History Theatre / Rent

->''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug how do you measure, measure a year?]]''

* FriendsRentControl: Mark and Roger's apartment is *huge*. No wonder they can barely afford to live there.

* MeaningfulEcho: "No Day But Today", "Without You", and "Will I" were all given this treatment in the finale. ''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome At the same time]].''

** During Finale A, Roger and Mimi echo "Another Day," "Light My Candle," and "I Should Tell You."
*** "I Should Tell You" is also echoed briefly in "Your Eyes."
*** It's also echoed in "Goodbye Love" in the sung-conversation between Mark and Roger, right before he says "I'll call." More Roger / Mark subtext, anyone?

* AnachronismStew: The play doesn't have a set time period and premiered in 1996, but the movie is based circa 1990. Benny would have to be a prophet to plan a Cyber Studio before the internet was mainstream; ditto for Angel referencing ''ThelmaAndLouise'' a year before it was released. And that's not even the half of it...

* AudienceParticipation: Moo with me

* DoubleMeaningTitle: It refers to the rent that Mark and Roger can't pay, and to the general feeling of being torn (i.e., "rent") apart. And the third meaning, as suggested by "I'll Cover You" and "What You Own" - nothing is owned, only rented, in this life. Including life.

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Mimi. Okay, she's not a hooker, or even a stripper really, but she does do S&M Dances, and basically follows this trope.

* TheJimmyHartVersion: "Do you know the way to Santa Fe?"

* FoeYay: [[spoiler:Mimi + Benny = This.]]

* KilledOffForReal: Angel, as well as Mimi in the Dutch version.

*** It's also echoed in "Goodbye Love" in the sung-conversation between Mark and Roger, right before he says "I'll call." More RogerMark subtext, anyone?

* FirstPersonPeripheralNarrator: Mark acts as the narrator. There really is no central character, though the movie would like to believe it's Roger, it seems

** Let's not forget either, ''Seasons of Love'' talks about the length of a year and how it should be measured in moments, memories, and love. It then proceeds to show a year of their life.

* ListSong: La Vie Boheme

** Not to mention all the songs that got cut from the stage version. "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1UQerzKa5M You're a Fool]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oXP2MkaaKk Because You Were Right]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1gJDuWrfs You'll Get Over It]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWwviipzgY0 Real Estate]]", "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DU_uYMRGLxo Do a Little Business]]" and "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suFyS0nq9IY Open Road]]" are a few. Some are rather bad ("You'll Get Over It"--a duet between Mark and Maureen about her dating a woman--made him sound like an ignorant lout and her like a callous whore). Others, like "Real Estate" (a VillainSong for Benny) were cut for length.

** Not to mention all the songs that got cut from the stage version. "You're a Fool", "Because You Were Right", "You'll Get Over It", "Real Estate", and "Open Road" are a few. Some are rather bad ("You'll Get Over It"--a duet between Mark and Maureen about her dating a woman--made him sound like an ignorant lout and her like a callous whore). Others, like "Real Estate" (a VillainSong for Benny) were cut for length.

* TheIshmael: Mark. There really is no central character, though the movie would like to believe it's Roger, it seems.

* BuryYourGays: The only one who dies in the play is [[spoiler:Angel]]. The ONE character almost everyone likes, both in-universe [[YourMileageMayVary and among fans]].

* TheMusical: Rent is [[YourMileageMayVary arguably]] the late parts of TheEighties and the early parts of TheNineties condensed and put to an [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic awesome soundtrack]].

* AnachronismStew: The play doesn't have a set time period and premiered in 1994, but the movie is based circa 1990. Benny would have to be a prophet to plan a Cyber Studio before the internet was mainstream; ditto for Angel referencing ''ThelmaAndLouise'' a year before it was released. And that's not even the half of it...

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Mimi. Okay, she's not a hooker, or even really a stripper really, but she does do S&M Dances, and basically follows this trope.

** Mark is Marcello
** Maureen is Musetta
** Angel is Schaunard

** Benny is Benoit

* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: Roger and Mimi, if Out Tonight and Another Day are any indication.

* DawsonCasting: Mimi "You look like you're sixteen." "I'm ''nineteen'', but I'm old for my age!" Marquez (though, since many of the other characters are only mid-twenties, the potential exists for them as well).

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Mimi, who is saved through ThePowerOfRock... alongside a heavy dose of FridgeLogic/slight MindScrew]]
** [[spoiler:Not in the Dutch production]].
** [[spoiler:Being brought from the freezing street to a warm room probably helped.]].

* FoeYay: [[spoiler:Mimi + Benny = This]].

* MeaningfulFuneral: [[spoiler:Angel's]].
* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler:The only character to die? Angel]].
** Also, many characters'names are modernizations of their counterparts from La Boheme.

** And of course, the akita, {{Evi|ta}}[[AndrewLloydWebber ta]].

* HoYay: Even beyond the CastFullOfGay, there seems to be a ''lot'' of {{Subtext}} between Roger and Mark.