

In New York City's gritty East Village, a group of bohemians strive for success and acceptance while enduring the obstacles of poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic.
Score
Larson's rock-opera bangers that somehow make eviction sexy.
Acting
Most original Broadway cast, still electric a decade later.
Costume
Layered thrift-store chaos that launched a thousand Hot Topics.

Director
Chris Columbus
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm at 35, hours after Rent's final dress rehearsal—he never saw his revolution take hold.
Chris Columbus (Home Alone, Harry Potter) directing this gritty material was a bizarre choice; fans still debate whether he sanitized the edge.