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Broadway's Rent Will Close in June
By Andrew Gans
and Kenneth Jones
16 Jan 2008
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Original Rent stars Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal (seen here in their recent return engagement).
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| photo by Joan Marcus | The Broadway production of Rent will end its award-winning run at the Nederlander Theatre in June.
The Jonathan Larson musical will play its final performance June 1, according to a press statement. The musical, which is the seventh-longest-running show in Broadway history, will have played 16 previews and 5,012 regular performances.
Inspired by Puccini's La Bohème, Rent, according to press notes, "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."
Rent, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996, following a sold out, extended limited engagement at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop.
Lyricist-librettist-composer Larson died of an undiagnosed heart ailment on the eve of the first downtown performance. He would not see the musical go on to win every major best musical award, including the Tony Award, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
The production launched the careers of Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Daphne Rubin-Vega.
The original cast members also included Gilles Chiasson, Rodney Hicks, Kristen Lee Kelly, Aiko Nakasone, Timothy Britten Parker, Gwen Stewart, Byron Utley and Fredi Walker-Browne as well as understudies Yasmin Alers, Mark Setlock, David Driver, Simone, Norbert Leo Butz, Shayna Steele, Shelley Dickinson and Darius de Haas.
The current company boasts "American Idol" finalist Tamyra Gray as well as Declan Bennett, Shaun Earl, Andrea Goss, Nicolette Hart, Rodney Hicks, Marcus Paul James, Harley Jay, Justin Johnston, Telly Leung, Caren Lyn Manuel, Michael McElroy, Kenna J. Ramsey, Andy Señor, Jay Wilkison, Maia Nkenge Wilson, Karmine Alers Crystal Monée Hall, Trisha Jeffrey, Owen Johnston II, Philip Dorian McAdoo and Kyle Post.
A 2005 film version of Rent, directed by Chris Columbus, featured most of the original Broadway cast but failed to ignite the box office.
The Nederlander Theatre is located at 208 West 41st Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. Performances play Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM & 7 PM.
Tickets may be purchased by visiting ticketmaster.com or by phoning TicketMaster at (212) 307-4100.
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