Since I did not have the Showtime extension on Hulu, I had to watch the 2019 live version of Rent instead on DailyMotion. To me, the story was compelling, and the musical numbers made it all the better. Rent is a play about a group of interconnected people living in East Village in the early 90s, who are artists and live with the effects of HIV. There were many dynamics in the play, from homelessness to drug abuse, and even a bit of social justice. Because I am slightly musically inclined, I loved the sound of the soundtrack. The way the genres of each song would switch from rock to a traditional musical theatre sound, and to other genres was amazing to me. It almost reminded me of Hamilton. Even though the plot was a bit hard to follow, (especially because I kept getting Axe Body Spray commercials every 15 minutes), the music was what pulled me so much into the play. I really enjoyed it, and some of the soundtrack I may end up listening to again. What also pulled me into the play was the costuming. I have a slight passion for fashion, and the costumes in Rent really caught my eye. From Maureen’s cow print pants in her cow performance scene to Angel’s very cool CD earrings, I liked how eye-catching and fashionable the costumes were. I know Maureen’s cow print pants would be a hit today, (especially since cow print is kinda in), and Angel’s CD earrings look like something I could find on Etsy. Lastly, I really loved the topic of the entire play: a mixture of all types of people in NYC dealing with homelessness, AIDS, and poverty. These topics are still issues that we have today, even though some may be on a smaller scale. It’s funny too because this play takes place in 1991-1992. I know the issue of affordable housing has become popular, especially as the gaps between the rich and poor are rising, and AIDS is still a big issue around the world, especially in developing nations. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the play, even though there were some drawbacks.