AIDS In The Bohemian Culture

Musicals are not only great entertainment with catchy songs and elaborate dance numbers, but some also hold cultural significance and represent an important time in American history. New York City can be seen as a city of dreams and hope, but it can also be seen as the city of suffering and struggle. These characteristics are all evident in the Broadway musical RENT. Loosely based on the Giacomo Puccini’s opera “La Bohème,” playwright Jonathan Larson establishes cultural significance in this rock musical, alluding to the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s, and the Bohemian culture that shaped NYC into the city it is today. For the purpose of this paper, it is important to identify the differences between the 1995 original Broadway show and

In the film, it is implied that Roger’s late girlfriend dies and that she is HIV positive, but they never tell or show the audience how. It is important to recognize that many people committed suicide after discovering they have AIDS due to the lack of cure and fear of death. Adding this to the film would have made it more emotional, but that is the very reason the director left it out. A common treatment for AIDS is a medication called AZT, or zidovudine, that can slow the progress of the disease and prolong life. At the end of “La Vie Bohème A,” Mimi takes a “AZT break” and that is how Roger discovers that they have more in common than he thought. By the end of the 1990s, AIDS was the leading cause of death in Americans ages 25-44, (GMHC) and this is represented though the emotional death of Angel. Although AIDS is a tragic virus, it presented a way for people to bind and give support to one another, and value life in a different

The film takes place in Alphabet City, a four block radius (named Avenues A, B, C, and D) located in the East Village of Manhattan. According to Wikipedia, the residents of Alphabet City were a mix of Puerto Rican and African American families, and young, white struggling artists and musicians. The song “La Vie Bohème A” talks about the struggles, and the characters represent them as well; Mark is a filmmaker, Roger is a musician, Maureen is an activist and performer, and Angel is a street performer and drag queen. The area was also known for its low rent, Nuyorican movement, creative atmosphere, high drug activity, and violent crime rate. (Wikipedia) These characteristics are all alluded to in the film, like in Mimi and Roger’s drug use and Collins’ mugging incident in the alleyway. “La Vie Bohème A” is the best portrayal of many aspects of the Bohemian life in New York, the good and the bad, such as “To days of inspiration/Playing hookey, making/Something out of nothing/The need to express-/To communicate,/To going against the grain,/Going insane, going mad” and “Bisexuals, trisexuals, homo sapiens,/Carcinogens, hallucinogens, men,/Pee-wee Herman.” (MetroLyrics) Another event alluded to in the film was the Tompkins Square Park Riot, where many homeless were arrested for “noise and misconduct,” which is what