I'm sorry, but I'm still not past the "Larson sat in on the development of Into The Woods"....mind. Freaking. Blown! I cannot imagine just how much Jonathon- had he lived to be obviously much older today- would have adored Lin Manuel Miranda and what he's done today to theatre
So great to think that, while Jonathon was writing the rock musical, hip-hop was still this young art form that would also be turned into a revolutionary show! That, just across Manhattan and especially into the Bronx, the new form of Broadway was germinating.
The forces of the universe (call it God or any other) work in very misterios ways. I actually think that Jonathan being gone allowed Lin Manuel to rise to where he's today. I got the same feeling when Selena Quintanilla was murdered, but from that tragedy we discovered JLo. Is not even close to being the same, and maybe I'm wrong, but I really feel that way
RIP Stephen Sondheim (March 22, 1930 - November 26, 2021), aged 91 And RIP Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 - January 25, 1996), aged 35 You both will be remembered as legends.
That all of this ended at 35 for Larson...and still continues today, is his signature epitaph. I personally shake my head with sorrow at all of the things I could have done, yet did not do. This is raw inspiration to go for it NOW!
I just love the fact that Johnathan Larson brought rock and pop music to theatre which inspired Lin Manuel Miranda to bring hip hop and rap music into theatre, truly amazing
It is amazing how much musicals and theatre have influenced my life even tho I've never been in a musical. I so wish that quote in 10:18 was put into the Tick, Tick, Boom movie.
Same. It really shows how smart he was about music. I mean, he almost sounds like a musicologist there! I'm sure I would've enjoyed a conversation with Larson about genre and music analysis.
I'll tell you why Broadway cannot lead pop music anymore: money and reach. It costs a lot of money to put on a show. The audience size is limited, so ticket prices are expensive. Young people cannot afford Broadway tickets, but old people can. They want to see comfortable shows they like, so the shows are written for the rich, old people who can afford tickets. They want revivals or adaptations of known quantities. Meanwhile, pop music went on the radio, then on MTV, then on CDs, then on iTunes, and now on RU-vid. Lil Nas X became a star on RU-vid with no money. He didn't have to convince Broadway producers to stage "Old Town Road". He just made it himself and popped it on RU-vid for almost nothing. Broadway is just a few blocks in one big city. The Internet is everywhere. If Broadway couldn't compete with the radio in the 1960s, how can it compete with RU-vid in the 2020s?
Good point. To be clear, Larson wasn't saying he wants Broadway to lead pop, just that pop should have a place on Broadway, which at the time he was around it really didn't.
Young girls made the Musical "Wicked" as there was a core group that would attend it ten to twenty times. I also remember young kids badgering their parents into bringing them to see Matilda.
@@normanklein3155Not to mention since Hamilton there's been a huge spike of kids liking theater. Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, Heathers, Hades town, and others around that time, the money issue is a thing but a lot more young people are liking theater again
Loving the idea that shows like Six the musical are technically following the original tradition/intent of musical theatre being based on popular music of its time, its a nice thing to backpocket against people dismissing it for not being 'musical enough' to be considered "real" theatre
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights. Your videos should be considered companion pieces to the respective musicals you cover. Musical theater is entertaining but there's so much more to this art form. You enable a greater understanding and healthier respect among those of us who want to understand and go beyond the joy of watching a great performance. When you explain a concept and it resonates, that joy is amplified and it becomes excitement. You are a gift to those of us who have a love of learning. I hope that your musical makes it to the stage some day soon!
Great breakdown! It got me thinking about my own work. There’s a lot to unpack here; I’ll be watching this again. Graphics were spot on too-they really helped tell your story. Well done.
This is such a amazing video and I absolutely love Jonathan Larson and the fact that he inspired Lin just makes him even more amazing, so this migth seam a bit out of pocket but 3:34 "pardon me are you Aaron Burr sir?"
Hi man. Till todat I consider myself as one of the greatest Larson's and Rent experts in Poland. Your movie proved me that I was wrong. I have never seen such proffesional documentary on RU-vid. I am flabbergasted. Great work!
I love LMM but I also like to think we have many incredible people making incredible musicals: Hadestown is a beautiful tragedy, Six is fun and pop and does the bridge of pop and theatre in such an amazing way (this channel covered it three times!), Natasha and Pierre brought the arena way to musicals.... It's. There are amazing things happening around LMM too. ❤
I’m trying to watch this while doing my makeup and I’m fighting so hard not to cry because Sondheim’s and Larson’s works have been through my life with me. Their music understood me at times I and no one else understood me. Their works have helped me through the toughest times of my life and also helped me express joy at my happiest. Then through in LMM who is a freaking genius and now I have to re-do my makeup because I can’t take it all! Where would be with them?
Same here. Without Larson and Sondheim (and now Lin), the world would be much more lonely. Sorry about your makeup, but also thank you for sharing your experiences.
Can you make a video breaking down the music from enchanto? Because both enchanto and in the heights have music written by Lin, it would be interesting to see the overlap.
I was no fan of RENT, the songs resemble Pepsi jingles and the book which is loosely based on La Bohem , gives a Disneyesqe ending. Mimi died at the end of the opera. No one survived AIDS in the late 80s.
I love love love the LEGACY (to quote Hamilton) that gets passed from Hammerstein to Sondheim to Larson to Lin!!! Just beautiful - thank you for continuing to make these videos and getting into the nitty-gritty about what makes musical theatre so COOOL!!
It was 1998 when I was 15 years old and won an overseas trip to New York, it included a ticket to RENT on Broadway. 23 years later I still can't watch or listen to RENT without bursting into tears. I wish I could go back to see it just one more time through the eyes of my 15 year old me - I can't even describe home much this musical has touched and influenced me and still is influencing me up till today. So I strongly believe, if RENT had this massive impact to a 15 year old boy from Germany barley speaking English and hasn't heard about Jonathan Larson's story until his mid twenties, there is no doubt that it would have made the same impact weather Larson was alive or not. The question is, how much more impact could Jonathan had to the world of Musical and the world itself if he didn't died...
the line "and by extension, lin is now paying that forward to everybody with a netflix account" had me absolutely dead. i cannot wait to see what the next generation of musical theatre has in store for us, especially considering this pandemic has forced so many young creatives into having completely new experiences. i hope to one day be able to participate in the musical theatre scene, but that's a stretch goal. for now, my main goal is to get a bachelor of fine arts in technological production, so i can learn things like lighting and stage direction. i'm looking forward to hopefully starting my degree in 2023!
Your production quality keeps going up and up! I love the interviews and transitions, and of course the content spectacular. When can I go see your musical?
One thing I (badly) remember them saying in the RENT documentary was that Jonathan Larson threw a feast for the actors during the workshop. When asked the reason why he said something along the lines of "I do this for my friends, and now I'm doing this for you guys because you're gonna' be playing as my friends." Everybody feel free to correct me on the actual quote and context of it, but what I'm trying to say is that it's such a shame Jonathan's life was cut so short, despite what could've been a major breakthrough in his career would he have had more time on Earth. Modern Broadway is definitely indebted to the works and masterworks of Sondheim and Larson.
This is one of the most mind blowing videos I’ve ever seen. Learning about the interconnected-ness of Jonathan’s work blew me away. The level of intricacy that went into each song, each line said by his characters, how they were so methodically and carefully planned to have multiple meanings… I’m lost for words. I wonder how much more he had to offer. He was bustling with ideas that he wanted to share with the world but was being suppressed by those who didn’t want to provide him with the facilities to present his work. I almost never write comments like this, but I’m honestly lost for words at how in-depth Jonathan went. He is a genius. And hats off to you for putting such a well presented video, I’m sure it wasn’t easy, and though it might not get millions of views, it means something more to those of us who saw it. Sorry for being so dramatic and going on a rant, I just had to get that out.
I recommend that everyone check out The Jonathan Larson Project. It's a concert series that was performed at 54 Below a few years back, which showcased a _ton_ of unreleased songs that had been archived until that point. Some are admittedly better than others, but just that small sampling of his work is proof that he would have been more than just a one-hit wonder had he lived!
It's sad to me that had he NOT died, his work may not have gained the prestige that it did. Which is a crime because his music is really good! But it's so different and the subject matter is so dark I think if he was still alive people would act like that asshole writer in the movie who didn't understand his vision. Basically what Larson himself said in Louder than Words. Why does it take an accident to start a revolution? It's spooky how it's like Larson KNEW he was going to die soon and worked like a mad man to manifest his art.
Wait what you think that RENT wouldn't be as successful if Larson had not died? I think that's a very very weird statement considering it started to took off before he died, and was so strong it continued EVEN without him.
@@ShaharHarshuv This. As a French who knew nothing about musical theater, I stumbled on Rent and was blown away the whole time, without knowing about Larson's passing.
@@ShaharHarshuv think of it like Heath Ledger's Joker. Ledger's performance? Amazing, without a doubt. Everyone knew it would be as soon as the trailer dropped. But how much of that movie's legendary, perfect, instant classic, masterclass status- at the front of everyone's mind when the Joker is brought up- relies on the fact that Ledger died before it was released and that movie became his legacy. It's not necessarily about influencing the public's perception of the work and willingness to try and understand it as art, but how that shadow of death makes the work itself last in the public's mind and give them the want to protect and idolize and remember it. Rent and the Dark Night are brilliant works and stand amazingly on their own w/out Ledger and Larson's death and obviously with their absence, I'm not trying to argue that cause I'd be wrong, I'm just explaining the perspective and thought process.
When I was studying music in high school, my teacher brought me into the world of musical theatre. For so long I've missed how she would show me all these little moments in musicals that made them special. Since finding your channel I've felt that part of me feels happy again. Thank you for bringing your passion and knowledge together to share with us, it has sparked my love of music again and I am very grateful
Seriously I'm going through the comments now and shocked there are only 40?! It should be 4k but evech one here is so thoughtful and great questions. His fans are a reflection of the quality of his work. Quantity will come in time I'm sure
Despite "Rent" being an important & truly great musical I've always preferred "Tick, Tick...Boom!", namely because its story is so unique (compared with Rent, that is loosely based on La Bohème that was written in 1896 by Giacomo Puccini), is intimate, does so much with so little (a cast of 3 and a band of 5) and really kicked off the era of the small scale musical that produced other wonderful and shows such as "The Last 5 Years". I'm admittedly not a rock music lover however regardless of the general music style of both "Tick, Tick...Boom" and "Rent" their musical melodies and lyrics are so well written (and so "sympatico" together) that I challenge anyone not to really enjoy the productions and music of either of these musicals. Both of these musicals were revolutionary (very much including important story elements that are queer representation, something that was almost unheard of in a stage musical prior) and both deserve recognition for being the great and truly important pieces of theatre that they are. As someone who has loved the 3 person stage version of "Tick, Tick...Boom!" since first seeing it in 2006 (and who dragged their old classical loving father to it, who also ended up loving it) I'm beyond thrilled that the show and it's author are now getting much more (and far wider) attention and credit than previously and that they have always deserved, and that it's film version by Lin-Manuel Miranda is not only brilliant in everyway but is arguably one of (if not) the best stage to screen adaptations of all time and one of the best film musicals period! For too long the show has not just been in the shadow of "Rent", being promoted primarily as "A musical by Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent" (a tagline stamped across the logo for the stage version of "Tick, Tick...Boom!" for around 20 years), but in my opinion has often been too easily dismissed as a nice "experiment" in musical theatre rather than recognising it for its revolutionary elements and for the great 90 minute one act stage show that it is. It's a show in which not a second is wasted and whose form, including its runtime and show format, is clearly dictated by its content (as are all other great pieces of art). "Tick, Tick...Boom!" is a great musical, and I believe that both the stage show and the 2021 Lin-Manuel Miranda film adaptation are productions that virtually anyone can easily greatly enjoy and / or love....and for people who tend NOT to watch (or 'like') musicals then this is DEFINITELY the sort of musical I think that they should try because chances are most people won't have previously seen this sort of musical. It definitely doesn't conform to many of the most common stereotypes about musical theatre that may have been a vaguely accurate description of musicals say around (and up to) the 1980s but are certainly not reflective of the industry as a whole over the decades since. Most musicals written since the 1990s (and there are many great ones, even if most haven't made large amounts of money over a short period or have become household names across the globe) are not productions that contain lots of 'razzamataz', are highly 'corny' or are very / overly dramatic (which are major elements that most of us stereotypically first think of when the word/the broad genre of 'musicals' is mentioned). This why I'm absolutely stoked that a musical like this is finally getting a wide film release...and a brilliant adaptation at that!!) Sure it has a lot of singing in it, and the songs come in and out of being 'diagetic', but that is just pertaining to the form of the piece and does not (and should not) dictate the highly refined and nuanced execution of how this musical conveys it's compelling narrative. Thank you Jonathan Larson and Lin-Manuel Miranda for producing a magnificent film musical which will not only delight (and inform) audiences for decades to come but also that brilliantly pays homage to the talents and great writing of Jonathan Larson without solely focussing on the story of his death in its close proximity to the premiere of "Rent". What a show. What a film!
Ok so Sondheim was taught by Oscar Hammerstein. Sondheim later wrote west side story . Then sondheim taught Jonathan Larson he wrote tick tickets boom and rent. West side story and tick tick boom inspired In the heights by lin manuel miranda and Hamilton. In conclusion Lin was inspired by Johnathan Larson. And Jonathan Larson was taught by Sondheim. Who was taught by Oscar Hammerstein.
If it wasn't for Larson, specifically what came after his death, then there's a chance we wouldn't have Hamilton, In The Heights, or even Be More Chill. If it wasn't for his death, theres a chance Rent wouldn't have blown up like it did. Without Rent, there's a decent chance Lin wouldn't have went on to write In The Heights or Hamilton. Without the grant that Larson's family did in his honor then there's a chance Be More Chill would have never been able to get off the ground. (Sorry can't remember the exact name of the grant/ foundation) As Joe Iconis was someone who received this grant. (Not entirely sure if it was for Be More Chill or a different project of his). We owe so much to Jonathan Larson and his legacy. Thank you Jonathan Larson.
The full-body chills I've felt so much throughout this video are extreme. Thank you for explaining so much nuance in Larson, Sondheim, and Miranda's work, Howard.
Howard, you are an incredible educator and communicator. I'm a fellow Asian-American theatre kid currently MDing a college production of Tick Tick Boom and this was incredibly informative. I can't wait to see what you do next.
The theme of time as an artist…my favorite thing. As a writer myself, a young one at 22, feel time weighting on me…and with the pandemic, time feels just pushing me. Wow!
This was great! Really thorough and well researched. I really like that you take us back post Sondheim to the work of Oscar Hammerstein II. I remember seeing the Broadway revival of South Pacific and being shocked how modern You Got to Be Carefully Taught felt - it really seems like it could be a meditation on how racism and hate are passed down generationally written today.
Wow this is a really well made video, thought this was made by a whole journalism production company, not just one musical theater nerd. I've subscribed and hope to learn more about Sondheim!
I think you can definitely see this sort of influence of a well-read-rebel in some pop/indie music that's come out in the past decade or so. Bastille has consistent references to classic romantic literature, bands like the Oh, Hellos use a score of different obscure biblical and Greco-roman motifs, and those are just the ones I personally pay attention to. I feel like this type of art encourages learning, those 'Oh! I know what that means, I remember it from that one song!' moments. I find myself never being able to come to a real conclusion about this type of art because it's constantly evolving with what i personally know, and I think that's a really significant way of encouraging the analyzation of artwork.
Since we lost Mr. S.... I keep thinking what to say/think/feel...essays & life & ego to the side, it's simple, FIVE words: THANK YOU FOR THE JOY!!!!! For me, Covers EVERYTHING.
Your channel is so good! Thanks a lot for your work. Really appreciate how you spread your knowledge and, more importantly, passion in incredible didactic way.
It's interesting to me that the 90s had another adaptation of the same novel/opera as Rent with the film La Vie de Boheme in 1992 directed by Aki Kaurismäki. Looking at the timeline of things, it was probably just a coincidence but still interesting to me nonetheless.
I'm loving these analyses of how we got to where we are today musically - I've never been able to find anything which can teach musical theatre history in a way which is engaging to me and actually sticks, so thank you for these!
this video is really great and super interesting!!!! ttb (movie) was really my first introduction into this world of musical theatre and in part jonathan larson. it’s so inspiring to see someone who can create and tie so many things into one piece of art. as a rock music fan more or less than a mt fan the score is top notch and really a masterpiece in its own right. just so grateful for discovering this, having a new found love of this genre and the incredible mind of jonathan as a whole
Knowing how culturally in the weeds Larson was and how he memorialized his AIDS- positive friends in Rent makes Lindsay Ellis’ dress-down of the play come off even more smug and hipster-y than before.
This was incredible and softened my look at rent. It's problematic but so is grief and given the time it was made in I can understand the story structure being what it is. Also explains the musical connection between today and the previous boom wonderfully. I wonder if along with pop music the animation medium also took what would have classically been stage musicals, i.e. beauty and the beast
Until the movie Tick, tick... boom! I honestly did not have much knowledge about musicals. But I do not know but now I am obsessed. And it all started with Jonathan Larson so thank you for your videos they are excellent for people like me who do not know much about this world but become obsessed because of tick, tick boom :). And also Jonathan Larson read Václav Havel? That is mindblowing, I am from Czech republic and still amazes me how much Václav Havel left in our world, what a legace and finally something positive about Czech republic.
i never caught the "you've got to be carefully taught" as a reference in hamilton before! i keep learning new things about hamilton that make me appreciate lin's talent so much more
I’m from a country where music is celebrated but live theatre struggles. I really got into musical after getting obsessed with Hamilton on Disney plus. I’m slowly moving through and gathering the knowledge about this amazing art form and then I found your channel. You are a blessing and a genius in your own kind. Thanks so much Howard!!
I'm just stopping by to ask you to do a video on Encanto. Lin Manuel Miranda puts so many layers into his music, I need this analyzed please. Thank you xD (I'm enough of a musician to know it's interesting and layered, but not good enough to actually break it down. I just noticed a few things here and there.)
Howard, these videos are incredible! I watched Tick Tick Boom last night and can't get enough insight into this Broadway packed musical docu-drama. It's fascinating and awe inspiring! Thanks for the background and dedication to and history of Ste-- Sond--. It's wonderful and I have watched your past couple of videos countless times.
As I was watching this, I also had the thought, if he hadn't died at that moment, had lived to see Rent become the amazing piece it is...how would that have affected things? There is a effect that death has on people we don't always consider. We are inspired by people even as we memorialize them. We celebrate them. We imagine the work they would have done, if they had lived, and yearn to hear or see it and then have a spark in ourselves to reach for greatness...even if it is out of reach. R.I.P JL R.I.P SS Thank you.
Man, thank you again, I don’t know what to say , all of your works are simply amazing and helpful! I didn’t know about your own musical (I don’t remember if you talked about it before) , How is it??
Man - I’ve been here since your first videos. Your quality has immensely grown. The depth has hugely developed. You’re definitely one of the creators I crave for videos and learning from.
Thank you for making this video I started to fall in love with musical theatre becoz of Rent And then most Sondheim works and most recently Lin And now I will think of it as I love this linage of composers as my favorite
This is a wonderfully put together video! Thank you so much! As a young musical theatre writer myself, it's a privilege to be able to take in all of the knowledge and advice from the giants of our craft. Thank you for dissecting all of this information and providing it for us!
Amazing video! I've just finished watching the film and I'm greatful I found this well elaborated and not too long documentary on the life of those great composers. Thank you for sharing your content with us
I have to add Songs for a New World to the list of an amazing collection of songs when it comes to modern musicals... Composer didn't die, but his songs were just as important... I guess to me at least.., RENT was a huge part of my life. I saw it when I was 16 (which was 21 years ago) in Melbourne with my mum (who is very conservative... didn't change her mind... she's Asian, go figure). But I must have listened to the soundtrack from the double CD recording so many times. I've held off on watching Tik Tik Boom because I'm scared of what it would show in terms of how it would depict the times. And I have a weird aversion to Lin Manuel Miranda and his crazy popularity... which I know is stupid, but it's hard to have something that you felt so close to your heart in the 90s as now very mainstream. I'll change my mind in the future, but It'll take some time. Thank you for the summary that you did... it's easier for me to digest the musical. I might meanwhile watch a few more Sondheim shows... and maybe even the new version of Rent...
I look forward to seeing the story you tell on the stage Howard with all of the lessons you’ve learned. I am a playwright in NYC so if you’re looking for a librettist, hit a guy up.
I wonder if a better comparison for bands would have actually been the Sex Pistols considering: 1. Larson clearly considered them an influence mentioning them in La Vie Boheme. 2. The amount of people in attendance at that Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall show was even fewer people and and even high % of them went on to start wildly influential bands.
This is an incredible video. You’ve highlighted so many through lines from Sondheim to Larson to Lin and weaving not just through themes in their work but also experiences in their lives. The synthesis of all these are so much joy to watch.
Dear Howard, in under 25 minutes, you have not merely summarised the developmental legacy of Larson’s genius but also made clear why any artist’s struggle to stay open are key to forming the pillars that guide our creative process. And taking the time is key to discovering where we came from, who we are and what we could become. Perhaps Sondheim says this best …time together with time to spare/ Time to learn, time to share/ Somehow, somewhere, we’ll find a new way of living… I’m 58 this year but you have taught and inspired me. I love that you love what you do and that you do it with love. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
