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Rent Show Tickets
This riveting musical debuted in April of 1996 at the Nederlander Theatre where it still rocks the house today. In April of 2006 the production celebrated its 10th anniversary with a special performance featuring the original cast, and this past October it became the seventh longest running show on Broadway. It is based on Puccini’s opera “Labohema” but deals with the issues of the era. Rent is to the 90’s what Hair was to the 70’s, and is credited for reinventing theater for Generation X. This musical tells the story of a young group of impoverished artists and musicians trying to survive in New York City’s East Village, in the early 1990’s, with the reality of AIDS looming around them. Rent was one of Broadways first productions to feature gay, lesbian and bisexual characters, and is often noted for its ethnically diverse cast. The show follows the lives of eight friends as they struggle with relationships, loss, making a living, housing and AIDS. It follows a year in the life of Mark, the narrator, and his roommate Roger who is HIV positive. The production explores their connections with friends and lovers, and deals with their ongoing conflicts in life. Rent has been praised by audiences and critics alike, and has been recognized for its groundbreaking material. It was nominated for ten Tony Awards and received four including Best Musical, Best Book for a Musical and Best Score. It also won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama which is not an easy task for a musical to accomplish. The cast recording of the show which contains many powerful songs was the most successful recording of an American musical in almost thirty years. Both the music and the story became a Broadway phenomenon that has intrigued audiences from the start. In 2005 the show was adapted into a motion picture and it was rumored that many known actors and singers were interested in the lead roles including Neil Patrick Harris and Joey Fatone, but director Chris Columbus first offered many of the roles to the original Broadway cast. The film starred Taye Diggs and Idina Menzel both of who were in the original production. After his run on Broadway Diggs went on to star in such movies as “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and “Chicago”, and is currently starring in the primetime series “Day Break”. Menzel went on to play Elphaba in the original cast of Wicked. This musical was the frontrunner for bringing hard hitting issues to the stage, and is noted for helping to bring a younger generation to this genre. Rent is passionate in its storytelling and has been described as a “rock opera for our time.” It is an inspiring theatrical production about young artists trying to find their way in society’s tough times. It tackles such controversial topics as homelessness, drug addiction and AIDS and portrays them with a rawness and sense of realism that stays with the audience. This emotional experience will change your view of what Broadway can be. Karmine Alers BOOK, MUSIC, LYRICS Jonathan Larson DIRECTOR Michael Greif SETS Paul Clay LIGHTING Blake Burba COSTUMES Angela Wendt SOUND Kurt Fischer CHOREOGRAPHER Marlies Yearby MUSIC DIRECTOR Bobo Suzuki STAGE MANAGER John Vivian ORIG CONCEPT/ADDL LYRICS Billy Aronson MUSIC SUPERVISION Tim Weil Sat - Sun at 2pm Sun at 7pm Rent is playing at the Nederlander Theatre in Broadway's Theater district located on the North side of West 45th Street between Broadway & 8th Avenue.
The address for the theatre is
Take the 1, 2, 3, 9 trains to 42nd Street. Head south on 7th Avenue to West 41st Street, then head west to the theatre.
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