Sitting in the audience last night, I was surrounded by people who'd obviously seen RENT several times. Halfway through the show, the woman next to me was crying and the couple behind me were quietly processing a death that had just occurred on stage. 

It was my first time seeing it and the whole experience was weirdly moving even for me. It's no mystery why this show has had such a lasting influence! I honestly can't think of another show that I've been to that elicited such a response from the audience, the people on stage felt like less actors and more like old friends we hadn't seen in a long time. The show's three hour production time flew by and I already want to go back.