by James c. harrison
Broadway / San Diego:
Presents . . .
Per JC Harrison
Broadway/San Diego is the proud presenter of the TONY winning musical RENT. When the show opened on Broadway, it was presented at the Nederlander Theatre on April 29,1996.
The seeds for the idea of making Puccini’s La Boheme into a modern musical were first sown by playwright Billy Aronson way back in 1988. Aronson wanted to update it by setting it on the gritty streets New York. Jonathan Larson, a 29 year-old composer, began collaborating with Aronson on a few song ideas. Larson also suggested, the show be set in Greenwich Village, and include all the colorful characters who lived there. His idea was to include the homeless, some drag queens, punk artists, gay life, and the poor as characters in the show.
Broadway/San Diego is the proud presenter of the TONY winning musical RENT. When the show opened on Broadway, it was presented at the Nederlander Theatre on April 29,1996.
The seeds for the idea of making Puccini’s La Boheme into a modern musical were first sown by playwright Billy Aronson way back in 1988. Aronson wanted to update it by setting it on the gritty streets New York. Jonathan Larson, a 29 year-old composer, began collaborating with Aronson on a few song ideas. Larson also suggested, the show be set in Greenwich Village, and include all the colorful characters who lived there. His idea was to include the homeless, some drag queens, punk artists, gay life, and the poor as characters in the show.
Aronson, was a bit aghast at the idea and also hated the title RENT, which Larson had suggested. Larson was ambitious and convinced Aronson to let him use the original concept, for which Aronson would receive a credit that read “original concept and additional lyrics” by Aronson, if and when the show opened on Broadway.
Jonathan Larson - Composer
During the early 1990s, Larson wrote and re-wrote hundreds of songs and made many changes to the show. By 1993, Larson convinced James Nicola, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop, to present its first staged reading. With 42 songs and an overly long script, the show was an original and showed promise. It needed much revising and polishing to make it workable as a stage musical.
Jonathan Larson - Composer
During the early 1990s, Larson wrote and re-wrote hundreds of songs and made many changes to the show. By 1993, Larson convinced James Nicola, the artistic director of the New York Theatre Workshop, to present its first staged reading. With 42 songs and an overly long script, the show was an original and showed promise. It needed much revising and polishing to make it workable as a stage musical.
The cast prepared for its Off-Broadway opening on January 24, 1996. Unfortunately, Larson would not live to see his creation become a success. He died of an aneurysm the morning of January 25th. The cast was devastated by this unexpected tragedy. In true show business tradition, the show opened after a pause to honor the memory of Jonathan Larson. The show became an immediate success, and outgrew the small workshop theatre. It quickly moved to the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. The show was directed by La Jolla Playhouse favorite Michael Greif. Cast of ... RENT
RENT the MOVIE: 2005
Director Chris Columbus tackled the screen version of RENT from the screenplay by Stephen Chbosky, based on Jonathan Larson’s book. With one of the producers being screen icon Robert De Niro ... how could they go wrong?
Chris Columbus - Director
The film is, of course, an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical from an idea by Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme” opera. In the movie, we follow the lives of several character who live a Bohemian life in New York’s Greenwich Village melting pot. Taking place in 1989 and 1990, the characters all struggle with their sexuality, poverty, paying the rent, and the disease AIDS threatening their very existence.
Director Chris Columbus tackled the screen version of RENT from the screenplay by Stephen Chbosky, based on Jonathan Larson’s book. With one of the producers being screen icon Robert De Niro ... how could they go wrong?
Chris Columbus - Director
The film is, of course, an adaptation of the hit Broadway musical from an idea by Giacomo Puccini’s “La Boheme” opera. In the movie, we follow the lives of several character who live a Bohemian life in New York’s Greenwich Village melting pot. Taking place in 1989 and 1990, the characters all struggle with their sexuality, poverty, paying the rent, and the disease AIDS threatening their very existence.
With the motion picture camera, Columbus could get outside, and shoot scenes on the streets of New York, as well as in Alameda, California, San Francisco and in San Diego. A few shots were made on the backlot sets of Warner Bros. in Burbank. The film, however, was not a Warner Bros. production, but was released by Sony Pictures Entertainment/ Columbia Pictures.
Chris Columbus was wise to cast many of the original show’s stars in the film. Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Tracie Thoms, Jesse L. Martin, Adam Pascal and Wilson Jermaine Heredia came from the Broadway cast. Rosario Dawson, was cast as Mimi, played in New York by Daphne Rubin-Vega.
Chris Columbus was wise to cast many of the original show’s stars in the film. Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Tracie Thoms, Jesse L. Martin, Adam Pascal and Wilson Jermaine Heredia came from the Broadway cast. Rosario Dawson, was cast as Mimi, played in New York by Daphne Rubin-Vega.
The film was released November 23, 2005 and was followed by Rent: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, featuring 28 tracks. Unusual for the time, the CD’s featured eight of the main characters with their own individual album covers.
********
