Anthony Rapp, star of the original Broadway production of Rent, posted a photo on Twitter that he took of Rent composer Jonathan Larson. Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Larson's death.
See the tweet, including the photo and Rapp's heartfelt message, below:
On the 22nd anniversary of the day we lost Jonathan Larson, I share this photo I took of him during a rehearsal. I thank him for all that he has given to me, and all he has given to the world. #RIP pic.twitter.com/1wjWtejqkj
- Anthony Rapp (@albinokid) January 25, 2018
Jonathan Larson received the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for RENT. He also won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1994 Richard Rodgers Award for RENT and twice received The Gilman & Gonzales-Falla Theatre Foundation's Comendation Award. In 1989 he was granted the Stephen Sondheim Award from American Music Theatre Festival, where he contributed to the musical "Sitting on the Edge of the Future". In 1988 he won the Richard Rodgers Development Grant for his rock musical "Superbia", which was staged at Playwrights Horizon. He composed the score for the musical "J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation", which was presented by En Garde Arts in 1995. Mr. Larson performed his rock monologue "tick, tick... BOOM!" at Second Stage Theatre, The Village Gate and New York Theatre Workshop. In addition to scoring and song writing for "Sesame Street", he created music for a number fo children's book-cassettes, including Steven Spielberg's "An American Tail" and "Land Before Time". Other film scores include work for Rolling Stones magazine publisher Jann Wenner. He conceived, directed and wrote four original songs for "Away We Go!", a musical video for children. RENT, his rock opera based on "La Boheme", had its world premiere on February 13, 1996 at New York Theatre Workshop. Mr. Larson died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on January 25, 1996, ten days before his 36th birthday.
Anthony Rapp is best known for originating the role of Mark is Rent - a role he recreated for the feature film adaptation. He also appeared on Broadway in You're A Good Man Charlie Brown and If/Then. Rapp is currently appearing as Paul Stamets in Star Trek: Discovery. Other credits include: Off-Broadway: Raised in Captivity, Sophistry, The Destiny of Me, Some Americans Abroad, among others. Film: Adventures in Babysitting, School Ties, Dazed and Confused, Six Degrees of Separation, Rent, Man of the Century, Road Trip, Winter Passing, A Beautiful Mind. TV: "The X-Files," "Law & Order: SVU" and "Psych." Author of Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, which was adapted into the one-man show, Without You, and performed nationally and internationally.
Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi
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