Jonathan Larson

Jonathan Larson (1960-1996) was a play writer growing up. It began as early as 3rd grade when he wrote, produced, and starred in a school play. His parents loved the theater, and every time they took Jonathan to see a show, little by little the love for the stage rubbed off on him.

Senior year of his 4 year scholarship to Adelphi University of acting, his professors were impressed time after time by his songwriting skills, which persuaded him to ditch acting and move to writing. After college he lived a bohemian life in downtown New York, the town he had always dreamed of living in. His inspiration to write was to make Broadway more modern, and he accomplished that with RENT. He also wrote various plays and short films which never got produced. Jonathan died a day before RENT premiered. Jonathan was a committed writer. Every Sunday night, he would boil a large pot of pasta, and would eat it the whole week so he would not have to stop writing for anything except sleep.

A story roughly based on Jonathan and his friends lives, RENT is about 8 people dealing with their sexuality, drugs, poverty, glory, and AIDS. The character "Angle", was his good friend, who was struck by AIDS at a young age. In the play, the virus eventually takes Angel's life, just like in real life. It was a play that truly symbolized the problems of current day musicians and upcoming writers. The struggles of being an individual in a corporate world.

Jonathan didn't just sit down for a week and write the play that is known today as RENT, it was a 7 year process that involved late nights, no food, and vigorous writing. About 4 years in, most of the songs were written but the play and characters were very blurry. It took 2 full years just to perfect the characters to fit the plot. RENT was seen to be a great success, and it was almost time for opening night. On the final dress rehearsal, Jonathan developed a high fever, came to the rehearsal and did an interview with the local paper. That morning at 3 AM, Jonathan died. His friends had to clean out his lot on opening day and in his diary it said;

"When I die, whenever and wherever that may be, I wish to be cremated, and I want my ashes to be thrown to the sunset with music and dancing and crying." Before the show, the whole cast, Jon's friends and family gathered to throw his ashes and join in dance. It struck a note with everyone, since Jon was responsible for RENT, and the cast was having a very hard time delivering on opening night. At the end of the show, the stadium all rose up at the same time, and through the speaker, the main cast said, "In memory of Jonathan Larson." RENT ended up being a huge success.

Jonathan is such an inspiration to me for so many reasons. He was so committed to his work, he had such concentration, and dedication to what he did. It is a trait that some day I would like to have. Jonathan had a vision to make Broadway something different, which was huge at that time. Broadway was the same for almost 50 years before RENT, and to be behind the play that changed an era is something to really be proud of. The main reason Jonathan is such an inspiration is because of how much work he put into one thing. Perfecting it time after time so it'll be flawless. Having so much patience and determination to achieve what he did, is something everyone should appreciate and ask, "Why not me?" His story inspires me to go out and do what I want, to never quit or loose sight of my goal. That's why Jonathan Larson was, is, and will forever be, my hero.