No. 11. “Seasons of Love” (Rent, 1996)
- donaldbutchko
- Jun 13
- 1 min read
By Jonathan Larson (music, lyrics, and book)

The 1980s and the first half of the 1990s yielded many wonderful American musicals, but nothing nearly as popular or long-running as the Megamusicals coming from England. Even as the output of new megamusicals started to fizzle out in the 1990s, the 80s hits still remained the top attractions. But with Rent , America produced its most buzzed about musical since A Chorus Line. Like Hair, it bristled with the energy of a young cast singing the music of their generation, and it stood in stark contrast to the bombastic period pieces that audiences were flocking to. The tragic death of Jonathan Larson on the day of Rent’s first public performance off-Broadway added an all-too-timely weight to the show’s “no day but today” message. And "Seasons of Love" became its anthem. Rent became not just a musical, but a lifestyle, especially for younger fans. It actively cultivated a younger, hipper audience, by having a lottery for affordable tickets in the front rows each night. This innovative type of outreach (now standard practice, even if the concept of “affordable” is debatable), combined with the rise of a little ol’ thing called the internet, created a worldwide network of acolytes hanging on every cast replacement and vocal riff.
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