RENT the musical by Jonathan Larson is filled with great music and a story that has touched the lives of millions of people.
“Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent follows a year in the life of a group of friends struggling to make it in the big city. They include Mark, a filmmaker and the narrator of the story; his former girlfriend, Maureen, a performance artist; Maureen’s lover, Joanne, a public interest lawyer; Mark’s roommate Roger, a musician; Mimi, an exotic dancer, with whom Roger falls in love; Tom Collins, a computer genius; Collins’ lover, Angel, a street musician and drag queen; and Benny, a former member of the group who, after marrying into a wealthy family, has become their landlord. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.” (MTI Musical Theatre International)
The musical is coming to Coeur d’Alene and the Lake City Playhouse in January of next year and as the stage manager for the show I thought I would start doing some searching around for information, videos, etc… It became apparent that Seasons of Love was the song that people remembered the most and is undoubtedly the anthem of the show.
This post is dedicated entirely to that song. Over the next few months every time I come across a rendition of this song I will post it. You do the same in the comments…
Here is the cast from the movie:
And this from the original cast:
And here are some deployed US soldiers:
The Lyrics…
ALL
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?
How about love?
How about love?
How about love? Measure in love
Seasons of love. Seasons of love
JOANNE
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes!
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Journeys to plan.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure the life
Of a woman or a man?
COLLINS
In truths that she learned,
Or in times that he cried.
In bridges he burned,
Or the way that she died.
ALL
It’s time now to sing out,
Tho’ the story never ends
Let’s celebrate
Remember a year in the life of friends
Remember the love!
Remember the love!
Seasons of love!
JOANNE(while ALL sing)
Oh you got to got to
Remember the love!
You know that love is a gift from up above
Share love, give love spread love
Measure measure your life in love.
From The Office
my own seasons of love video
Lake City Playhouse Season Preview. RENT will be our January show.