Dark Monday - Rent

In 1996, a little musical opened that might very well have changed the landscape on Broadway forever. It was named Rent, starring a cast of relative unknowns, most of whom went on to much more. They were Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Fredi Walker. The show ran for 12 years, until 2008.

To quote Wikipedia, Rent is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of AIDS.

The first video clip is video of the opening night performance of Today 4 U, featuring Wilson Jermaine Heredia, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Angel. The quality isn't great, but it was the opening night!

The second clip is when the entire original cast flew to Chicago for the 1996 Democratic National Convention to perform Seasons Of Love, a truly great song. The lyrics are so beautiful I used them at my sister's wedding when I made the toast at the reception, as I was her 'maid of honor.'

Just amazing!

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Worth Another Listen - Duncan Sheik

Back in the old days, Duncan Sheik was a hot guy, singing some cool pop songs. I loved his stuff, and thought he was adorable. In later years, he filled out a bit, and became kinda bearish, which is really hot! And besides getting sexier, Duncan also wrote the music for the Tony Award winning musical, Spring Awakening. But first, there was Barely Breathing.

Then, there was Spring Awakening. I saw this on Broadway, and it was one of the most incredible shows I have ever seen. It is on tour now - if it comes to a city near you, go!

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