I do not think it's at all fair to say Rent became a bit because of Larson's untimely death. Maybe if it had a respectable run for 1 season... but this is one of the longest running shows in broadway history. It ran because it hit the right nerve at the right time with the right audiences. Sweeney Todd swept the Tonys too, it ran a fraction of the time as Rent. Same with The Producers even. Maybe some critics were kinder than they would have been... but I also think you could say that in a time that was generally a dry period for original new musicals on Broadway and Larson being a young writer doing his first show on Broadway (and ever really), that critics would have been kinder to the show than they might have for that reason.
And it's not like we're talking about a show that is garbage... it has a brilliant, passionate, modern and infectious score, relatable and fresh character (and cast) we hadn't seen in Broadway musicals, and a very moving and emotionally engaging story. These things are a recipe for a hit when you mix in the right timing especially. This is why the show was a hit. It was the right show at the right time.
But even if it were garbage (which I feel strongly it is not, despite not being the *best* written of the great musicals by a long shot), much worse garbage has been popular. For my money, Rent with all it's flaws is VASTLY better than Wicked, as an example. |
