Diehard Rent fans gathered outside Broadway's Nederlander Theatre as early as 1 AM April 27 to take advantage of the $20 ticket offer for the April 29 fifth anniversary performance of the smash rock opera.
All seats for the Sunday evening show are specially priced at $20 per ticket in celebration of the show's life. No phone orders are being accepted for this offer, which begins at the box office at 2 PM April 27. By noon, about 200 people were in line for the tickets, according to a spokesman. Some of the show's performers, including Manley Pope (who plays Roger), are expected to be on hand at 2 PM at the Nederlander, at 208 West 41st Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.
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Producers of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway rock opera announced the special offer April 13. The cash-only sales offer is good for every seat in the house, although there is a limit of two per customer. If you previously bought a full- price ticket to the Sunday evening performances, you may inquire at the box office about a partial refund.
The special rate continues a commitment from Rent's producers Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop to allow those who may not be able to afford Broadway prices a chance to see the show. When Rent opened in 1996, the producers reserved the best seats in the house — the first two rows — for "rush" seats at $20 a pop. Fans lined up overnight to purchase the tickets, helping to make the policy a success that continues today (the policy was also offered in the national tour and international stagings). The gritty La Boheme-inspired musical, about artists struggling to have their voices heard in a time of financial temptation and plague, won the Best Musical Tony Award and earned late composer-lyricist librettist Jonathan Larson a posthumous Tony for Best Score. Michael Greif directed. It played a sold out run Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop prior to Broadway. Just before the first performance of the Off-Broadway run, Larson died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm.
Rent is now the 19th longest running show in Broadway history. In August it moves into 18th place, surpassing Oklahoma!
