Broadway's Rent Closes Sept. 7

[PirateLover]

This musical had a really big impact on me as a teen...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The award-winning Broadway musical "Rent" will end its 12-year-run in New York this June, according to an announcement on the production's Web site.

The musical, composed by Jonathan Larson, chronicles the struggles of a group of young artists in New York.

"Rent" won a raft of awards following its April 1996 Broadway debut, including a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, four Tony Awards and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical.

Larson never lived to see the success of "Rent," dying at age 36 of an undiagnosed heart condition on the eve of its pre-Broadway opening night at the New York Theater Workshop in January 1996.

A spokesman for the production was not immediately available to explain why the show was closing.

Ticket sales for "Rent" had been soft for some time, according to data from the League of American Theaters and Producers. Box office figures showed it was playing to a little over 50 percent capacity in recent weeks.

[MNNHFLTX]

Aw, that's too bad. Now I'll never get to see it on Broadway. :(

[BriarRose0708]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

This makes me extremely sad. RENT is my all time favorite musical and I have never seen it in New York. This show means so much to so many people and I can't imagine the Broadway community without it. :(

[NotaGeek]

I think that it's better that a show end without going down the tubes and needing to be closed and RE-opened with a whole new cast,etc. (think about how they did this for Les Miserables) Rent had a wonderful run, won every Tony possible and hosted hundreds of amazing casts to tell its story. I will miss it, and I am glad that I got to see it on my 30th Birthday on Broadway, it's a memory I will cherish.

[ChipnDaleGal]

Sad to see it close, but I agree with Michael that it should end before it gets embarrassing box office numbers. Rent is such a wonderful and special show that it certainly has a place in Broadway Musical Hall of Fame. I am so glad that I was able to see it on Broadway in the very theatre that Jonathon Larson and his amazing original cast made magic!

[Melanie]

:(

I'll be selfish and say I'm sad I won't get to see it on Broadway either.

[DizneyFreak2002]

I never saw Rent on Broadway... The music was awesome... The movie was very good... I am sure it did the play no justice though.... Guess this is another play I will not get to see, just like Les Miserables...

[2Epcot]

It has been several years since I've been in NY, but the last time I was there I saw three musicals, including RENT. I got last minute "rush" tickets, and ended up being on the front row. The show has great music, I'm glad I was able to see it on Broadway.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

I actually cried when I got my Rent newsletter to my inbox yesterday announcing this... Rent has meant so much to me and has provided much inspiration through some really tough times... Jon Larson was an amazing man and it is heartbreaking to know that he never got to see the success of the show.

I wish it could go on forever. Sadness.

[FlaTinkRAMESAM]

Sad to see it close, but I agree with Michael that it should end before it gets embarrassing box office numbers. Rent is such a wonderful and special show that it certainly has a place in Broadway Musical Hall of Fame. I am so glad that I was able to see it on Broadway in the very theatre that Jonathon Larson and his amazing original cast made magic!

Unfortunately, Jonathan never saw it go to Broadway... he died before the workshop actually debuted publically. The only performances he ever saw were runthrus and rehearsals at the New York Theater Workshop... He died the night before it was set to premiere to the public.

[NotaGeek]

Unfortunately, Jonathan never saw it go to Broadway... he died before the workshop actually debuted publically. The only performances he ever saw were runthrus and rehearsals at the New York Theater Workshop... He died the night before it was set to premiere to the public.
I believe Donna was referring to the actual magic that happened when the original cast premiered and won Tony awards or the production ... she's really hip and knows Broadway, but thanks for the clarification! :thumbsup:

[BriarRose0708]

I actually cried when I got my Rent newsletter to my inbox yesterday announcing this... Rent has meant so much to me and has provided much inspiration through some really tough times... Jon Larson was an amazing man and it is heartbreaking to know that he never got to see the success of the show.

I wish it could go on forever. Sadness.

I cried too. I don't know if the final show date has been announced, but I really want to make an effort to see it if I can. I wonder if the original cast will be there, or something will be done to honor the last show. I am so sad!

[NotaGeek]

For those of us that won't be able to see the final show on September 7th it is being filmed live and being shown in Movie Theaters across America on Sept. 24, 25, 27, and 28th! For details, click HERE (http://www.thehotticket.net/rent/?loc=interstitialskip).

This is SUCH good news!

[Melanie]

Hmmm, wonder if this will go to DVD? :unsure:

[Mom2Princess']

Hmmm, wonder if this will go to DVD? :unsure:

:exactly:Those were my thoughts exactly. I have seen the movie, love the music and just saw the stage version a few weeks ago for the first time, not on broadway though.

I'll be humming RENT songs all night now!:rocker:

[NotaGeek]

Hey guys ... the tickets are on sale now and are $20 a piece for this special engagement! You can check for tickets in your area HERE (http://www.thehotticket.net/rent/?hs308=email).

(Hey California buddies it showing from Friday-Monday at the AMC in DTD while we are at Disneyland!)

[NotaGeek]

This from Broadway Across America:


History will be made later this week when the groundbreaking Broadway musical RENT makes its debut on the big screen. In special limited engagement performances on September 24, 25, 27 and 28, audiences nationwide will have an opportunity to see the end of the critically-acclaimed musical after its 12-year run on Broadway. According to Sony Pictures Releasing's new special programming division, THE HOT TICKET, audiences will experience RENT like never before; not only from the best seats in the Nederlander Theatre, but from the stage and wings, where cameras will capture the raw emotion of the cast's performance. The Tony Award-winning musical took its final bow on Broadway September 7 and the Academy Award-winning company @radical.media was there to capture the events of this farewell performance. Utilizing the latest in high-definition video and digital audio technology, the cinecast of RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway will take audiences on an enhanced journey through the music, lyrics, and images of this storied piece of live entertainment.

Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal originated the roles of Mark Cohen and Roger Davis on Broadway and London and then recreated the roles in the 2005 film adaptation of the musical. Both returned to New York this summer after ten years to reprise their stage roles. "It was surprisingly much more physically easy. You would think the opposite," explains Pascal on revisiting the role of Roger. "I think I've just gotten better at doing what I do in ten years. You have more experience and you know how to perform better and how to save yourself in eight shows a week." Pascal continues, "I literally approach it the exact same way I approached it in the beginning which was to really just let the music tell the story and if it's emotional in the music and lyrics, then your acting performance goes there." One difference Pascal and Rapp noticed upon their return was the huge increase in fans waiting for them after each show. "At the stage door (this summer) there were 200+ people; they had to have barricades," Rapp says. "Generally it was 15 people (outside the stage door) at the beginning (in 1996) and they were dedicated fans."

Pascal and Rapp are not featured in the cinecast but they are both excited about RENT being the first Broadway show to play on movie screens. "I have to say I had this idea a long time ago," Pascal laughs. "I always thought that if you could capture it [a Broadway show] well on film, just the same way it's possible to capture a live concert well on film, you should be able to capture a musical in a way that's engaging to a film audience." He believes that people across the country may have a different perception of what Broadway is all about based on what they see on the Tonys. However, he's hopeful that the cinecast will expose them to a different side. Rapp thinks it will be a positive experience for all the RENTheads (fans) that never got to see the show in New York. "It's great that the cinecast will get them as close as possible to that magical experience without actually being there."

When the RENT national tour launches in January 2009, Pascal and Rapp will both be along for the ride. Returning to the show this summer was such a positive experience for them that they knew the next step was to give touring a try. "When the opportunity to do the tour came along it just seemed like a good way to end that chapter performing the show with Anthony, and giving people around the country an opportunity to get a little bit of what it was like to see the original cast," Pascal explains. Rapp sees it a little differently. "It's like putting on a very comfortable old suit that's fresh, looks sharp and is tailored to me; it doesn't smell like mothballs," he says. "It's like going home.