La Vie Boheme: Breakdown

La Vie Boheme. The Bohemian Life. The unconventional, lifestyle of artists, musicians, actors, etc who the entire Rent story revolves around. Not to mention probably one of the most catchy songs in the entire musical.

The last couple practices Jesse charged us to read into the deeper meaning of the words of Rent, and while reading La Vie Boheme tonight, it dawned on me that I had NO idea what a ton of the references were to in the song! Nancy showed me a website which I've been on myself and I thought the rest of the cast and anyone else who reads this might enjoy for when they see Rent so they understand what these characters are describing.

I preemptively apologize if I'm stupid and I'm the only person who didn't know what some of these words meant, and these by no means are the 'correct' answers so if you have any debate about them please feel free to object & share! :)

"This is Calcutta, Bohemia is dead." Calcutta is the hot, steamy underbelly of a city with a plethora of starvation, poverty, & disease. So this Bohemian life that they think they're living does not exist

"To curry vindaloo!" A delicious, yet VERY spicy Indian dish served on meat or rice

"To Huevos Rancheros" A Mexican dish made with tortilla, beans, avocado, etc.

"To Sontag" A film critic, author, & playwright who once said "The most truthful way of regarding illness - and the healthiest way of being ill - is one most purified of, most resistant to, metaphoric thinking"

"Sondheim" A musical theatre icon who has composed & written lyrics for many legendary musicals as well as inspiring Rent's Jonathan Larson!

"Ginsberg"Allen Ginsberg, a beat generation poet who fought for homosexual rights in an obscenity trial over his poem "Howl"

"Dylan" Bob Dylan, a legendary singer/songwriter

"Cunningham & Cage" Merce Cunningham & John Cage, a choreographer and musician who worked together often times to create innovative combinations

"Lenny Bruce" He was a comedian who was the 1st person jailed for swearing in public in the US. He gets referenced in two REM songs!

"Langston Hughes" An African-American playwright from the early 20th century who wrote some very deep passages on racism & minority rights.

"To Uta" Uta Hagen, an actress & acting teacher. Whether this is connected or not, she presented at the 1996 Tony Awards, which is when Rent won for Best Musical.

"Pablo Neruda" A Chilean Nobel Peace prize recipient whose poetry played a large part in the 1996 film 'Il Postino' & also served as a world diplomat

"Pee Wee Herman" Ok, so I know who this guy is cause I grew up on his show but for the younger folk out there, he had a creepy children's TV show "Pee Wee's Playhouse." Perhaps my favorite part about him was that his show was cancelled after he exposed himself in an X-Rated movie theatre. Classy guy :)

"Gertrude Stein" A lesbian poet & novelist who socialized with famed people like Picasso, Matisse, & Ernest Hemingway. A quote that relates to our show, Roger in particular from her: "The composition is the thing seen by everyone living in the living they are doing, they are the composing of the composition that at the time they are living is the composition of the time in which they are living."

"Antonioni" Michelangelo Antonioni, an Italian filmmaker who used professional actors in middle-class settings and portrayed his characters with less social emphasis, in a more personal & psychological manner, stressing what he later described as 'spiritual aridity' and 'moral coldness'

"Bertolucci" Bernardo Bertolucci, another famous Italian filmmaker.

"Kurosawa" Akira Kurosawa, a famed Japanese film director who is recognized as the first significant Japanese director to be recognized by western filmmakers.

"Carmina Burana" A musical based on German poems that feature song lyrics about love, drinking, gambling, gluttony, sex, & fate.

"Vaclav Havel" Former President of the Czech Republic who spent time in jail for his playwriting "If a better economic & political model is to be created... it is not something that can be designed & introduced like a new car... It must above all be an expression of life in the process of transforming itself."

"8BC" A nightclub in the East Village that ran live performances round the clock from plays to performance art to bands. The original Mark, Anthony Rapp, described it as 'a haven for performance art and landmark of the downtown art scene.'

"ACT UP" This is actually an acronym: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. It's a group united to direct action to end the AIDS crisis.

That's it. I figure I wouldn't define 'mucho masturbation' and 'sodomy is between God & me' but leave those up to your imaginations :D Hope you learned something like I know I did!


Credit: http://pirmann.quuxuum.org/rent.html

Rent: Day 1

I first saw Rent on Broadway back in 2003, saw the movie on opening night, bought the final Broadway performance on DVD, and the number of times I've listened to the soundtrack is embarrassing to my iPod. All that being said, I think I learned more about what Rent truly is & what it stands for tonight than I have ever had!

Our read-through tonight was literally a read through. No singing, no melodies, no rockin' riffing. Just words. Words that explore some the deepest emotions that a musical can really handle! As one of the cast members mentioned, Rent isn't just about gay people and AIDS, which at the surface level it can easily be misconstrued as. It's about community, love, hope, passion, family, fire, the list can go on and on.

Personally, since I spend most days hanging out with teenagers, the discussion was the highlight of the night for me! Simply getting to hear everyone's opinions on the meanings of the words to them, seeing a room full of people coming from all different types of backgrounds, families, cities, & history sharing their feelings, connecting their stories of Rent to their own lives in their own ways, simply fascinating.

I'm gonna think of more funny things to say next time I promise :D

Cole
Honest living!