“In these dangerous times where the world is ripping apart at the seams, we can learn from those who stare death in the face every day by reaching out to each other and bonding as a community, rather than hiding from the terrors of life.”
Jonathan Larson, 1996
This week, Fox aired a live performance of RENT, Jonathan Larson’s timeless rock musical. In its own time, RENT opened the hearts and minds of theater goers to issues of LGBTQ discrimination, community, the HIV/AIDS epidemic and so much more. It was a brilliant music score that still captivates musicians today. There are so many reasons to appreciate RENT and the creativity, truth-telling, and challenging lessons it has for us all.
First, we have to address the elephant in the room…or the queen on the screen. James Levya was a brilliant Angel. What bravery it must have taken for this entire cast, but especially for Levya, to perform this score on Fox in Primetime. Subversive beauty. Although Fox is the parent company for Fox News, it is absolutely commendable and beautiful to see a show with such emphasis on advocating for the LGBT community.
This week’s Fox performance began with the following quotation from Jonathan Larson:
“In these dangerous times where the world is ripping apart at the seams, we can learn from those who stare death in the face every day by reaching out to each other and bonding as a community, rather than hiding from the terrors of life.”
Just for a moment, Fox became a truth-teller. Just for a moment, Fox became a conduit of timeless wisdom. The late Jonathan Larson creatively wove many lessons into the music and plot of RENT. This quote is one among many of those lessons. So many in our world could use more opportunities to truly learn from “those who stare death in the face every day.” There are so many lessons to be learned from the people who RENT represents. What if we actually learned from people like Roger and Mark, Mimi and Tom? How would that reshape our communities?
The plot shares a lesson in looking out for one another. Part of the reason Roger and Mark feel so betrayed by Benny is because they found a tight-knit, accepting community in their building. Benny was one of them! Then he betrayed them. The community within RENT is unparalleled. So often, it is people on the margins who teach us about true community. They teach us about encouraging their friends to go to the HIV/AIDS support group. They teach us about looking out for one another. What would happen if our communities functioned with this level of care?
The HIV/AIDS epidemic was on the forefront of people’s minds in the 90s, especially people who identified as queer. This show was one of the efforts in pop culture to begin normalizing HIV/AIDS. Some treated people with HIV or AIDS as though they were untouchable in the 90s for fear of catching it. What they didn’t realize was that the disease was not contagious in that way. But in their ignorance, they alienated and othered. RENT functioned as a show that not only featured characters with the disease, but showed them creating community and living life to the full. RENT was the beginning of the end of alienation and otherness because of an HIV/AIDS diagnosis.
Finally, one can turn to many of the beautifully written lyrics in the songs to find wisdom and grace. Of particular importance to all of us who are crafting our own faith is from “No day but today:” “Forget regret or life is yours to miss.” How many of you have felt like you are letting life pass you by? It is easy to get caught in the waves of regret, watching the life we hoped for wash away. RENT teaches us about living for the moment and embracing life.
We could all use a little RENT in our lives and communities today.