Texts as They Age: Rent and Falsettos as Period Pieces with Deborah Blumenthal Ep. 131

"We watch a Holocaust play and we know that all of these people are gonna die. We watch an AIDS play and we know how badly it's gonna turn out." So what does it mean for a musical to be a period piece marked by tragedy?

In this Season 9 premiere of Scene to Song, host Shoshana Greenberg sits down with dramaturg Deborah Blumenthal to explore how musicals like Rent and Falsettos have transformed from contemporary stories into historical texts. They examine these iconic Broadway shows through the lens of the AIDS crisis, discussing how audiences experience them differently now than when they first premiered.

The conversation also features an analysis of "New York" from the 2024 West End musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• How Rent and Falsettos function as AIDS-era period pieces
• The evolving audience relationship with tragic historical musicals
• Deborah's dramaturgical approach to reviving classic shows
• Her upcoming production of Heartbreak Hotel
• What makes a musical become a "period piece"

You can write to scenetosong@gmail.com with a comment or question about an episode or about musical theater, or if you’d like to be a podcast guest. Follow on Instagram at @‌ScenetoSong and on Facebook at “Scene to Song with Shoshana Greenberg Podcast.” And be sure to sign up for the new monthly e-newsletter at scenetosong.substack.com. Contribute to the Patreon. The theme music is by Julia Meinwald.