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{{work|wppage=Rent (musical)}}
{{Multiple Works Need Separate Pages}}
[[File:howaboutlove.jpg|
''five-hundred twenty-five thousand
▲''five-hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,''<br />
''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}x8iTeDl_Wug how do you measure, measure a year?]''}}
A modern-day [[Rock Opera]] adaptation of Puccini's ''[[La Boheme]]'', written by Johnathan Larson (who [[Author Existence Failure|died]] before the show was staged), '''''RENT''''' centers around a group of New York bohemians in the early nineties, including:
* Mark Cohen: A film maker. He is Maureen's ex-boyfriend and Roger's roommate.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Ambiguous Gender]]: Angel. An unusual case, as it isn't because of androgyny, but because Angel is male-bodied, dating a gay man, dresses like a drag queen, acts femininely, and is hinted to prefer the pronoun "she". Her actual gender is never explicitly stated, so interpretations of her range from [[
* [[Ambiguously Brown]]: Mimi is said to be Latina, but since her first actress was half-black, other portrayals have ranged from fully-black to even white.
* [[Anachronism Stew]]: The play doesn't have a set time period and premiered in 1996, but the movie is based circa 1990. Benny would have to be a prophet to plan a Cyber Studio before the internet was mainstream; ditto for Angel referencing ''[[Thelma and Louise]]'' a year before it was released. And that's not even the half of it...
** Among other things, Mark's film montage at the end contained a mural painted on a wall for deceased Latin music legend Celia Cruz on it (with "RIP Celia" and everything)... though the movie was supposed to be set about 10 years before that happened.
* [[Anything That Moves]]: Maureen seems to fall prey to this trope, perhaps best personified when she sings: "Ever since puberty / Everybody stares at me / Boys, girls, I can't help it, baby!"
* [[Audience Participation]]: Moo with me.
* [[Auto-Tune]]: Some of Rosario Dawson's cadences have it applied, almost to the level of Cher.
* [[Big Applesauce]]: The show takes place in [[New York City]].
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*** She died in the original opera, so perhaps they simply thought they were restoring the original storyline.
* [[Cast Full of Gay]]: Joanne, Collins and Angel are gay; Maureen is bisexual; Mark, Roger, Mimi and Benny are straight.
* [[Character Development]]: Roger [[Defrosting Ice Queen|defrosts]], Mark is given some depth in "Halloween" and "Goodbye Love
* [[Dark Reprise]]: The literal reprise of "I'll Cover You" sends 97% of people into either quiet, manageable tears or full-blown hysterics.
* [[Defrosting Ice Queen|Defrosting Ice King]]: Roger, eventually, as he warms up to Mimi. Turned up to eleven if you compare "Another Day" to "Your Eyes".
* [[Disney Death]]: {{spoiler|Mimi, who is saved through [[The Power of Rock]]... alongside a heavy dose of [[Fridge Logic]]/slight [[Mind Screw]]
** {{spoiler|Not in the Dutch production
** {{spoiler|Being brought from the freezing street to a warm room probably helped
* [[Double Meaning Title]]: It refers to the rent that Mark and Roger can't pay, and to the general feeling of being torn (i.e., "rent") apart. And the third meaning, as suggested by "I'll Cover You" and "What You Own" - nothing is owned, only rented, in this life. Including life.
* [[Downer Ending]]: The Dutch production apparently did not like how
* [[Drag Queen]]: Angel
* [[Driven to Suicide]]: {{spoiler|Evita}}, and, less humorously, {{spoiler|Roger's old girlfriend, April}}.
* [[Even the Guys Want Him]]: In the DVD commentary, Chris Columbus and Anthony Rapp speculate that the true reason some viewers left the theater during the "I'll Cover You" scene is because they had difficulty coping with their own desire for Wilson Jermaine Heredia and his fantastic legs.
* [[Expy]]: Every single major character is a personality Expy to a character (or two, in the case of Joanne) in ''[[La Boheme]]''.
** Mark is Marcello.
** Roger is Rodolfo.
** Mimi is Mimì.
** Tom is Colline.
** Angel is Schaunard.
** Maureen is Musetta.
** Joanne is Alcindoro/partially Marcello.
** Benny is Benoît.
* [[Face Heel Turn]]: Apparently, [[Designated Villain|Benny]] went through one of these prior to the events of the play.
* [[Fan Service]]: The only reason why, in the film, "Out Tonight" is performed while Mimi is at work instead of at her apartment like in the play. Maureen also suits this, what with her skin-tight near see-through leather catsuit, and flashing her butt.
* [[Femme Fatale]]: Maureen.
* [[Foe Yay]]: {{spoiler|1=Mimi + Benny = This
* [[Foreshadowing]]: Possibly [[Fridge Brilliance]] here, but Mimi singing the Support Group's mantra in "Another Day
* [[Funny Answering Machine]]: Mark and Roger saying "speeeeeaak" together in a bored tone in songs such as "Voice Mail #1".
** The New York Theatre Workshop version of ''RENT'' has another funny voicemail that never made the final cut.
{{quote|'''Collins''': We went to steal and air conditioner.
'''Angel''': We'll be right back.
* [[Funny Background Event]]: Easy to miss, but in the Hollywood Bowl performance, Mark is seen [[Raging Stiffie|crossing his legs]] while Maureen acts out suckling on the cow's udder by sucking her thumb suggestively.
** In the 2008 film performance: When Maureen dons a pair of silver shades to imitate Benny, Benny removes his and hides them in his jacket.
* [[The Heart]]: Angel in general, Mimi to Roger, Mark a bit.
* [[Heel Face Turn]]: {{spoiler|Benny reconciles with the others after Mimi goes back to him (even though he was cheating on his wife). He even attends Angel's funeral which he later pays for. In the movie, two scenes that should ''not'' have been deleted reveal that he always knew Angel killed his wife's dog but was relieved because he hated that mutt, and he gave Roger his blessing to get back together with Mimi towards the end}}.
* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Roger and Mark. "What You Own" is their duet and ends with ''spectacular'' harmony and a big hug between them once Roger gets back
** This is especially apparent in the New York Theatre Workshop version of "Goodbye Love" from all the way back in 1994. Instead of Roger yelling at Mark
*** Not to mention the use of the "I Should Tell You" theme leading directly into Roger's "love you too"
* [[Hooker with a Heart of Gold]]: Mimi. Okay, she's not a hooker, or even a stripper really, but she does do S&M Dances, and basically follows this trope.
* [[How We Got Here]]: Inverted by "Halloween". "How did we get here, how the hell..."
** Actually, this trope is played straight in the original Broadway version. Mark is on stage with just his camera and sings the beginning part of "Halloween": "How did we get here, how the hell? Pan left, /Close on the steeple of the church/How did we get here, how the hell?/Christmas. Christmas Eve, last year" which goes straight into "Voicemail #1". However, it was later removed from the show in most Broadway productions.
* [[Incoming Ham]]: In "Christmas Bells", for Maureen.
{{quote|'''Maureen:''' Joanne, which way to the stage?!}}
* [[Insistent Terminology]]: Mimi is an S&M dancer, not a stripper. Making that mistake in front of the wrong fan can be [[Berserk Button|hazardous to your safety]].
* [[Ironic Echo]]: "I'll
* [[Irrelevant Act Opener]]:
** One could also argue that
** Let's not forget either,
* [[The Ishmael]]: Mark. There really is no central character, though the movie would like to believe it's Roger, it seems.
* [[Ivy League for Everyone]]
* [[Jewish and Nerdy]]: Mark.
* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]: "Do you know the way to Santa Fe?".
* [[Ladykiller in Love]]: Arguably Maureen with Joanne, as they {{spoiler|have reconciled and appear to be happy}} at the end of the show.
* [[Large Ham]]: Three words: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_118BHpkli8 Over] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbyj-HZGZG4 The] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QH4HpoamIQ&feature=related Moon.]
* [[Last-Name Basis]]: (Tom) Collins.
* [[Le Film Artistique]]: Mark's raison d'être.
* [[List Song]]: "''La Vie
* [[Love Triangle]]: Mark, Joanne
* [[Magical Queer]]: Angel.
* [[Man Hug]]: Mark and Roger on several occasions, most notably at the end of "What You Own".
* [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl]]: Mimi to Roger, Maureen to Joanne. Angel to everyone.
* [[The Masochism Tango]]: The tango... Maureen.
* [[Meaningful Echo]]: "No Day But Today", "Without You"
** Also, ''during'' "Finale B", Roger meaningfully echoes {{spoiler|"Thank God this moment's not the last", a much-needed nod to "Another Day"}}.
** During "Finale A", Roger and Mimi echo "Another Day
*** "I Should Tell You" is also echoed briefly in "Your Eyes
*** It's also echoed in "Goodbye Love" in the sung-conversation between Mark and Roger, right before he says "I'll call." More [[Roger Mark]] subtext, anyone?
** Some of "Today 4 U" is reprised far more sexily during "Contact
* [[Meaningful Funeral]]: {{spoiler|Angel's
* [[Meaningful Name]]: {{spoiler|The only character to die? Angel
** Also, many characters' names are modernizations of their counterparts from ''La
* [[The Messiah]]: Both Angel and Mark.
* [[Mind Screw]]: "Contact": It's kind of a stage-wide orgy that is also a metaphor for {{spoiler|Angel's death}}. It never fails to confuse the hell out of everyone the first time around.
* [[Mister Muffykins]]: Evita, Benny's wife's dog (at least the yappy part).
* [[The Movie]]: <small>FEATURING</small>: Most of the original Broadway cast members!
* [[The Musical]]: ''Rent'' is [[Your Mileage May Vary|arguably]] the late parts of [[The Eighties]] and the early parts of [[The Nineties]] condensed and put to an [[Awesome Music (Sugar Wiki)|awesome soundtrack]].
* [[No Bisexuals]]: Maureen falls prey to this, being constantly referred to as [[Ho Yay|a lesbian]], when she is actually bisexual. It seems she just mostly prefers women.
* [[Only Sane Man]]: Some see Benny as this. Especially because he seems to be the only person who thought to put Mimi into rehab.
** Mark sees himself as this.
* [[Original Cast Precedent]]: Mark and Mimi are stated to be respectively Jewish and Hispanic, but the races of the other characters are pretty much determined by those of the original cast members despite race being mostly incidental. Thus, Joanne, Collins and Benny are always black; Angel always Hispanic; and Maureen and Roger always white.
** International professional productions may differ, and so may amateur productions. All-white (with the occasional [[Token Minority]]) amateur productions of ''RENT'' are not rare occurrences.
** Subverted in the Hollywood Bowl production in Maureen's case, as she was played by the Hawaiian/Filipina Nicole Scherzinger.
* [[Positive Discrimination]]: It might be a coincidence, but the four canonically minority characters (Benny, Collins, Joanne
* [[The Power of Rock]]: How they {{spoiler|save Mimi}}.
** Along with [[The Power of Love]].
* [[Precision F-Strike]]:
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'''Mark:''' So weird...
'''Joanne:''' Very weird...
'''Mark:''' '''Fucking''' weird!
** TWICE in the same song, actually.
{{quote|'''Joanne:''' She cheated!
'''Mark:''' She cheated.
'''Joanne:''' Maureen cheated!
'''Mark:''' '''Fucking''' cheated!
* [[Recycled in Space]]: Puccini's ''La
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: The reason we can forgive Angel for killing Evita.
** And in the movie Maureen and Joanne breaking up literally seconds after their 1989 lesbian equivalent to a wedding.
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* [[Running Gag]]:
{{quote|'''Roger''': Muffy-
'''Benny/Mark''': [[My Name Is Not Durwood|Allison...]]
* [[Say My Name]]: In "Your Eyes": "MIIMIIIIII!" {{spoiler|shouted by Roger, which is either a [[Downer Ending]] in the Dutch production, or her [[Disney Death]] in other productions everywhere else
* [[Self-Parody]]: "Right Brain" definitely counts as an accidental example of this trope. Dating back to the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994, "Right Brain" was what is now "One Song Glory", and many fans either feel like vomiting or laughing when they [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiH29pTi5nA hear it], for very obvious reasons.
* [[Setting Update]]
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** Angel's last name (Schunard, the name of the character she was modeled after) - not to mention Collins (Colline), Mark (Marcello), Mimi (just guess), etc...
** The use of "Musetta's Waltz" (the song Roger keeps playing on his guitar)
*** Or the line from "''La Vie
** The lines "Every single day, I walk down the street, I hear people say 'Baby's so sweet'" in "[[Can't Stand Them Can't Live Without Them|Take Me or Leave Me]]" (a fairly direct, if modernized, translation of the first lines of "Quando m'en vo", or "Musetta's Waltz").
** And of course, the akita, [[Evita]][[Andrew Lloyd Webber|ta]].
** Part of "Christmas Bells
** And near the ending, {{spoiler|Roger's shout of [[Say My Name|"MIIMIIIIII!"]] when [[Disney Death|he thinks Mimi has died]] in "Your Eyes" is similar to the [[Downer Ending|ending of the opera]], when Mimì [[Died in Your Arms Tonight|dies in Rodolfo's arms]] and he cries out her name over her corpse
* [[Sidekick Song]]: "Today 4 U" for Angel, "Santa Fe" for Collins, "Over the Moon" for Maureen.
* [[So Beautiful It's a Curse]]: Maureen's flimsy justification for being the town bike in the song "Take Me or Leave Me
* [[Somewhere a Mammalogist Is Crying]]: Evita the little yappy dog is specifically mentioned to be an akita, for rhyming reasons. Akitas are a large breed, reaching 100 lbs or more.
* [[Stepford Smiler]]: Mark. While he's always attempting to be [[Manic Pixie Dream Girl|Roger's happy, supportive best friend]], the song "Halloween" marks him (pun intended) as someone contemplative, mournful, and terrified of the reality of his situation. [[Tear Jerker|''And when I capture it on film, will it mean that it's the end and I'm alone?'']]
* [[True Companions]]: This is supposed to be the overall relationship of the main characters. Well, except Benny.
* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: Mark.
* [[Uptight Loves Wild]]: Joanne and Maureen.
* [[Villain Song]]: "You'll See
* [[Wham! Line]]: A few, including "''La Vie
{{quote|'''Mimi''': "AZT Break."}}
** There's also a "Wham Shadow", when Collins appears {{spoiler|holding Angel's body}}.
** From
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: A homeless woman delivers a scathing one to Mark, rightly pointing out that he's only using her plight to make a name for himself and kill some of his guilt, since filming her like an animal on the Discovery Channel doesn't solve any of her problems. This actually causes him to rethink his movie plans, refocusing it on his friends facing HIV.
* [[Wholesome Crossdresser]]: Angel.
{{reflist}}
{{Pulitzer Prize for Drama}}
[[Category:Rock Operas]]
[[Category:The Musical]]
[[Category:
▲[[Category:Theatre]]
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