Hanging on to love with Rent the Musical

Define love.

When we were kids and cheesy autograph books were all the rage, we’d giggle as we came to the question that we could only answer with “secret” or “TMTM” (too many to mention). Though Tumblr could now easily give you a zillion typography-and-hipster-photo-filled pages of what encompasses love, there are some people who choose to define it with one simple word: Rent.

Yep, Rent. Many associate this popular Broadway musical with the song Seasons of Love, which has become an oft-overused track for anything remotely related to love: from Valentine’s Day to weddings and proposals.

Seasons of Love has become Rent’s unofficial theme song, but its significance stretches far beyond mere familiarity. It is, in fact, associated with World AIDS Day and used in various campaigns for AIDS awareness since several of the characters central to the story are infected with AIDS and HIV.

Despite the utter cheesiness of the song that has made Rent known to many, one can’t deny that the musical itself is an unusual love story that has become iconic. The cast and crew of Rent in Manila couldn’t agree more.

“The thing about Rent is that the themes it tackles are very universal,” says Toff de Venecia, marketing & PR director and production manager. “It tackles love, but so many different kinds of love.” Indeed, the musical introduces three couples: one straight, one lesbian and one gay, who are all bohemians and considered as outcasts from society.

“Rent was considered revolutionary because it discusses so many taboo relationships,” he adds. Rent first premiered on Broadway in the ’90s, a time when homosexual relationships, drug usage and sexually-transmitted diseases were not openly discussed nor accepted.

Gian Magdangal, who plays musician Roger Davis, says that Rent broke a lot of barriers, and piqued the curiosity of younger audiences. The stories depicted in Rent are those which happen in reality but are often glazed over. “Rent shows what the real world is, with no biases,” he shares. “But Rent was always cool. To watch Rent, to be in Rent, to know Rent and to listen to Rent was always considered cool, and that’s also why a lot of people watch it.”

 Meanwhile, Ciara Sotto, who plays pole dancer

Mimi Marquez, didn’t have much of a background of the musical, but understood why it appeals so much. “Rent is a celebration of life and different kinds of love,” she says. Ciara related that she was surprised to know that the musical was liberated to such an extent considering it was staged in a conservative time.

The entire score of Rent is considered classic as well. “They may not be popular hits, but the music is very infectious and relatable,” says Gian. He and Toff are both keen on I’ll Cover You. Ciara’s favourite song is Without You, describing it as “rare, raw and real.” PR manager Jonjon Martin says that he loves most of the songs, but if he had to choose a favourite, it would have to be Another Day.

Seasons of Love, which Toff says is considered as the “Philippine National Anthem of musical theater” was surprisingly not picked as a top favorite.

Rent means a lot of things to different people, but evidently Rentheads and those who are more involved in the musical take its message close to heart. Gian, Toff and Jonjon share the sentiment that Rent inspires them to do what they want to because “there is no day like today.”

Rent’s third run in Manila promises a fresher, bolder and newer take on the show. However, this will be the last local staging of Rent for a while, says Gian. “I really wouldn’t mind doing Rent more since it means so much.” Rent was the first musical he watched, during its first local run in 1998 and always dreamed of playing Roger.

The message of Rent is that best way to measure life is through love. “The legacy of Rent is love in millions of ways, layers and levels,” shares Gian. This is what has made Rent so popular, and it is what it will be remembered for.