FELT BY THOSE INFECTED WITH THE VIRUS SUCH AS ROGER AND ASPIRING MUSICIAN PLAYED BY FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE TYLER SCOTT. ROGERS SAID DESPONDENT AND OBSESSED TO LEAVE A PERMANENT MARK BEFORE HE'S GONE. AS WE LEARN IN ONE SONG, GLORY. >> YOU CAN NO LONGER BEFORE. I YOU WANT >> THE EYE WHEN YOU FIRST SEE HIM, HE'S JUST KIND OF JUST KIND OF DOWN. HE DOESN'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING JUST DEPRESSED. AND THEN YOU KIND OF SEE INTO HIS CHARACTER ON WHY HE FEELS THAT WAY AND BEING ABLE TO THAT PORTRAY THE EMOTION THROUGH THE SONGS AND ACTING AND THE DANCING. AND THAT'S ONE OF MY BIGGEST GOALS. >> ROGERS, NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR IS MIMI MARK HENS PLAY BY FGCU SOPHOMORE J ON A LOT. SHE TOO, IS HIV POSITIVE AND SHE POSITIVELY WANTS TO BE WITH ROGER, BUT HE'S STILL FILLED WITH GUILT AND SELF-LOATHING OVER THE DEATH OF HIS PREVIOUS GIRLFRIEND. SO ROGER SPURNS BEANIES, INITIAL OVERTURE, XANADU, ET ANOTHER DEATH. >> AND >> NOT IN AN ERA OF GUYS THAT. >> SHOWS LIKE THE REJECTION AND HOW LIKE I'M MAD, BUT ALSO LIKE I'M TRYING TO MAKE HIM UNDERSTAND THAT I WANT HIM AND MORE THAN A ROMANTIC WAY, YOU KNOW, FOR MORE FROM THE WAY THE TO QUIT. SO THAT'S DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE SONG. >> ON A LOT. AND SCOTT HAVE ON STAGE OF HISTORY THAT SHINES THROUGH IN THE DUET. >> DOING A DUET WITH SOMEONE YOU HAVE TO NOT ONLY SHOW THE CONNECTION OF WHATEVER YOU'RE SAYING AND YOU'RE DANCING WITH THE PERSON. BUT IT IS JUST TAKE SUCH A MOTIONAL TOLL ON YOU, YOU KNOW, AND ALSO LIKE JUST SINGING WITH ANOTHER PERSON. YOU HAVE TO BLEND WITH THEM IN A CERTAIN WAY. FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE SOPHOMORE DA JURY IN ST. LOUIS PLACE. TOM COLLINS. >> A RAY OF SUNSHINE APPEARS IS THE PLACE STORM CLOUDS AS EXPRESSED IN THE SONG SANTA FE. >> ALL THIS MISERY, BASIL, CELERY. AND SO WHAT? >> LET'S HOPE OR RESTORE RIGHTS AND SANTA FE, THE SUNDAY SETS AVAILABLE IN THE 90'S. I JUST LOVE THE NUMBER SO MUCH BECAUSE IT GIVES YOU A SENSE OF HOPE, ESPECIALLY AND SUCH A DARK TIME THAT THEY WERE GOING THROUGH. YOU KNOW, THEY FOUND A GLIMMER OF HOPE AND THEY HAD A DREAM AND THEY JUST HAVEN'T BEEN THERE SINGING ABOUT IT. DESPITE EVERYTHING GOING ON AROUND THEM. >> ST. LOUIS RELISHES THE ROLE OF TOM COLLINS FOR ANOTHER REASON. >> HE'S RESILIENT. HE'S BRAVE AND HE'S DETERMINED NO MATTER WHAT THE WORLD AROUND HIM. THANKS. AND I JUST THINK THAT SOMETHING REALLY BEAUTIFUL. AND I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN APPLY TO OUR WORLD NOW. EVERYBODY'S DIFFERENT AND WE SHOULDN'T BE ASHAMED OF THAT. >> HANNAH CREWS TO PLACE MORE RAIN VOICES. A SIMILAR THING YOU SHOULD DO IS JUMP OVER THE MOON. >> A MEETING OF THE STORY IS MORE LIKE JUST BEING YOURSELF. NOT A FREE, NOT BEING AFRAID TO EXPRESS WHO YOU ARE, WHO YOU LOVE THIS SHOW IS REALLY JUST ABOUT BEING TRUE TO YOURSELF, NOT BEING AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN UNDER THE DIRECTION OF ARTISTIC DIRECTOR. CARMEN CRUZ, ART DIRECTOR MIGUEL CENTRE, RON AND CHOREOGRAPHER KIYANA RAIN CINTRON. >> THIS ENSEMBLE CAST OF HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS IS IN A WORD OUTSTANDING PEOPLE. >> BRENT IS ON STAGE FOR 4 MORE PERFORMANCES. >> FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. >> WE ARE NOW JOINED BY WGCU ARTS REPORTER TOM HALL AND TOM RENT WON THE PULITZER PRIZE IN 1996. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT WAS? >> THE PULITZER JURY WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF PUCCINI'S LA. BUT LAMB RELOCATING IT TO THE EAST VILLAGE OF NEW YORK CITY. THEY WERE ALSO INFLUENCED BY THE MUSIC FACT THAT THE MUSICAL TACKLE POVERTY ADDICTION, GENTRIFICATION AND THE AIDS EPIDEMIC, ALL ISSUES THAT WERE NOT DIRECTLY ADDRESSED ON BROADWAY AT THE TIME. IN ADDITION, JONATHAN LARSON WROTE RAMP BEFORE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHLY ACTIVE ANTI-RETROVIRAL THERAPY WHICH TRANSFORMED AIDS FROM A DEATH SENTENCE INTO A MANAGEABLE CHRONIC CONDITION. SADLY, RENT REMAINS RELEVANT IN TODAY'S POLITICAL CLIMATE. EVEN THE FLORIDA LAWMAKERS HAVE PASSED A 75 MILLION DOLLAR PLAN TO RESTORE HIV MEDICATION, ACCESS THE REMAINING SUSPECT OR THE GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS COULD VETO THAT FUNDING. EVEN IF HE DOESN'T. THE MEASURE ONLY COVERS UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR. WITHOUT THIS MONEY. MORE THAN 10,000 FLORIDIANS WILL LOSE ACCESS TO LIFE-SAVING HIV MEDICATION BECAUSE CONGRESS DIDN'T EXTEND THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. TAX CREDITS LAST FALL. AND UN AIDS WARNS THAT AN ADDITIONAL 6 MILLION NEW HIV INFECTIONS. AND 4 MILLION AIDS-RELATED DEATHS COULD OCCUR BETWEEN 2025 2029. AS A RESULT OF THE DISSOLUTION OF USAID AND THE U.S. PRESIDENT'S EMERGENCY PLAN FOR AIDS RELIEF OR PEPFAR. SO FOR TOO MANY PEOPLE AND HIV AIDS DIAGNOSIS IS POTENTIALLY STILL A DEATH SENTENCE. >> NOW TO CAST OF RENT IS YOUNG TEENAGERS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND PERHAPS THE FIRST YEAR OF COLLEGE. ARE THEY AWARE OF THESE HEAVY UNDERTONES? >> THEY'VE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH INTO THE TIMELINE DURING WHICH THE PLAY TAKES PLACE. BUT WHILE THEY WERE BORN 10 YEARS OR MORE AFTER THE EFFECTIVE HIV ANTI WRECKER VIRAL WERE DEVELOPED. THEY ALL LIVED THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, WHICH CLAIMED NEARLY A MILLION US LIES BEFORE THE PFIZER AND MODERNA VACCINES BECAME AVAILABLE. BUT THERE ARE ALSO FOCUSING ON THE SHOW'S OTHER MAJOR THEME, WHICH IS THAT WE SHOULD ALL BE FREE TO BE WHO WE ARE AND LOVE WHO WE LOVE. >> AND THAT IS THE THEME OF