My favourite musical ever is RENT with book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. There are a lot of reasons as to why this is my favourite musical, like the storyline, the words, the music, the messages, and that is what I will discuss in this essay.

RENT is a musical loosely based on the opera La bohème by Puccini. It follows a group of bohemians, friends, and ex-friends in one year while they try to cope with life. AIDS, drugs, paying rent and loss are things they struggle with and at the end they realise that one can only get through all of that with one thing, and that is love. The unique rock music and storyline with interesting and realistic characters inspires people to be themselves despite of life’s inevitable struggles, to love unconditionally and not to wait until it’s too late. Altogether Larson created an industry-changing musical with the power to touch people deeply.

My first memory I have of this musical was more than 5 years ago when I was flipping through channels on the television and saw a bunch of people in a restaurant singing and dancing on a table and celebrating life. They were singing the bohemian anthem: La vie bohème. Something shifted inside of me, but before I could watch any further, my mom wanted to watch one of her predictable no-one-really-dies soap operas – in other words something that was contrastingly different from RENT. A few years later I watched the movie (pirated) online and I cried. Not because it was sad (well maybe), not because I felt sorry for someone, but because of how good the story and music was. I fell in love with it. Then a year after that I saw that there was a live broadway recorded version of RENT. I had to watch it, and I did (again pirated) and I loved that one even more. By then I have also heard of Jonathan Larson and that he died the night before the off-Broadway opening of RENT in January 1996.

I had so much respect for Jonathan Larson, and RENT that I felt guilty to have watched pirated versions of RENT. So I decided to go online and buy the Live on Broadway DVD of RENT. I watched it over and over. I made my friends watch it and converted every one of them to being a rent-head. RENT has helped me so much in my life in ways that I cannot even start to explain. It helped me come out. It helped me realise that I didn’t need to live for people’s approval. It helped me know that I can chase my dreams no matter what. It resonated with me deeply. My love for RENT is permanent. That’s why I wasn’t afraid to get a tattoo that says “La vie bohème”. The reasons for getting it is the following: It’s the first song I heard from RENT. It inspires me to be myself and to live for my art which is singing and altogether musical theatre. And finally it is in memory of Jonathan Larson who created my favourite musical, who never got to see how his show changes lives every day.

Although it was not aimed as such, I realise now how this essay can be used as rent-head propaganda. But in conclusion, the show that it is and the message that it has and the music that it is made of and the man himself all contribute to my love for RENT. Viva la vie bohème.