For the first time in nearly 15 years the Broadway production of Rent will not be playing anywhere in North America, when The Broadway Tour of the landmark musical closes in Sacramento, CA on February 7, 2010.
Following stints in Toronto (January 12 - 24) and Madison, WI (January 26 - 31) RENT The Broadway Tour, produced by Jeffrey Seller Kevin McCollum Allan S. Gordon will play its final performance in Sacramento, CA (February 3 - 7) at the Community Center Theatre with original Rent cast members Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Gwen Stewart all of whom reprised the roles they originated on Broadway for this tour, which began on January 6, 2009, in Cleveland, Ohio. The tour will close after a critically acclaimed and highly successful tour in North America and Asia. The current tour has logged over 54,000 miles playing 373 performances in 39 cities.
Rent, the eighth longest-running show in Broadway history, played for 5,123 performances and 16 previews at the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway before closing September 7, 2008. The Broadway and touring productions combined have grossed more than $ 645 million.
Rent, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996 following a history making, sold out, extended limited engagement at off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop. The musical went on to win every major best musical award, including the Tony Award, New York Drama Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. Additionally, Rent is one of only seven musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. In all Rent won four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards, two Theatre World Awards, and Obie Awards for its creator, director, and entire cast.
Rent launched the careers of an incredible group of young performers, including Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Daphne Rubin-Vega.
Rent catapulted into the entertainment firmament when it opened February 13, 1996 at New York Theatre Workshop as critics showered it with plaudits and hailed it as a landmark in the history of the American musical. Inspired by Puccini's La Bohème, Rent tells the story of a group of young artists struggling in New York's East Village in the early 1990's and the obstacles they face, including AIDS, homelessness, poverty, lack of healthcare, and homophobia. The show deals with issues that were never before addressed by musicals and does so with an urgency and sensitivity probably never before seen in musical theatre history, and, as such, defined its moment in time and struck a deep chord with audiences and the media alike.
Rent's sadly ironic tragedy of course, is that its young creator, Jonathan Larson, never got to see his show's success, having died of an aortic aneurysm (possibly as a result of Marfan Syndrome) early morning January 25 after the show's final dress rehearsal the previous evening. Both the show's resounding critical and audience response and its creator's tragic, untimely death attracted major media coverage.
Rent was featured in numerous publications spanning the worlds of entertainment, fashion, medicine, and news, and on every major television news and talk/variety show, including "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Late Show with David Letterman," "Primetime Live," "48 Hours," "Today," "Good Morning America," and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," among others and at the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Its young cast was photographed by some of the world's top photographers-Annie Leibovitz, Stephen Meisel, and Mary Ellen Mark-and featured in the pages of Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, and Entertainment Weekly, among many others, and on the covers of a variety of publications including The New York Times Arts & Leisure section, Time Out New York, The Advocate, American Theater, and most notably, Newsweek, the first Broadway show to appear on the cover of a major news magazine since A Chorus Line over twenty years before.
The show was also responsible for helping to usher in a number of important changes to Broadway and its marketing, including the use of simpler, more contemporary advertising and logo design; the rebirth of 41 Street's Nederlander Theatre; a shop and windows at Bloomingdales that featured clothing inspired by the show and its costumes; the institution of same day front row seats priced at $20; and the appeal to and attraction of teen and college-age audiences.
In 2005 the screen adaptation of Rent was released by Columbia Pictures and starred a number of the show's original cast members. The following year to celebrate the musical's tenth anniversary, Rent's original cast members reunited for a special one night-only, benefit concert version of the show at the Nederlander Theatre.
Stars from the world of pop music joined the Rent cast at various times during its run, including Joey Fatone of ‘N Sync, Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees, Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls, and Frenchie Davis and Tamyra Gray of "American Idol."
Tours of Rent have crisscrossed the country almost continuously since late 1996 and the U.S. nationals tours have grossed over $330 million. The musical has been translated into every major language and been performed on six continents, including in the following countries Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Closing the production with Pascal and Rapp who reprise their award-winning roles, and Stewart, are Nicolette Hart (Maureen Johnson), Justin Johnston (Angel Schunard), Lexi Lawson (Mimi Marquez), Michael McElroy (Tom Collins), Jacques C. Smith (Benjamin Coffin III), and Merle Dandridge (Joanne Jefferson). The ensemble is rounded out by Toby Blackwell, Shaun Earl, Adam Halpin, Trisha Jeffrey, Joshua Kobak, MiRi Park, Andy Senor, Caren Tackett, Shelly Thomas, Brandon Uranowitz, and John Watson.
Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, and Gwen Stewart originated the roles of Roger Davis, Mark Cohen, and "Seasons of Love" soloist, respectively, at New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway. Justin Johnston (Angel), Michael McElroy (Collins), and Stewart were all members of the final company of Rent, which played its last performance on Broadway September 7, 2008.
