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As I mentioned earlier, David and I got to see the new off-Broadway production of Rent here in NYC and as a HUGE Renthead, I was excited and a bit worried about seeing the show. I’ve seen the show well over 30 times so it holds a place dear in my heart. I knew that there would have to be some changes made to the show but my hope was that the spirit and soul of the show would remain intact. Thankfully, yes, the numerous changes to the show did NOT change the emotional impact of the show. While I didn’t love every change, I did enjoy the show overall very much.

Last night was a pretty bizzy night for David and me as we had a pretty full plate of entertainment to enjoy. To get the night started, we attended last night’s performance of the new off-Broadway production of Rent (which I enjoyed … for the most part, review to follow) and then a night of revelry at Splash Bar with some friends. Now, David and I are not accustomed to late nights but we managed to muster up the strength to party hearty.

Rent is back on Broadway … well, off-Broadway but … you know what I mean. After an amazingly successful 12-year run on Broadway (and many successful touring productions both here in the US and abroad), Rent is settling down again in NYC with an all new production, an all new cast and all of the SAME music that we all know and love. Vanity Fair magazine was given access to a dress rehearsal performance and they share some photos, which you can see below.

Last night David and I met up with our friend Jordan and a big group of his friends for a night of theater at the Hollywood Bowl. We attended the 2nd of 3 performances of the Broadway musical Rent which was directed by actor (and Rent alum) Neil Patrick Harris:

As you very well may be aware, this cast of Rent is made up of theater veterans and pop stars to create a new Rent world. The show is predominantly kept intact but the updated production was changed a tiny bit here and there to accommodate the larger Hollywood Bowl stage. As a purist, I did bristle a bit at some of the changes but as a big Rent fan, I welcomed other very smart amendments to the usual production. After the jump, check out some photos from this incarnation of Rent and find out what I thought of the show …

Next weekend, for 3 nights only, Hollywood is gettin’ a special version of the Tony Award winning musical Rent in an all new production directed by actor and Rent alum Neil Patrick Harris. This new version of Rent stars Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal) and Skylar Astin (Spring Awakening) as Roger and Mark alongside Vanessa Hudgens (as Mimi), Nicole Scherzinger (as Maureen), Wanye Brady (as Tom Collins) and more! This production of Rent will play at the Hollywood Bowl and promises to be a very special one-of-a-kind production … which will debut next Friday night after only 1 week of rehearsals! Here is a photo from these Rent rehearsals and some deets about the show itself:

RENT, written by Jonathan Larson, will be performed at the Hollywood Bowl for three performances only, Friday and Saturday August 6 and 7 at 8:30pm, and Sunday August 8 at 7:30pm. Neil Patrick Harris will direct the production, with musical direction by Tim Weil and choreography by Jamal Sims. The cast includes Skylar Astin, Wayne Brady, Vanessa Hudgens, Telly Leung, Collins Pennie, Nicole Scherzinger, Tracie Thoms, and Aaron Tveit. Tickets are now on sale, and may be purchased online at HollywoodBowl.com, by phone at 323-850-2000, in person at the Hollywood Bowl box office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000, and at all Ticketmaster outlets. With a 12-year run on Broadway, a Tony Award for Best Musical, and a Pulitzer Prize, RENT is one of the most groundbreaking and popular shows of all time. This year the Hollywood Bowl’s annual fully staged musical brings to life “La Vie Bohème”, “Seasons of Love” and all the songs that made RENT such a hit … Neil Patrick Harris said, “I’m thrilled with the cast. With this gang, I’m hoping to provide an eclectic mix of experienced RENT performers, amazing new talent, and recognizable faces in unexpected roles. Of paramount importance to me, though, is honoring the piece as a whole – the music, the vibe, the creator – so that those who have never experienced RENT will be able to appreciate it alongside die-hard fans. We’ll only have one week of rehearsal, which I like to call ‘madness’, but as of now my hopes are very high.” Appearing in RENT at the Hollywood Bowl as Mimi is Vanessa Hudgens, best known for her breakout role in the High School Musical series as Gabriella Montez, for which she received numerous nominations and awards. Nicole Scherzinger, solo artist, lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, and this season’s winner of Dancing With the Stars, will play Maureen. Emmy winner and Grammy nominee Wayne Brady plays Tom Collins. Aaron Tveit, from Broadway’s Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal and the upcoming feature film Howl plays Roger. Skylar Astin, who played Georg in Spring Awakening on Broadway, plays Mark. Collins Pennie who appeared in the films Fame and the upcoming Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming, plays Benny. Tracie Thoms, a regular on CBS’ Cold Case, will be Joanne, a role she played in the film and the final cast of RENT on Broadway. RENT alum Telly Leung will play the role of Angel. Gwen Stewart, the original Broadway vocalist of “Seasons of Love,” will join the production as well. The ensemble of RENT includes Yassmin Alers, Eric B. Anthony, King Aswad, Susan Beaubian, David Burtka, Kathy Deitch, Sam Given, Rachael Harris, Tricia Kelly, Ethan Le Phong, Kristolyn Lloyd, Zarah Mahler, Laura Mixon, Jason Paige, Miri Park, Gwen Stewart and Brandon Wardell. Gwen Stewart was the original Broadway vocalist of “Seasons of Love.”

Rent is absolutely one of my all-time favorite Broadway shows … and is the one I’ve seen the most times (30+ at last count). I am so excited to see this new production, even if I have some reservations about the casting.

In all honesty, I’m not entirely convinced that Vanessa Hudgens can bring Mimi to life on stage … but I trust NPH‘s decision to cast her. I’m very curious to see how the whole show comes across, to be honest. I’m pretty sure that we will be going to the opening night performance on Friday … and I’m really excited. Here’s hoping this new production of Rent will do my fave show justice … or else ;)

[Photo credit: Ed Krieger; Source]

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.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]