la boheme and rent

To start, I wanted to talk briefly about my interpretation and experience at the opera.
Firstly, unfortunately I was not a fan. I felt like I couldn’t truly appreciate the story because I kept having to look down, and then the words translated just didn’t make sense to me. I thought the sets and singing were beautiful, but I don’t think I can ever fully emerge myself in opera because of this lack of “spiritual communication”.
But, after watching Rent, the similarities were so noticeable. I mean, some of the characters even shared names. They also have the same thematic setting, with poor artists trying to survive among brutal class divisions. We also see in La Boheme how hard it is for the boys to find treatment for Mimi because of their status, and in Rent we see the same treatment but due to AIDS and the scare that caused in the 90s. I also think La Boheme was more tragic, and tried to romanticize this tragedy of way of life, while Rent criticized it a little more. Rent is also obviously more modernized, but it’s adjusted well to modern issues. 1800s Paris isn’t exactly relevant in our day and age, but the story it’s telling is still the story of many in NYC, especially during the time period that Rent is set in. I loved rent, and I hope I can see it performed live at least once, and I loved how Johnathan Larson used La Boheme and its core “values” to portray something so relevant. I don’t like watching La Boheme, but Rent gave me more appreciation for it, as Rent “communicated” with me. And I think that’s what makes Art different in everyone’s eyes. Because I wouldn’t consider La Boheme my style of “art”, but the man who sat in front of us was so moved by the opera, While Rent spoke to me and moved me emotionally. And I think that speaks a lot about what this class is about, and I enjoyed it as our last blog.