“Rent" at the Figge Art Museum -- June 4.
Thursday, June 4, 6 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented as the first in a month-long series of screenings held in celebration of Pride Month, Chris Columbus' 2005 film adaptation of Rent enjoys a June 4 showing at the Figge Art Museum, this special series made possible by the Art Bridges Foundation in conjunction with the Felix Gonzalez-Torres exhibition now on view at the Davenport venue.
Based on Puccini’s beloved opera La Bohème, Rent follows the ups and downs of a year in the life of a group of impoverished, artistic friends living in Manhattan’s East Village. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, struggles to find his place in the world. His roommate Roger, an HIV-positive musician, wonders how he will leave his mark before he dies. Mimi and Angel look for true love as they face the harsh realities of life as HIV-positive young people, while the businesslike Joanne seeks fidelity from her wild-child performance-artist girlfriend Maureen. The group’s dreams, losses, and love stories weave through Rent's narration to paint a raw and emotional portrait of the gritty bohemian world of New York City in the late 1980s under the shadow of HIV/AIDS, resulting in a musical the New York Times described as an "exhilarating, landmark rock opera" with a "glittering, inventive score."
With its music, lyrics, and book by Larson, Rent debuted in a 1993 production at New York Theatre Workshop, the same off-Broadway venue that became the musical's initial home following its official 1996 opening. Tragically, Larson, died suddenly of an aortic dissection the night before the off-Broadway premiere, meaning its creator never saw either his show's official debut or its subsequent move to Broadway's larger Nederlander Theatre, where it began playing in April of 1996. As a Broadway production, Rent garnered critical acclaim and netted 10 Tony nominations, eventually winning for Best Musical, Book, Original Score, and Featured Actor Wilson Jermaine Heredia. Larson's achievement was also one of the few musicals in history to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and when the the original Broadway production closed in 2008 after 12 years, it had amassed 5,123 performances, making it, at present, the 11th-longest Broadway presentation of all time.
Chris Columbus directs the 2005 film version of Rent, his directorial breakout coming from 1990's Home Alone, and subsequent smash hits including Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter adaptations: Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone in 2001 and Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets in 2002. And with Rosario Dawson joining the movie's cast as Mimi, many other major roles are recreated on film by their initial Broadway performers: Anthony Rapp as Mark; Adam Pascal as Roger; Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins; Wilson Jermaine Heredia as Angel; Idina Menzel as Maureen; Tracie Thoms as Joanne; and Taye Diggs as Benny.
Rent will be screened in Davenport's John Deere Auditorium on June 4, the 6 p.m. showing preceded by live music in the Figge Cafe with singer/songwriter Mo Carter, who will perform from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
