Watching RENT over the weekend, I noticed something similar to another New York-based musical, Newsies: in both shows, the characters sing about escaping to Santa Fe. While I've certainly heard both "Santa Fe" songs before, I only noticed the coincidence now, probably because I saw the Newsies musical on tour about a month ago, so it's fresh in my mind (side note: I have a serious Newsies obsession that stems from childhood). So why Santa Fe? This strikes me as a random choice of idyllic living spot. Do all New Yorkers dream of Santa Fe?
The cast of RENT wants to open up a restaurant in Santa Fe:
Young Christian Bale - oops I mean Jack Kelly - dreams of enjoying all the space in Santa Fe:
Now, it doesn't surprise me that city dwellers, particularly the poor ones populating these musicals, daydream about smaller, quieter locales. But why do both land on Santa Fe? Maybe it fits into the traditional American dream, where people seem to have an inherent need to venture westward. Santa Fe definitely symbolizes the west, which is notably seen in the Newsies video where Jack Kelley rides horses in a cowboy hat during the song (all of these western items seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere). Granted, Newsies takes place at the turn of the 20th century, so these western goals seem more natural. RENT is set a century later when the instinct to travel west isn't as prevalent.
I'm not knocking Santa Fe. I traveled there once with my family and it was quite a pleasant little city. It's also very artsy, which would appeal to the creative New Yorkers in RENT. However, there are certainly many other small American cities. Maybe Santa Fe just rhymes well for songwriting. Any guesses?
Despite all these dreams, the characters always end up back in New York. I suppose Santa Fe isn't for everyone.
Now, I think I need to watch a few more musical numbers. Gots to seize the day!
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