RENT to be Presented at Jaxx Theatricals in October

Jaxx Theatricals will present RENT the next show in its 18 Year Anniversary season. Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, RENT won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award for Best Musical, Score and Book.

The show is Directed & Choreographed by Jeremy Lucas (SDC), Artistic Director of Jaxx Theatricals, United States Cultural Arts Envoy and this year's Stage Raw Award Winner for Direction and Drama Critics Circle Award Nominee for Choreography for Andrew Lippa's Wild Party. He is the recipient of this year's Outstanding Director Award for Chess & Wild Party from StageSceneLA. Mr. Lucas has also been nominated for the Artistic Director Achievement Award; BroadwayWorld Awards; and an Ovation Award for Chicago, the Musical starring Tony-Award Winner, Katrina Lenk as Velma Kelly. During the run of RENT, Mr. Lucas will accept a Distinguished Alumni Award from Harper College in Chicagoland. Lucas says, "Of all the shows on my bucket list to direct, RENT is at the top as one of my all-time favorites. It changed the landscape for American Musical Theatre at the time and secured itself in Broadway's zeitgeist. As the late-great Jonathan Larson says, 'there's no day, but today'" The production is Music Directed & Conducted by Jill Marie Burke and Produced by JesusDavid TorresMorabito.

Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. RENT has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. It made stars out of Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal & Daphne Ruben Vega, all making their Broadway debut.

Based loosely on Puccini's La Bohème, Jonathan Larson's RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.

Music Theatre Internationals states RENT is theatre at its best - exuberant, passionate and joyous.

Jaxx's production stars Blake Rosier as Mark, Brennan Eckberg as Roger, Keyanna Cardenas as Mimi, Cameron Jackson as Joanne, Tyler Parks as Benny, Hannah Staudinger as Maureen, Kyler Wells as Tom Collins and Jabari as Angel.

Jaxx welcomes newcomers: Rachael Maye Aronoff, Isaac Council (Mark U/S), Mia Michaud, Amare Perkins, Nikki Taylor (Maureen U/S) & Tal Toker (Roger U/S) and welcomes back returning performers: Taylor Bailey, Francis Cabison (Benny/Collins U/S), Alora Kinley, Kiera Morris* (Joanne U/S), James Ramirez & JesusDavid TorresMorabito (Angel U/S). Jill Marie Burke* will play the roles of Roger's Mom and Alexi Darling and LC Powell* is the swing.

Jaxx's Resident Designers include Jamie Humiston (Sound), Justin Kelley-Cahill (Lighting & Scenic) and Jeremy Lucas & JD Morabito (Costumes). RENT's live on-stage band features Jacob Christopher Walters (Keys), Alec de Kervor (Guitar), Sebastian Marulanda (Bass) & Tom Zygmont (Drums).

Jaxx's debut production was the critically acclaimed West Coast premiere of Cy Coleman's The Life at the Stella Adler Theatre starring Dionne Gipson ("Found"), David St. Louis ("Zoe's Extraordinary Playlist") and Drag Superstar, Willam ("RuPaul's Drag Race"). Since then, Jaxx has produced Chess, the Musical (Winner of 6 StageSceneLA Awards & a Discover Fringe 3 Clubs Production Award Nomination); Andrew Lippa's Wild Party (Stage Raw Award for Direction, LADCC Nomination for Choreography & Winner of 5 StageSceneLA Awards); the World Premiere play, Halfway to Gethsemane (multiple BroadwayWorld Award nominations), Annie (on Zoom featuring actors from the Hollywood Bowl production) and live on stage, the successful 99-seat premiere of Matilda, the Musical and a 40th Anniversary limited engagement of A Chorus Line.

RENT has previews on October 9th and 10th. The show opens on National Coming Out Day, Friday, October 11th. The show runs October 12, 19, 25, 26, 31 (with a special Rent-Head Costume Contest and free candy on Halloween). Closing weekend is November 1 & 2. All shows are at 8PM. There is one Sunday performance on October 20th @ 7PM. The Jaxx Theatre is located at 5432 Santa Monica Blvd. in East Hollywood, 90029. Parking is available at 1110 N. Western Ave. Tickets go on sale on September 10th @ 12NOON PST. please visit: www.Showclix.com/Event/Rent-Jaxx

*Denotes member of Actors Equity Association, the union for professional Actors & Stage Manager in the United States.

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