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When it premiered off-Broadway in 1996, the New York Times called it a "rock & roll knock-off" of La Boheme, but Rent is far more than a modern version of Puccini's classic opera. It is both darker and more hopeful than the bleak tale of bohemian deprivation that inspired it. There are similarities: both tell of life-and-death struggles in the underbelly of a big city. But instead of Paris, the mean streets of New York's East Village are home to Rent's down and out denizens. Instead of two lovers being tragically torn apart by tuberculosis, there are two lovers fighting a losing battle with AIDS.
Yet, like peeling the proverbial onion, beneath the layers of Rent's pathos and tragedy is revealed a core of hope and, ultimately, a recognition that life is precious and love is all that matters.
The musical, which has won both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, comes to San Jose in a limited, weeklong engagement presented by American Musical Theater of San Jose.
Rent runs September 2126 at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose. Tickets are $42$67. Call 888.455.7469 or visit www.amtsj.org for more information.
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