Sell-out culture

I am writing in response to Annie Holub's review of Rent, "Rent check" which ran in the Nov. 19 issue of Catalyst..

First, I want to make it clear that I did not find Ms. Holub's writing style poor or the article an example of bad journalism - as far as it goes. Actually, the Wildcat is - as it should - quite competitive in its coverage of the local arts scene.

However, anyone covering theatrical entertainment these days should be aware of such things as the cultural context of a show, its history, and the larger implications of the themes presented. This is especially important for as major a vehicle as Rent..

According to Sarah Schulman in her book, Stage Struck: theater, AIDS and the marketing of gay America, Jonathan Larson, a successful composer, but not an experienced playwright. He had a number of collaborators, one of whom, Lynn Thompson, brought a $40 million suit against the Larson estate, claiming responsibility for, among other things, 9 percent of the song lyrics and 48 percent of the libretto.

Beyond this is the larger issue, which she states thus, "How could a nation devastated by the AIDS crisis embrace a popular cultural 'expression' that distorted the reality of that crisis?"

The season during which Rent debuted saw a number of shows written and performed by lesbians and gay men directly involved with and living out the tragedies falsely depicted in Rent.. But, of course, these were small productions, often put on in studios and living rooms for lack of funding, and which, for the most part, will never be seen again.

Holub writes, "Benny represents the sell-out side of culture, making Rent a musical about not only staying true to yourself, but about staying true to what you know is real."

But Rent itself represents a sell-out culture!

James Uhrig
Library specialist