'Rent in Concert' Marks Anniversary
A major concert version of the musical "Rent" was staged at the Shubert Theatre to mark the iconic show's 30th anniversary. The event featured a large cast and an expanded orchestra. The week in theater also included several world premieres and Broadway previews, according to a weekly roundup.
- "Rent" is loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera "La Bohème," transposing its story of impoverished young artists from 19th-century Paris to New York's East Village in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The opera's theme of tuberculosis is replaced by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. - Creator Jonathan Larson tragically died at age 35 from an aortic dissection, believed to be caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome, the morning of the show's first Off-Broadway preview on January 25, 1996. He had previously been misdiagnosed with the flu and stress after suffering from severe chest pains. - Following its Off-Broadway run, "Rent" moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996, and ran for 12 years, closing on September 7, 2008, after 5,123 performances. The Broadway production grossed over $280 million. - The musical was a cultural phenomenon that attracted a devoted following of "RENTheads," some of whom saw the show dozens or even hundreds of times. The producers offered discounted $20 tickets for the front two rows to make the show accessible. - Jonathan Larson posthumously won numerous awards for "Rent," including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. - The musical is considered groundbreaking for its diverse cast and its candid exploration of themes like the HIV/AIDS crisis, poverty, substance abuse, and LGBTQ+ relationships, bringing a new, younger audience to Broadway. - The Shubert Theatre in New Haven, where the concert was held, has a rich history as a tryout venue for Broadway-bound shows, earning it the nickname “The Birthplace of the Nation's Greatest Hits.” It has hosted over 600 pre-Broadway tryouts, including 300 world premieres. - Many elements of "Rent" were drawn from Larson's own life as a struggling artist in New York City, including his poor living conditions like having a bathtub in the kitchen and an illegal wood-burning stove.
