When I was ten years old, I had my first trip to London. I didn't really know much about theater, or musicals, but my older brother (fifteen at the time) did. We were house sitting for friends, and my mother was sitting at the table looking through the paper for shows while I ate my cereal.

My brother walked in to help her out and then he said, "Oh! Mom! How about we see this, I heard it's amazing!"

My mother sort of cocked her head to the side and read, "Rent...? Well, it looks interesting."

From my side of the table I looked up and wrinkled my nose at my brother. "That sounds stupid, I don't want to go."

Now, I said this for many reasons. One, because unless it was titled "Jonny Quest" or "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," nearly everything sounded boring to me. And two, because my brother wanted to see it, I just had to be contrary. It was how things worked with our relationship.

So my mother said, "OK, well, then how about this one: The Woman In Black. It's a ghost story."

I began to wrinkle my nose again when I saw my brother's disinterest and then I grinned. "OK," I chirped.

My brother began to protest when my mother held up her hand. "But, Carly, if we go see this play tonight, then you're going to come with us to see Steve's play tomorrow."

Steve smirked. I pouted, knowing they had won and agreed.

Miraculously, "The Woman In Black" remains to this day my favorite play, while "RENT!" remains my favorite musical.

Before the musical, I complained (as grumpy ten-year-olds tend to do). About how the name sounded boring, and it was a stupid play, and that Steve was stupid for liking it. My mind slowly changed as the play went on and I was drawn in by the flashing lights, bright costumes, and crazy choreography, not to mention the oh-so-in-style rock and roll music. At that young an age, (ten years old) I didn't understand everything in the play. For example, Angel's identity was a mystery to me, as well as the drug use and most of the sexual issues.

But what I did pull from the play, even at as young an age as that, was the overwhelming intensity of the bonds between the characters.

Promptly after the play ended, I couldn't stop jabbering on about it. I was given the OBC soundtrack for Christmas and played it non-stop. My brother and I sang Another Day do each other (very poorly, might I add) all the time.

And then, there was the movie. My brother saw it first, and I demanded a review. He told me he was disappointed. "Very irritating, how they chopped it up to fit on your TV screen, how they made songs into spoken words that rhymed..." Still, I went and saw it, with this in mind, and afterwards, I had to argue with him.

"But no," I told him, "I mean, yes, of course, it's a little awkward how their dialogue sometimes randomly rhymes, and how they cut some good lines/songs, (I particularly missed the running joke about Ekita Evita), but over-all, the message rang loud and true, and isn't that why Jonathan Larson wrote it in the first place?"

I have to say, my absolutely favorite thing about "RENT!" is the message(s) it relays. It's so honest, and raw, and with real characters (based, didn't you know, on people Jonathan knew, as well as characters in La Bohème). Love, friendship, pursuing your dreams and art and facing the dark reality at the same time, "connecting in an isolating age," "anything taboo..." It's all timeless, even though it's a very contemporary piece. I bet my grandkids will watch this in fifty years, and understand it completely. Because it's the kind of message that rings true across the generations, indeed across cultures even. Because the characters, the people if you will, are so diverse and real, that there is always someone to relate to.

I love RENT! and I always will. It's a part of my childhood, as well as a part of my future. It's an example of so many of the good things in life, without painting over the ugly things. And even though now it ends on Broadway, that just means that the rights can be released to universities, individuals, and community and fringe theaters to be brought to a whole new audience, and a whole new class of actors, directors, and choreographers. And, if avid fans of canceled but popular TV shows have taught me anything, so long as there is a fan to love it, the spirit of a show will live on.

And let me tell you, I theorize that RENT! will live on for a very, very long time.