20 Years Later, 20 Things We Still Love About RENT

“Measure your life in love.” Right?

1. With all the talk of a Hamilton awards sweep, we remember that in 1996 RENT won every major Best Musical award: Tony, New York Drama Critics Circle, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award.

Think of the TONY!

2. That RENT became fashionable.

Bloomingdale’s even opened its own RENT outlet.

3. That come to think of it, RENT is still fashionable.

Just ask Ryan Reynolds in this year's Deadpool.

4. That today RENT is the 11th longest running show on Broadway.

5. This Aaron Tveit and Gavin Creel Cover of “Take Me or Leave Me.”

youtube.com / Via youtube.com

Do yourself a favor and watch it.

6. That RENT has been performed on six continents in twenty-four languages.

RENT was in Cuba long before Obama and Major League Baseball…

7. That RENT brought the concept of rush tickets to Broadway.

Ever won #Ham4Ham? You’re welcome.

8. That on Broadway RENT also boasted the highest rate of repeat ticket sales.

One man claims to have seen the show over a thousand times.

9. That RENT appeared in all of our favorite TV shows

Such as Homer’s starring role in the musical “RENT II: Condo Fever”

10. ...and inspired the writers of our favorite TV shows to take a stab at Musical Theatre.

South Park writers Trey Parker and Matt Stone pay homage to RENT in their 2004 film “Team America: World Police” -- they went on to co-author the Broadway smash The Book of Mormon.

11. That RENT launched Idina Menzel’s career.

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12. That RENT created new generations of Music Theatre Writers.

Just ask the 2016 recipients of the Jonathan Larson Grant from the American Theatre Wing.

13. That long before YOLO, there was

14. That over its lifetime, RENT has grossed over $600 million.

The irony.

15. That RENT is loosely adapted from Puccini’s La Bohème.

Recognize this familiar scene…?

16. That with the recent addition of Hamilton, RENT is one of only nine musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

And only six of those also hold a Tony Award for Best Musical.

17. That RENT gave us "Seasons of Love."

sony.com / Via youtube.com

Throw a little Stevie Wonder in there and you have us like:

18. That RENT’s 10th Anniversary Performance raised over two million dollars for various charities.

Recipients included SoHo based Friends In Deed, the group that inspired “Life Support.”

19. That RENT never let us forget how many minutes are in a year

...or how we should be spending them.

20. And that this is not the last we have seen of this beautiful musical or its incredible creative team...

Learn more about the 20th Anniversary Tour here:

www.facebook.com/rentontour