Johnston, McElroy, Lawson, Hart and Stewart Join Pascal/Rapp RENT Tour

The new national tour of RENT kicks off on January 6, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio and runs through August 30, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan has just announced additional cast members for the highly anticipated tour.

Joining the previously announced Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, will be Justin Johnston as Angel, Michael McElroy as Tom Collins, Lexi Lawson as Mimi, Nicolette Hart as Maureen and original cast member Gwen Steewart as the "Seasons of Love" soloist.

Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon, the producers of the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning musical RENT, previously announced that original Broadway cast members Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp will reprise the roles they made famous on stage and in the film adaptation.

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp originated the roles of Roger Davis and Mark Cohen at the New York Theatre Workshop, on Broadway, and in London, and recreated their roles in the 2005 movie version of the musical. Pascal and Rapp returned to RENT on Broadway for a limited engagement in the summer of 2007.

"Adam and Anthony didn't just play Roger and Mark. To millions of RENT fans they are Roger and Mark. Adam and Anthony are to RENT what Joel Grey was to Cabaret and Zero Mostel was to Fiddler on the Roof. It's a great time to offer fans all over America the unique chance to see them in their signature roles," said Jeffrey Seller.

Tours of RENT have crisscrossed North America almost continuously since late 1996 grossing 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.

Written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, RENT, 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, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. RENT is the seventh longest running show in Broadway history.

This tour is being produced in association with NETworks Presentations. For more information on the show, visit siteforrent.com.