C'est La Vie: Rent Tour, With Pascal, Rapp and Stewart, Shutters Feb. 7

By Kenneth Jones
07 Feb 2010

Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Rent.
Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in Rent.
Photo by Joan Marcus

The Broadway touring production of Rent, starring original Broadway cast members Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp and Gwen Stewart, ends Feb. 7 in Sacramento, CA.

Rent, produced by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum and Allan S. Gordon, closes after its weeklong run at Sacramento's Community Center Theatre. The California end of the tour was announced in January. This will be the first time in 15 years that a production related to the Broadway original will not be playing. (The licensable script is being produced in independent resident productions, however.)

Original Rent cast members Pascal (as Roger), Rapp (as Mark) and Stewart ("Seasons of Love" soloist) reprised their roles for this tour, which began on Jan. 6, 2009, in Cleveland, OH. By close, the current tour will have played 373 performances in 39 cities.

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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 Sept. 7, 2008. The Broadway and touring productions combined have grossed more than $645 million. Two Rent films were released: A Hollywood feature and a film of the Broadway show featuring the final Broadway cast.

Rent, written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, won the Best Musical Tony Award. 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 1990s and the obstacles they face, including AIDS, homelessness, poverty, lack of healthcare and homophobia."

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.