There is a line in a song in a musical most everyone knows. Like all the other lines in the song it details the many ways in which a person might quantify their life yet poignantly suggests the author's preferred method. Never having seen the stage performance of this Broadway musical I close my eyes and picture instead the opening credits of the movie version.
On a dark stage there stands only the stars of the musical, evenly spaced and illuminated solely by perfectly placed white spotlights. As the camera pans they begin to sing drawing you in with the crescendo and decrescendo of their voices leading you through chorus and verse with beautiful solos delicately balanced by the spectacular harmonies until the end which, almost redundantly, reminds you to, "measure your life in love".
There seems to be an ever-blurring line between hometowns and Hollywood. The "silver screen" is quickly being replaced by the HD, 3D, IMAX, scratch and sniff experience of the theater today while the hum drum priorities of yester-year ride off into the sunset as well. People used to turn to movies and television for entertainment, an escape into an imaginative world, but it seems we are now looking to these outlets for insight into our culture or, perhaps more precisely, a definition of it. I point out the growing popularity of "reality tv" and its impact in a preemptive defense against the idea that I ought not turn to "the arts" for life's wisdom and guidance.
Aside from the delightful tone of the actor's voices and the catchy tune of the chorus I am drawn in by the subtle lyrics of the verses which serve as a reminder that we often miss important moments in our lives by deeming them unimportant and we too often fill our epitaph with accomplishments which matter very little in the end. The musical RENT is about people from all walks of life facing life's triumphs and tribulations and concluding that no matter the celebration or strife our greatest gift to give or receive is love.
Theater or not, if there is any truth to these sentiments then I deem myself rich and far more accomplished than many I've known or will know in my life. I am loved by family, friends, a beautiful woman and her son and I love them in return. When measured I find there is no greater stature than the love I experience daily!
