‘Rent’ Ends Its Broadway Run
The amazing, award-wining Jonathan Larson musical Rent ended its 12-year run on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre in NYC last night … bringing down the curtain one last time on one of my favorite Broadway musicals ever. Having seen the show upwards of 30 times both on Broadway and on tour, Rent will always have a special place in my heart … I am very sad that the show’s run on Broadway had to come to an end:
They cheered, they cried and gave the show a standing ovation even before the first note was sung. Broadway said goodbye Sunday to “Rent,” 12 years and 5,124 performances after it first became a rock musical with a message for theatergoers of all ages. “Like we did when we opened, we dedicate this performance to Jonathan Larson,” said actor Adam Kantor, referring to the man who wrote the show’s book, music and lyrics. Then “Rent” was off and running toward its final curtain that had the last cast as well as members of its original company together on stage at the end of the evening to sing an electric version of “Seasons of Love,” one of the show’s best-known songs. “There’s mixed emotions, but it’s time,” said Allan S. Gordon, one of its producers, talking about the closing. The show, book was born off-Broadway in triumph and tragedy. Larson died of an aortic aneurism after its final dress rehearsal in January 1996. He was 35. “It was the most shocking thing,” Gordon recalled. “I still can’t believe Jonathan is dead. All you need is one (big hit), and he had that. I don’t miss what he didn’t write. I feel bad that he isn’t here to enjoy what he did.” Larson’s tale of free-spirited artists and street people in a gritty drug- and AIDS-plagued East Village of the early 1990s touched several generations. Rave reviews propelled “Rent” to Broadway where the musical opened the following April at the Nederlander Theatre, a house often shunned by producers because it was on the wrong side of 42nd Street. The show, inspired by Puccini’s “La Boheme,” found a ready-made audience in young people. Its fanatical supporters were nicknamed “Rentheads,” and many of them saw the show after the musical instituted a same-day, front-row ticket price of $20. The plan proved so popular that it was changed to a lottery format to accommodate the demand. Yet the show’s fans were more than just young theatergoers. “It’s 80 percent the traditional audience,” Gordon explained. “‘Rent’ was not defined by age. It attracted a wide spectrum of people. People of all ages love it. That’s why it survived.” Survived and thrived — winning Tonys, Obies and the Pulitzer Prize for drama as well as grossing more than $280 million during its Broadway run. Millions more were made from national tours and foreign productions that performed on six continents. A film version, using much of the original cast, was released in 2005.
Even tho I am VERY SAD that Rent ended its Broadway run, I am comforted by the fact that a new touring version of the show starring Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal in the roles of Mark and Roger (which they originated when the show opened on Broadway in 1996) will begin next year:
Another tour starts in January for some 30 weeks with several members of the original cast. Plus a new cinecast of “Rent,” filmed in High-Definition video by Sony Pictures during the musical’s last performances, will be shown in movie theaters in the United States and Canada for four days (Sept. 24-25 and Sept. 27-28). Click HERE for locations. “‘Rent’ is recorded for history, so it’s not like it’s disappearing off the map,” Gordon said. “Hmmm, maybe I should bring back a revival next year.”
It is truly the end of an era. Rent changed Broadway forever … it will be missed on the Great White Way, I’m sure. I am looking forward to seeing Rent again on tour but nothing will ever replace seeing the show at the Nederlander on 41st St. in NYC. Nothing.
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September 8th, 2008 at 2:29 pm
So so sad! I really hope to see the tour when it comes around to Toronto!!
Cosmo Guy
http://www.cosmoguyonline.com
September 8th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
So true! I had the pleasure of seeing the show a handful of times, and twice with Adam and Anthony - truly amazing. I guess all good things must come to an end - I’m glad I got to end my Rent obsession with A&A!
September 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
I agree, it’s the end of an era, cheesy as that sounds. I saw the entire original cast on Broadway in August of 1996 when I was just 14 and it changed my perspective on so many things related to theatre, life, death, and celebrating the time you spend with those you love the most. I saw it 15 times after that - the last time being this past Spring (I think you were there that night too, Trent!) and the cast was T-I-R-E-D. It was disappointing to see how it had lost a lot of its original spark (and yes, the Roger at the time SUCKED royally). I am glad that they re-cast a few characters for the closing company, and that the original cast was able to be a part of last night’s final show. It was time for it to end. But everyone should try to see the movie version of the closing performance when it opens in theaters later this month!
September 8th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
I can’t believe this is goodbye…. :( Like you I have seen it way too many times and still could go see it 100 more times… sad :( i was sad during the movie since they turned so many songs into speaking lines but its better then nothing. Looking forward to going to see it in theaters for my birthday!!!!!
September 8th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Trent - totally agree - nothing will compare to seeing the show in its original broadway venue, the nederlander - what an amazing run, such a great memories :)
September 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I was lucky enough to go to NYC last summer and watch this on broadway (along with Wicked. my one true love!!!!!!!) so im bummed to see it go :( it was amazing to watch and the movie does not do it justice. luckily they’ll be showing the filmed version of it even up here in canaduh so i wont die a sad girl
September 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I’m sad that I will never have a chance to see it, but hopefully they come to Houston so I can at least see it on tour.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
thank you for this beautiful tribute. i had the pleasure of being an early ‘Renthead’ and the times i spent at the Nederlander are some of the best times i ever had. one of the best things about RENT was it helped change my brother’s homophobic ways and after seeing RENT he became a much more open minded person. this same brother passed away recently and we went to see the show one last time in his memory in May. i’ll never forget the things this show brought to my life. Thanks to Jonathan always…Goodbye, Love.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
This show means so much to me… I first saw it in Chi in 98 with Anthony, and many many times since. Rush seats were always so amazing to get. So sad to see it go, but the soundtrack will permanently live on my mp3 player.
September 8th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I cannot believe the show is over. I saw Rent for the first time last August when one of my friends insisted that I would love it… and she was right! One year and 3 other trips to 42nd and 7th later I cannot believe we won’t be going to see it again on our next trip! I cannot wait to catch the final performance in the theater and I can only hope that they put out a DVD version so I can watch it forever! I cannot wait for the tour! Goodbye, love… no day but today…
September 8th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
this show changed my life and I am forever greatful to Jonathan Larson and those who continued to put the show on every day.
September 8th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I performed this show in Hawaii and forever will remember it. Now that the show is off broadway, it’s not gone, just moving on! :)
September 9th, 2008 at 5:54 am
I only saw Rent twice - once by a professional company, and once by the first high school in the U.S. to do the show, this past spring (West Aurora High School, IL!!!). Both were amazing. This show, like so many other musicals, has touched countless lives… although its original Broadway run has ended, it will live on.
September 9th, 2008 at 9:02 am
Thank you so much for posting this info. I was able to get great seats for the tour in Chicago. It’s been 11 and a half years since I saw the original cast (although Norbert Leo Butz was in as Adam Pascal’s understudy that day - I wondered how good someone with that name could be playing a moody rock star - the answer: pretty darn good)!
September 9th, 2008 at 10:27 am
Ummm…the Nederlander is on 41st Street, not 42nd (I’m just bustin’ on ya!)
I saw RENT for the last time on September 4th and it was so sad to have to let it go. I just tried to take it all in so I could remember every single thing I saw. On closing night, a ton of fans, myself included, stood outside the Nederlander and sang RENT songs and watched as current, past, and original cast members walked in for the final Broadway performance. It seemed like the perfect way to end this era. I’ll be saying goodbye one more time when I see it on the big screen on September 24th, just one block away from the Nederlander at the Regal on 42nd. I guess I just can’t seem to let it go completely just yet.
September 9th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I agree whole-heartedly, seeing it at the Nederlander was AMAZING!
September 10th, 2008 at 8:32 am
I’m in England and flew all the way to New York just to see RENT, and omg I almost cried, I was soooo happy to finally see the show after watching the film and listening to the songs on my iPod so many times. Its so sad that its finished on Broadway but I will always remember it. A truely amazing musical, it will forever be in my heart and iPod lol
xoxo