Earlier this month, I had the absolute pleasure to witness the 20th anniversary showing of RENT, the musical that first started on Broadway in 1996. The 11th longest running show in history was written by Jonathan Larson and follows the lives of seven friends who experience together the season of love. RENT tells the story of a group of poor young artists struggling to survive and create a life in the East Village of New York City during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. According to Wikipedia, "RENT gathered a following of fans who refer to themselves as 'RENT-heads.' The name originally referred to people who would camp out at the Nederlander Theater for hours in advance for the discounted $20 rush tickets to each show, though it generally refers to anyone who is obsessed with the show." A RENT-head myself, I decided to buy rush tickets, which proved to be the best decision I've made in a long time.

My best friend drove us to the State Theater in East Brunswick, New Jersey to line up for tickets at noon sharply. At the time, it was pouring rain and we had to run from the parking garage to the theater. I didn't know what to expect, especially considering the show's cultural impact, so we arrived earlier than most- or all, rather. We were the first ones on line, followed by a girl we befriended whose sister worked at the theater. My best friend, new friend, and the next two people on line talked for 6 hours before the rush tickets were handed out. We passed time by playing RENT charades, eating Oreos and Chipotle, and even doing some homework. When the time finally came to get the tickets, I was beaming as the very first person on line and my best friend (who had never seen RENT) was the second. With time to pass before the show, we wandered the area and found somewhere to eat. Truthfully, I love food- but honestly, I felt nauseous from being so excited.

When we finally got into the theater, it was everything I dreamed it would be. My best friend and I were so close to the stage that we could practically touch the actors. Before we knew it, the show had started, and the characters had come to life in an extremely modern sense. The actor portraying Mark was absolutely born a star. From his very first song I could tell that he was made to play this part. However, he wasn't my favorite- Tom Collins was. Collins has been my favorite RENT character in the original Broadway show, the movie, and now the 20th-anniversary show. If it weren't for Collins, I don't think I would've cried during the reprise of "I'll Cover You." Speaking of crying, I almost didn't make it back in time for "Seasons of Love" which would've made me cry in itself. My best friend and I decided to go to the bathroom during intermission to which we figured we would be back in time for the second half- we were wrong. On our side of the theater, the woman guarding the door slammed it right in my face, so I jetted to the other side and made it just in time.

"Seasons of Love" has transcended every element of time, which is ironic considering it is about time. The actors from that point on put on an absolutely amazing second half of the show. As much as I love "Seasons of Love," my favorite song of the night was "Take Me or Leave Me," because the best female voices were those of Maureen and Joanne. They had such powerful voices that I knew carried through to the entire theater, let alone the first row. At the show's conclusion with "Finale B," I knew I was going to be an absolute mess. Every character involved with RENT blew me away with this performance, from the modern make-up filled Angel, to the slightly thicker Mimi. I was blown away, having seen the movie more than 10 times and the musical (via YouTube) just the same. My best friend being a first-timer, was more blown away than I was. It was a perfect 12 hours of glory and a day that I will never forget for the rest of my life.

VIVA! LA VIE! BOHEME!