Playwright Jonathan Larson wrote that the opposite of war is not peace; it is creation. It hits home as the National Theater hosts the national tour in “Rent” from Friday to Sunday.
WTOP’s Jason Fraley Previews ‘Rent’ at National Theater (Part 1)
Playwright Jonathan Larson wrote that the opposite of war is not peace; it is creation.
It hits home as the National Theater hosts the national tour in “Rent” from Friday to Sunday.
“I was part of the trip before the pandemic … and we stopped the cold turkey,” actor James Schoppe told the WTOP. “None of us take for granted the ‘525,600 minutes’ moment. It’s so real. We have all experienced so much in the last two years. It’s just such a good reminder and such a good motto to live your life. There is only so much time. “
In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has parallels to the AIDS epidemic in the show.
“What better message to bring from the show than ‘no day but today?'” Schoppe said. “It’s wild how relevant this show is.… It’s really wild that we have something that is such a legacy that is still a timestamp as a timestamp of what the 90s were and where we were as a society , but it is still such an important cultural reference for us today. ”
The show takes place in the USA at the end of the millennium and follows bohemians in the East Village in New York City, who struggle with gentrification, love and loss in the middle of HIV crisis.
“We follow a group of different bohemian artists through their different struggles for equality, and we all face a money problem,” Schoppe said. “It’s a really important story about love and relationships, and right at the root of everything, if we can not all lead and leave the world with love and see all the love out there, then there is not much meaning to the world.”
Unfortunately, Larson did not live to see it, and died the night before the first Off-Broadway preview.
“Jonathan Larson was truly a visionary in the theater world and fair in the world itself, dealing with such important issues of equality and freedom to love whoever you went,” Schoppe said. “He created these outlets and amplified voices … to see queer people on stage in a mainstream musical we did not necessarily see.”
The songbook is iconic, including “Seasons of Love,” “One Song Glory,” “I’ll Cover You,” “Out Tonight,” “La Vie Bohème,” “Take Me or Leave Me” and “What You Own.”
“The musical itself is a rock opera that has different styles,” Schoppe said. “We have a tango, we have all these different things.… It’s great that he has really made a musical that is something for everyone to hear. You never get tired of the stylings.”
Schoope grew up in Stafford, Virginia, and attended Brooke Point High School.
“I was a young kid in high school in the early 2000s,” Schoppe said. “Our drama teacher said, ‘There’s a really cool musical that’s being turned into a movie.’ We all went out to see the movie in the fall of 2005.… They had the tour in 2006, so I had to watch it with my mom in DC… Being a part of the show years later is a cool full circle moment. “
The proximity also allows family and friends to drive up to watch.
“Every time my mom can drive up with a busload of people is always exciting,” Schoppe said. “I have had high school teachers, I have had people from the church, people from my parents’ work, various friends, with whom I have also had the experience of growing up and doing theater. It has been really exciting for them to be able to come and see the show. ”
WTOP’s Jason Fraley Previews ‘Rent’ at National Theater (Part 2)
Listen to our entire conversation here.