23:13: warning. long post.
but read it anyway. this one means a lot to me.
if you haven't guessed yet, yes, i am a renthead. and i am an even bigger fan of its creator, jonathan larson. today is the 7th anniversary of the great man's death. so to honor jon larson, the only music i will be listening to from today until february 4th, his birthday, will be the soundtracks to his plays, rent and tick, tick... BOOM!
i could tell you the story of how i fell in love with the plays and larson's ideology. where it all began for me and where it has gotten me to. i could go on and on about the profound effect it has made on my life and the lives of some of my other friends and other 20- and 30-somethings. but i don't want to bore you with MY story. suffice to say that i felt... complete every night that we staged a larson performance.
i think bobby garcia said it best and said it all in the piece he wrote for the rent manila 2001 programme. so, bobby, for all the v-cut and flat tops i brought to rehearsals, i hope you don't mind if i borrow your words.
thank you, jonathan
by bobby garcia
I never got to meet Jonathan Larson. Not in person, at least. By the time I met the people involved with the RENT productions abroad, he was no longer around. Jonathan died of an aortic aneurism the night before RENT had its first preview Off Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop. He didn't live long enough to see how successful his show had become or how far his message would reach. He never got to meet the many people who share the joy and optimism of his show. Yet, over the last two years directing his play, I feel I have gotten to know him quite well. And for everything he has shared with me over the years, I'd like to thank him.
Thank you, Jonathan, for rejuvenating musical theatre and bringing it to a new audience. For all of us who grew up on the musicals of yesteryear, yet longed for something that spoke directly to us, Jonathan came along and gave us RENT. As a child weaned on musicals, I always hoped to find something that represented myself on stage. I was just a baby when HAIR came out and was never able to relate to it when I was growing up. Living in Manila when A CHORUS LINE came out, I never fully understood the cut throat "God I Hope I Get It!" industry of the Broadway chorus member. CATS, PHANTOM, LES MIZ were mesmerizing to me as a young adult, but only because the characters were extensions of the fantasies I had. But RENT had characters on stage who loved just like me and who dealt with the struggles of day to day life the way I did. I have seen many teenagers who would never have gone to theatre suddenly get enamoured by musicals because of RENT.
Thank you, Jonathan, for teaching me to value time. How many of us postpone things until tomorrow, never realizing that tomorrow is but a gift that is not promised to us? Now, I make sure that each day I fulfill a personal goal. Perhaps this is the most valuable lesson I have learned in my 32 years as a member of mankind.
Thank you, Jonathan, for teaching me to be more forgiving yet less patient. Forgiveness is a hard virtue to learn. Especially nowadays, when so much of what is going on around us seems unforgivable. I have become less patient because patience requires waiting and waiting wastes time. But, everyday I come into rehearsals, and see your characters constantly forgive each other for their shortcomings. There's Maureen, Joanne, Roger and Mimi. The characters in your show live and love without judgment only hoping that others won't judge them either.
Thank you, Jonathan for reminding me to be tolerant. I remember Matthew Shepard, who, in Laramie, Wyoming in sub-zero weather, was beaten senseless and tied to a split-rail fence. He died an agonizing death simply because he was homosexual. It seems there are still many who can't accept other people's differences. So they beat and kill those whose lifestyles they do not understand. I don't have the patience for those people. But I am working on forgiveness.
Thank you, Jonathan, for reminding me that we all need dignity in our lives and dignity in our deaths. Especially those of us with serious ailments that we still haven't found a cure for.
Thank you, Jonathan, for reminding me that we still need to find a cure. For AIDS, for cancer, for any disease, ailment or condition that takes away the lives of our loved ones from us.
Thank you, Jonathan, for introducing me to many fascinating and captivating people. I have met some of the most inspiring artists, both abroad and in Manila, because of RENT. I have also met your family and best friends, all wonderful people who have now become a part of my life. We have assembled a truly passionate cast (and crew! --> lifey) here, just as the productions abroad continue to cast young artists who wear their hearts on their sleeves and promise to be the future generation of musical theatre artists.
Thank you, Jonathan, for reminding me of the lasting power of art. A hundred years from now accounting ledgers will have wasted away in decay, but the art we create today will still be around. It is our way of leaving this world a better place.
Thank you, Jonathan, for giving me a chance to get to know you better through your art. I know you're around us at rehearsals encouraging us when we're at our wits end, and lifting our spirits when we are too tired to continue. I feel your presence everyday. It has been a great honor working with you.
Thank you, Jonathan, for RENT and for this amazing journey I have taken with you I will remember and cherish forever.
Thank you, Jonathan. And Godspeed.
brewed by lifecafe
