Rent, the hit Broadway musical written by Jonathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif, becomes the 15th longest running show in the history of Broadway Jan. 7, when it plays its 2,378th performance, surpassing Annie.
On April 29, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent, a modern American take on La Boheme set in the late 1990s East Village of Manhattan, celebrates its sixth anniversary on Broadway, at the Nederlander Theatre.
Rent had its highest-grossing week in its run during the final days of 2001. For the week ending Dec. 30, 2001, Rent grossed $701,772.50, the show's best week ever and a Nederlander Theatre house record, a spokesman said. Ticket prices are somewhat higher than in 1996, of course.
The cast of Rent currently includes Maggie Benjamin (Maureen), Jodi Carmeli, Trey Ellett (Mark), Mark Leroy Jackson (Collins), Stu James (Benny), Owen Johnston II, Darryl Ordell, Todd E. Pettiford, Manley Pope (Roger), Chad Richardson, Andy Senor (Angel), Kim Varhola, Loraine Velez (Mimi), Myiia Watson-Davis (Joanne), and Maia Nkenge Wilson.
Larson's gritty musical about love, hope, death and creativity in the time of plague, began life at Off-Broadway's New York Theatre Workshop and became a legend when the composer-lyricist-librettist died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart ailment just before the work began at NYTW. It earned smashing reviews and was sent uptown to the Nederlander and won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Rent tickets range $35-$85. The Nederlander Theatre is at 208 W. 41st Street. Call (212) 307-4100 or (800) 755-4000 for information.
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The producers remain committed to offering a limited number of day-of-performance $20 tickets available by lottery at the Nederlander Theatre two hours before each show (Wednesday is the dark day) and 90 minutes before Sunday evening performances.
