R&L Logo R&L Logo
  • GENERAL
    • Browse by Subjects
    • New Releases
    • Coming Soon
    • Chases's Calendar
  • ACADEMIC
    • Textbooks
    • Browse by Course
    • Instructor's Copies
    • Monographs & Research
    • Reference
  • PROFESSIONAL
    • Education
    • Intelligence & Security
    • Library Services
    • Business & Leadership
    • Museum Studies
    • Music
    • Pastoral Resources
    • Psychotherapy
  • FREUD SET
Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
share of facebook share on twitter
Add to GoodReads

Seasons of Love

Why Rent Matters

Emily Garside

With its groundbreaking score, unabashed romanticism, and scrappy sensibility, Rent was like a firecracker thrown into a hushed theater, turning heads and upending conventions. But if its unexpected success was the stuff of theatrical legend, the story of its making was a bittersweet one, with composer Jonathan Larson, a student of Sondheim's finally making his Off-Broadway debut, tragically dying on the night of the final dress rehearsal.

Even decades later, Rent lives on as a warmly remembered chapter in Broadway history, yet the show is too often trivialized, reduced to parody, or dissected in the service of an arid cultural politics. In light of this, journalist and theater expert Emily Garside has some questions. Chief among them: Why is Rent taken less seriously than other musicals of its caliber? And should it be?

In Seasons of Love, Garside brings both a fan's devotion and a scholar's critical eye to reassess the legacy of this Pulitzer Prize–winning musical a quarter-century after its premiere. Even as the show memorably captured the experience of life on the margins in the late '90s, Garside argues that it remains an important and relevant work today. She explores the influence it had on diverse casting, immersive set design, and queer representation in the works that followed in its wake. And she dives into the world of past and present "Rentheads" who share their formative experiences with the musical, which coincided with the dawn of online fan culture. Ultimately, Rent was an uncommonly innovative and prescient musical, and as we survey past works for inspiration and look for ways to fill our theaters, there's much to learn from its example.

  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Applause
Pages: 320 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼
978-1-4930-6461-8 • Hardback • November 2023 • $29.95 • (£25.00)
978-1-4930-6462-5 • eBook • November 2023 • $28.50 • (£19.99)
Subjects: Performing Arts / Theater / Broadway & Musical Revue, Music / Genres & Styles / Musicals

Emily Garside is an academic, journalist, and playwright. She taught at a number of universities along with cultural institutions such as Britain’s National Theatre and The Bishopsgate Institute. She has undertaken a range of research into queer cultural representation, beginning with her PhD on theatrical responses to the AIDS crisis, and the evolution of LGBTQ theatre. As a journalist, she is a regular contributor for The Queer Review and has written for American Theatre, Slate, BBC, and The Stage. She is also a playwright and dramaturg.

Seasons of Love

Why Rent Matters

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • With its groundbreaking score, unabashed romanticism, and scrappy sensibility, Rent was like a firecracker thrown into a hushed theater, turning heads and upending conventions. But if its unexpected success was the stuff of theatrical legend, the story of its making was a bittersweet one, with composer Jonathan Larson, a student of Sondheim's finally making his Off-Broadway debut, tragically dying on the night of the final dress rehearsal.

    Even decades later, Rent lives on as a warmly remembered chapter in Broadway history, yet the show is too often trivialized, reduced to parody, or dissected in the service of an arid cultural politics. In light of this, journalist and theater expert Emily Garside has some questions. Chief among them: Why is Rent taken less seriously than other musicals of its caliber? And should it be?

    In Seasons of Love, Garside brings both a fan's devotion and a scholar's critical eye to reassess the legacy of this Pulitzer Prize–winning musical a quarter-century after its premiere. Even as the show memorably captured the experience of life on the margins in the late '90s, Garside argues that it remains an important and relevant work today. She explores the influence it had on diverse casting, immersive set design, and queer representation in the works that followed in its wake. And she dives into the world of past and present "Rentheads" who share their formative experiences with the musical, which coincided with the dawn of online fan culture. Ultimately, Rent was an uncommonly innovative and prescient musical, and as we survey past works for inspiration and look for ways to fill our theaters, there's much to learn from its example.

Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers / Applause
    Pages: 320 • Trim: 6½ x 9¼
    978-1-4930-6461-8 • Hardback • November 2023 • $29.95 • (£25.00)
    978-1-4930-6462-5 • eBook • November 2023 • $28.50 • (£19.99)
    Subjects: Performing Arts / Theater / Broadway & Musical Revue, Music / Genres & Styles / Musicals
Author
Author
  • Emily Garside is an academic, journalist, and playwright. She taught at a number of universities along with cultural institutions such as Britain’s National Theatre and The Bishopsgate Institute. She has undertaken a range of research into queer cultural representation, beginning with her PhD on theatrical responses to the AIDS crisis, and the evolution of LGBTQ theatre. As a journalist, she is a regular contributor for The Queer Review and has written for American Theatre, Slate, BBC, and The Stage. She is also a playwright and dramaturg.

ALSO AVAILABLE

  • Cover image for the book In the Heights: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book The In-Between: Intimate and Candid Moments of Broadway Stars
  • Cover image for the book Broadway: The American Musical, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Broadway Musicals: Show by Show, Ninth Edition
  • Cover image for the book How to Survive a Killer Musical: Agony and Ecstasy on the Road to Broadway
  • Cover image for the book Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon
  • Cover image for the book Musical Theatre Acting: A Practical Guide
  • Cover image for the book Fiddler on the Roof: Based on Sholom Aleichem's Stories
  • Cover image for the book Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, The Less Is More Edition
  • Cover image for the book Broadway Decoded: Musical Theatre’s Forgotten References
  • Cover image for the book Carefully Taught: American History through Broadway Musicals
  • Cover image for the book The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia
  • Cover image for the book tick tick ... BOOM!: The Complete Book and Lyrics
  • Cover image for the book I Wanna Be a Producer: How to Make a Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed
  • Cover image for the book The Sound of Music: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book When the British Musical Ruled the World
  • Cover image for the book Titanic: The Complete Book of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book Oklahoma!: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line
  • Cover image for the book In the Heights: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book The In-Between: Intimate and Candid Moments of Broadway Stars
  • Cover image for the book Broadway: The American Musical, Third Edition
  • Cover image for the book Broadway Musicals: Show by Show, Ninth Edition
  • Cover image for the book How to Survive a Killer Musical: Agony and Ecstasy on the Road to Broadway
  • Cover image for the book Jesus Christ Superstar: Behind the Scenes of the Worldwide Musical Phenomenon
  • Cover image for the book Musical Theatre Acting: A Practical Guide
  • Cover image for the book Fiddler on the Roof: Based on Sholom Aleichem's Stories
  • Cover image for the book Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions, The Less Is More Edition
  • Cover image for the book Broadway Decoded: Musical Theatre’s Forgotten References
  • Cover image for the book Carefully Taught: American History through Broadway Musicals
  • Cover image for the book The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia
  • Cover image for the book tick tick ... BOOM!: The Complete Book and Lyrics
  • Cover image for the book I Wanna Be a Producer: How to Make a Killing on Broadway...or Get Killed
  • Cover image for the book The Sound of Music: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book When the British Musical Ruled the World
  • Cover image for the book Titanic: The Complete Book of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book Oklahoma!: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical
  • Cover image for the book On the Line: The Creation of A Chorus Line
facebook icon twitter icon instagram icon linked in icon NEWSLETTERS
ABOUT US
  • Mission Statement
  • Employment
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Statement
CONTACT
  • Company Directory
  • Publicity and Media Queries
  • Rights and Permissions
  • Textbook Resource Center
AUTHOR RESOURCES
  • Royalty Contact
  • Production Guidelines
  • Manuscript Submissions
ORDERING INFORMATION
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • National Book Network
  • Ingram Publisher Services UK
  • Special Sales
  • International Sales
  • eBook Partners
  • Digital Catalogs
IMPRINTS
  • Rowman & Littlefield
  • Lexington Books
  • Hamilton Books
  • Applause Books
  • Amadeus Press
  • Backbeat Books
  • Bernan
  • Hal Leonard Books
  • Limelight Editions
  • Co-Publishing Partners
  • Globe Pequot
  • Down East Books
  • Falcon Guides
  • Gooseberry Patch
  • Lyons Press
  • Muddy Boots
  • Pineapple Press
  • TwoDot Books
  • Stackpole Books
PARTNERS
  • American Alliance of Museums
  • American Association for State and Local History
  • Brookings Institution Press
  • Center for Strategic & International Studies
  • Council on Foreign Relations
  • Fairleigh Dickinson University Press
  • Fortress Press
  • The Foundation for Critical Thinking
  • Lehigh University Press
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Other Partners...