Ten years into the legacy of the musical RENT, including countless tours, foreign stagings in multiple languages, and even a blockbuster movie, RENT has become a commercial success.

I find that paradoxical, since RENT has always represented a counter-culture view of society. It's odd that mainstream American culture should grab so solidly onto an institution whose central focus has been the trashing of mainstream American culture.

But I suppose that's business. If Sony Pictures stands to make $29 million (in box office returns alone) releasing a movie, they'll do it, regardless of the views the movie presents. See Brokeback Mountain ($83 million) for details, or American Idol.

(Full disclosure: I am in love with RENT, and I believe it to be the best stage show since West Side Story, and certainly the most important musical of our generation.)