La Vie Boheme

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"La Vie Bohème" (French: the Bohemian life) is a song in the musical Rent. The second part of this song (La Vie Bohème B) ends the first act of the show. In between the two halves of the song is an interlude (I Should Tell You) with Roger and Mimi. The song is a celebration of bohemianism, especially that found in 80's Alphabet City, mocking Benny's statement that "Bohemia is dead."

[edit] La Vie Bohème

In celebrating Bohemia, the song recites the names of artists who served as inspiration and as a symbol of Bohemia themselves, as well as places and things integral to the lives of these artists. Some of the references are obscure, while others are self-explanatory. The word "to" was used 55 times along with those references.

The following is a list of many of the references made in the song.

[edit] La Vie Bohème B

La Vie Bohème B is the second part of the song La Vie Bohème. The end of it is also the end of the first act of the show. La Vie Bohème B begins with a brief dialogue between Maureen and Joanne, then continues with the celebration of bohemianism from the first part of the song. Like the first part, the second part lists many ideas, trends, and other things that symbolize bohemianism, including:

A memorable part of this song is the slow-motion section of the ending, in which the seven main characters and protagonists dance on the table in close contact with their respective significant others, with the exception of Mark who dances vibrantly on his own.