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88-426: Fading from the spotlight of his late 1990s mega-fame, boy-band icon Bobby Starr ( Adam Pascal ) is clinging to days gone by and begging his agent Murray to land him a decent gig. What Murray does land for Bobby is a full week headlining the grand opening of the world's first glatt kosher hotel-casino, Mazel Hotel. As it turns out, the real force behind Bobby Starr's curious invitation to this " Orthodox otherworld"

176-630: A Tony nomination, a Theater World award, and an Obie Award. He left the show on November 2, 1997, but went on to reprise Roger when Rent opened in London. The role helped Pascal gain fame on Broadway, and he was cast in the Elton John and Tim Rice musical Aida as the Egyptian general Radames with the original and final casts (former Rent castmate Idina Menzel would co-star as Amneris in 2001), and Kander and Ebb's Cabaret , appearing in

264-423: A "new version" of the musical, and that she had a verbal agreement with Larson to a percentage of the royalties. She sued Jonathan Larson's estate for $ 40 million and sought 16 percent of the show's royalties, ultimately losing that suit. A revised suit claiming she had written a significant portion of the lyrics and the libretto of the "new version" of Rent was filed later. The estate settled out of court. During

352-1132: A Canadian tour (often referred to as the "Collins Tour"). The Angel tour began in November 1996 at the Shubert Theatre in Boston, where it ran for approximately six months. Anthony Rapp joined the cast for the Chicago run, and Daphne Rubin-Vega joined for the Los Angeles run. The tour finished in San Francisco in September 1999. Other members of the Angel cast included Carrie Hamilton , Amy Spanger , Luther Creek , Kristoffer Cusick , Lisa Simone , Queen Esther , and Tony Vincent . The Benny Tour began in July 1997 in San Diego, California, at

440-488: A bittersweet, evocative song..." Roger plays a quick piece, and Mark adds, "...that doesn't remind us of 'Musetta's Waltz'." This part of "Musetta's Waltz" is also later used in "Your Eyes", a song Roger writes. Rent is also a somewhat autobiographical work, as Larson incorporated many elements of his life into his show. Larson lived in New York for many years as a starving artist with an uncertain future. He sacrificed

528-577: A collaborative rock album Blinding Light (2008) with pianist Larry Edoff. He also contributed a cover of Billy Joel 's " New York State of Mind " to the CD Broadway Cares : Home for the Holidays (2001); the end credits song, "Winter Light", from the movie Noel (2004); and the song "Perfect Place" on the album Listen which showcases songs written by adolescents who stutter (2009). In School of Rock , he played Theo, lead singer of

616-553: A future rebbetzin (rabbi's wife) comes from singing along to Bobby's songs with her best friends Hani and Fani ( Natasha Lyonne ). They keep their practice session a secret, since their religion bars them from singing in public. From the moment Bobby arrives at the Mazel Hotel, he goes through culture shock: his TV goes dark at sundown on Fridays, his beloved cell phone is confiscated during the Sabbath , and his Grey Goose vodka

704-464: A gay anarchist professor of computer-age philosophy at New York University, calls and plans to surprise them at their apartment, but is mugged before entering. At the same time, Mark and Roger's former roommate and friend Benny, who has since become their harsh new landlord, has reneged on an earlier agreement and now demands last year's rent, before shutting down their electrical power ("Tune Up #2"). However, Mark and Roger stubbornly resolve against paying

792-629: A gay couple who try to hide their relationship from family and neighbors in 1973, a few years following the Stonewall Riots . Pascal reprised his role from SLC Punk! in the 2015 sequel, Punk's Dead . In 2015, Pascal starred in Alleluia! The Devil's Carnival as The Agent, one of God's top generals in Heaven. Pascal had a guest role as Dennis Hofferman, a murder victim, on an episode of Cold Case , with Tracie Thoms , his co-star from

880-424: A lawyer and Maureen's girlfriend, receives a voicemail from her parents ("Voice Mail #2"). At last, the missing Collins enters the apartment, presenting Angel, who is now in full drag ; she amusingly shares the money she earned from killing an affluent couple's dog by loudly playing nonstop for an hour ("Today 4 U"). Mark comes home, and Benny arrives, speaking of Maureen's upcoming protest against his plans to evict

968-418: A life of stability for his art, and shared many of the same hopes and fears as his characters. Like his characters he endured poor living conditions, and some of these conditions (e.g. illegal wood-burning stove, bathtub in the middle of his kitchen, broken buzzer [his guests had to call from the pay phone across the street and he would throw down the keys, as in "Rent"]) made their way into the musical . Part of

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1056-418: A long, painful piece that reflects a confrontation and parting between characters in both Puccini's and Larson's work. "Quando me'n vo'" is paralleled in the first verse of " Take Me or Leave Me ", when Maureen describes the way people stare when she walks in the street. It is also directly referred to in the scene where the characters are celebrating their bohemian life . Mark says, "Roger will attempt to write

1144-400: A once-in-a-lifetime ticket to freedom from the constrictive life that threatens to hold her back. On September 14, 2009, MarVista Entertainment announced both their distribution rights to the film Goyband and their choice to rename the movie Falling Star (note the one "r", which is different from the name of the title character). Adam Pascal Adam Pascal (born October 25, 1970)

1232-423: A painter instead of a filmmaker; Roger was named Ralph and wrote musical plays; Angel was a jazz philosopher , while Collins was a street performer; Angel and Collins were both originally described as Caucasian; and Benny had a somewhat enlarged role in the story, taking part in songs like "Real Estate", which was later cut. Many actual locations and events are included in, or are the inspiration for, elements of

1320-659: A role which he had played on Broadway from January 15 to 20, 2019. Pascal was cast as Ryuk in the English premiere of Death Note: the Musical for its concert run at the London Palladium in August 2023. Pascal directed a production of Rent for Long island 's From Stage to Screen, performances ran from July 28 to July 30, 2023. Pascal was set to direct Something Rotten! at Stage to Screen on Long Island but it

1408-645: A sing-through of the musical in Larson's memory. The show premiered as planned and quickly gained popularity fueled by enthusiastic reviews and the recent death of its composer. It proved extremely successful during its off-Broadway run, selling out all its shows at the 150-seat New York Theatre Workshop. Due to such overwhelming popularity and a need for a larger theater, Rent moved to Broadway's then-under-renovation Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street and opened on April 29, 1996. Larson's inspiration for Rent ' s content came from several different sources. Many of

1496-494: A song and dance number and sometimes wears women's clothing. This line was originally in the film Car Wash (1976), delivered by Antonio Fargas as a flamboyant homosexual cross dresser named Lindy. The earliest concepts of the characters differ largely from the finished products. Everyone except Mark had AIDS, including Maureen and Joanne; Maureen was a serious, angry character who played off Oedipus in her performance piece instead of Hey Diddle Diddle ; Mark was, at one point,

1584-415: Is "no day but today" ("Finale B"). Act 1 Act 2 There are also many other non-named roles such as Cops, Bohemians, Vendors, Homeless People. In professional productions, all the minor characters are played by the seven members of the ensemble. The usual doubling is as follows: Rent received several awards including a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards . Critical reception of Rent

1672-495: Is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson . Loosely based on the 1896 opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini , Luigi Illica , and Giuseppe Giacosa , it tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan 's East Village , in the thriving days of the bohemian culture of Alphabet City , under the shadow of HIV/AIDS . The musical

1760-604: Is an American actor, singer, and musician, known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original 1996 cast of Jonathan Larson 's musical Rent on Broadway , the 2005 movie version of the musical , and the Broadway tour of Rent in 2009. He is also known for originating the role of Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice 's Aida , for playing the Emcee in the 1998 revival of Cabaret , for playing Freddie Trumper in Chess at

1848-970: Is forcibly removed from the church for being unable to pay for Angel's funeral; Benny shows compassion by paying and offering Mark and Collins drinks. Collins accepts, causing the latter and Benny to rekindle their old friendship, but Mark turns down the offer due to work commitments. Some time later, both Mark and Roger simultaneously reach an artistic epiphany , as Roger finds his song in Mimi and Mark finds his film in Angel's memory; Roger decides to return to New York in time for Christmas, while Mark quits his job to devote his efforts to working on his own film ("What You Own"). The characters' parents, concerned and confused about their respective situations, leave several worried messages on their answering machines ("Voice Mail #5"). On Christmas Eve, exactly one year having passed, Mark prepares to screen his now-completed film to his friends. Roger has written his song, but apparently, Mimi

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1936-592: Is missing, and no one has seen her. Benny's wife, discovering Benny's past relationship with Mimi, has pulled him out of the East Village. The power suddenly blows and Collins enters with handfuls of cash, revealing that he reprogrammed an ATM at a grocery store to provide money to anybody with the code 'ANGEL'. Maureen and Joanne abruptly enter carrying Mimi, who had been homeless and is now weak and close to death. She begins to fade, telling Roger that she loves him ("Finale"). Roger tells her to hold on as he plays her

2024-485: Is performed representing all the couples' sex lives ("Contact"). At the climax of the number, the two former couples break up, and Angel suddenly dies in Collins' arms. At the funeral, the friends briefly come together to share their memories, with Collins being the last to reminisce ("I'll Cover You [Reprise]"). Mark expresses his fear of being the sole survivor when his friends eventually die of AIDS, and he finally accepts

2112-626: Is replaced with Manischewitz . All of this is set against the backdrop of an alien world where "kosher enforcers" drag gamblers from their slot machines at prayer time; late-night treyf smugglers sneak non-kosher contraband like cheeseburgers and fried shrimp into the hotel; and where slot machines display Shofars , Menorahs and Stars of David instead of lemons, cherries and dollar signs, and chime " Hava Nagila " for lucky winners. Arranging for Bobby Star to play at her father's hotel might have started out as an act of rebellion for Rebekka, but when infatuation blossoms into romance, Bobby offers Rebekka

2200-402: Is strained by Mimi's escalating heroin usage and Roger's lasting jealousy and suspicion on Benny. Each alone, Roger and Mimi sing of love and loneliness, telling each other how they feel, as they watch Collins nurse Angel, whose health is declining due to AIDS ("Without You"). By the end of the summer, Mark continues to receive calls offering a corporate job at Buzzline ("Voice Mail #4"). A dance

2288-457: Is the hotel owner's persuasive daughter Rebekka Hershenfeld ( Amy Davidson ), who has harbored a huge crush on Bobby since childhood. Rebekka's world is guided by her arranged betrothal to Haim ( Benjamin Bauman ), the son of Grand Rabbi Sheinman ( Joel Leffert ), who is supposed to issue the casino's all-important kosher certificate . Rebekka's only release from the pressures of preparing to be

2376-586: Is upset, and although they apologize to each other, Mimi goes to her drug dealer for a fix ("Happy New Year B"). Around Valentine's Day, Mark tells the audience that Roger and Mimi have been living together, Collins and Angel are nowhere to be found, and Maureen and Joanne are preparing another protest; during rehearsal, Maureen criticizes Joanne's controlling behavior , while Joanne criticizes Maureen's promiscuity. They break up dramatically following an ultimatum (" Take Me or Leave Me "). Time progresses to spring ("Seasons of Love B"), where Roger and Mimi's relationship

2464-545: The Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation , Friends In Deed and New York Theatre Workshop. Former cast members were invited, and many from prior tours and former Broadway casts appeared, performing an alternate version of "Seasons of Love" as the finale of the performance. Rent closed on September 7, 2008, after a 12-year run and 5,123 performances, making it the seventh-longest-running Broadway show at that time, and currently

2552-802: The New Amsterdam Theatre and Royal Albert Hall , and for playing Huey Calhoun in the Broadway company of Memphis . More recently, he played William Shakespeare in the Tony Award-winning musical Something Rotten! Pascal was born in The Bronx, New York , and grew up in Woodbury, Nassau County, New York , with his mother, Wendy (née Frishman), and stepfather, Mel Seamon. He was raised Jewish . He graduated from Syosset High School . He then graduated from New York Institute of Technology . Before his interest in music, he

2640-554: The Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Musical . The Broadway production closed on September 7, 2008, after 12 years, making it one of the longest-running shows on Broadway . The production grossed over $ 280 million. The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions. In 2005, it was adapted into a motion picture featuring six of the eight principal cast members from

2728-406: The eleventh-longest-running Broadway show . The production grossed over $ 280 million. Original cast ensemble members Rodney Hicks and Gwen Stewart returned to the cast at the time of the Broadway closing. Hicks played Benny and Stewart played the role she created, the soloist in the song "Seasons of Love". In addition, actress Tracie Thoms joined the cast at the end of the run playing Joanne,

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2816-406: The homeless from a lot where he is hoping to build a cyber arts studio. Benny offers that, if they can successfully convince Maureen to cancel the protest, then Mark and Roger can officially remain rent-free tenants. However, the two rebuff Benny's offer and he leaves ("You'll See"). Mark leaves the loft again to go help Maureen with the sound equipment for the protest, unexpectedly meeting Joanne at

2904-441: The "glamourization" of the East Village in the late 1980s. Billy Aronson said, "For the record, although I was ambivalent about Jonathan's ideas for Rent when we were working together on it, I have come to love the show. And as tragic as it is that he didn't live to see his work become a huge success, I believe he knew it would be. In our last conversation I asked how the show was going and he said, with complete assurance, that it

2992-423: The 1996 stage premiere. In 1988, playwright Billy Aronson wanted to create "a musical based on Puccini 's La Bohème , in which the luscious splendor of Puccini's world would be replaced with the coarseness and noise of modern New York." In 1989, Jonathan Larson, a 29-year-old composer, began collaborating with Aronson on this project, and the two composed together "Santa Fe", "Splatter" (later re-worked into

3080-515: The Angry Inch wears a Rent T-shirt and speaks of his aspiration to play the role of Angel. The off-Broadway musical revue Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back includes parodies of Rent songs such as "Rant" ("Rent"), "Ouch! They're Tight" ("Out Tonight"), "Season of Hype" ("Seasons of Love"), "Too Gay 4 U (Too Het'ro 4 Me)" ("Today 4 U"), "Pretty Voices Singing" ("Christmas Bells") and "This Ain't Boheme" ("La Vie Bohème"). Lin-Manuel Miranda ,

3168-461: The Broadway cast of Memphis on October 25, 2011, as Huey Calhoun. He replaced original cast member Chad Kimball in the role. He remained in the Memphis cast until the show's closure on August 5, 2012. Beginning April 8, 2013, Pascal starred as Billy Flynn in the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago . His last performance as Billy was June 16, 2013. On November 7, 2016, Pascal joined

3256-402: The Broadway company of Something Rotten! as William Shakespeare in the show's closing cast. He also played the same role for the entirety of the show's first national tour alongside Rob McClure , Josh Grisetti , and Leah Hofmann, who were also in the closing cast of the show. In late 2021, Pascal began performances as Edward Lewis in the U.S national tour of Pretty Woman: The Musical ,

3344-559: The LaJolla Playhouse. Michael Grief, the original director of the Broadway show was also the artistic director of the LaJolla Playhouse and was instrumental in arranging for the Benny tour to begin in the smaller city of San Diego rather than Los Angeles, California. It originally featured Neil Patrick Harris as Mark Cohen in his first musical theatre role. The Benny tour generally played shorter stops and often-smaller markets than

3432-760: The Life Support group echoes his thoughts ("Will I"). Collins, Mark, and Angel protect a homeless woman from police harassment using Mark's camera, but she chastises them, believing their intent was for Mark to make a name for himself from her situation ("On the Street"). To lighten the mood, Collins talks about his dream of escaping New York City to open a restaurant in Santa Fe ("Santa Fe"). Soon, Mark leaves to check up on Roger; while alone, Collins and Angel confess their love for each other ("I'll Cover You"). Joanne hectically prepares for Maureen's show, trying to balance

3520-526: The London concert version of Chess at the Royal Albert Hall on May 12–13, 2008. His Rent and Aida co-star Idina Menzel played Florence. This performance was recorded; it has been televised, first on American and British television on June 17, 2009, and repeatedly in America on PBS stations as part of that network's "Great Performances" series; and has been released on DVD. Pascal joined

3608-594: The Marketing of Gay America" details these similarities and discusses her critiques of the musical. The line, "I'm more of a man than you'll ever be... and more of a woman than you'll ever get!", attributed to Angel Dumott Schunard at her funeral, was previously used by the character Hollywood Montrose, who appeared in the films Mannequin (1987) and Mannequin Two: On the Move (1991). Like Angel, Hollywood performs

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3696-547: The Moon"). At the post-show party at the Life Café, Benny arrives, criticizing the protest and the group's bohemian lifestyle while also revealing that his wife Alison's Akita, Evita, died due to Angel's actions; Mark and his group defiantly respond by celebrating their status (" La Vie Bohème "). Mimi and Roger each discover that the other is HIV-positive and hesitantly decide to continue their relationship ("I Should Tell You"). At

3784-650: The New York Theatre Workshop version of Rent featured songs that never made it into the final version, such as: This workshop version of Rent starred Anthony Rapp as Mark and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi. Larson continued to work on Rent , gradually reworking its flaws and staging more workshop productions. On January 24, 1996, after the musical's final dress rehearsal before its off-Broadway opening, Larson had his first (and only) newspaper interview; music critic Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times  – who had been attracted by

3872-529: The US. Pascal won the 2007–2008 Golden Icon Award for Best Small Venue Concert. The band's first CD, Blinding Light , was released in May 2008 on Pascal's own label. The CD is available at concerts and through Amazon and the band's website (where a direct digital download is available). As of 2009 and later, Pascal is developing a theatrical stage version of the classic 1988 concept album, Operation: Mindcrime by

3960-546: The band No Vacancy, and sang on two songs on the soundtrack. On July 4, 2006, Pascal took part in the Macy's Fourth of July Celebration. He sang during the traditional fireworks display. He also performed in both the fifth- and tenth-anniversary celebrations of Rent on Broadway, in 2000 and 2005, respectively. Pascal formed the band "Me and Larry (Edoff)" in 2006. The two musicians began composing and performing original material and reworked Broadway songs in small venues throughout

4048-489: The case was settled out of court. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed. On Christmas Eve in Manhattan's East Village, two roommates—Mark, a filmmaker, and Roger, a rock musician—struggle to stay warm and produce their art ("Tune Up #1"). Mark's mother leaves him a voicemail wishing him a Merry Christmas and trying to comfort him since his ex-girlfriend Maureen dumped him ("Voice Mail #1"). Their friend Tom Collins,

4136-561: The character of Alcindoro in Bohème , but is also partially based on Marcello. Also, Joanne is the only Rent character whose predecessor in La Bohème is a different sex. Other examples of parallels between Larson's and Puccini's work include Larson's song "Light My Candle", which draws melodic content directly from "Che gelida manina"; " Quando me'n vo' " ("Musetta's Waltz"), a melody taken directly from Puccini's opera; and "Goodbye Love",

4224-645: The characters and plot elements are drawn directly from Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème , the world premiere of which was in 1896, a century before Rent ' s premiere. La Bohème was also about the lives of poor young artists. Tuberculosis , the plague of Puccini's opera, is replaced by HIV/AIDS in Rent ; 1800s Paris is replaced by New York's East Village in the late 1980s or early 1990s. The names and identities of Rent ' s characters also heavily reflect Puccini's original characters, though they are not all direct adaptations. For example, Joanne in Rent represents

4312-419: The coincidence that the show was debuting exactly 100 years after Puccini's opera – requested the interview. Larson would not live to see Rent ' s success; he died from an undiagnosed aortic dissection (believed to have resulted from Marfan syndrome ) early the next morning, January 25, 1996. Friends and family gathered at the New York Theatre Workshop, and the first preview of Rent became

4400-482: The composer and writer of the Broadway show Hamilton , has cited Rent as a main source of inspiration. He also referenced the show in a verse of the song "Wrote My Way Out" on The Hamilton Mixtape in the line "Running out of time like I'm Jonathan Larson's rent check". 2019 Rent had its first staged reading at New York Theatre Workshop in March 1993. A further two-week New York Theatre Workshop version

4488-793: The corporate job offer ("Halloween"). Roger reveals that he is leaving for Santa Fe, which sparks an argument about commitment between him and Mimi, while Maureen and Joanne argue. Collins arrives and admonishes the entire group for fighting on the day of Angel's funeral, causing Maureen and Joanne to reconcile, but not Mimi and Roger. The group share a sad moment, knowing that between deaths and leaving, their close-knit friendships will become undone. Everyone leaves except Mark and Roger, where Mark tries to convince Roger to stay in New York. Roger, unable to handle Mimi's declining health, becomes furious with Mark and leaves. Mimi returns to say goodbye, overhearing everything Roger had said and, terrified, agrees to go to rehab, which Benny pays for ("Goodbye Love"). Collins

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4576-444: The discounted $ 20 rush tickets to each show, though it generally refers to anyone who is obsessed with the show. These discounted tickets were for seats in the first two rows of the theater reserved for sale by lottery two hours prior to each show. Other Broadway shows have followed Rent ' s example and now also offer cheaper tickets in efforts to make Broadway theater accessible to people who would otherwise be unable to afford

4664-653: The end of the Act, Joanne explains that Mark and Roger's building has been padlocked and a riot has broken out; Roger and Mimi, unaware of the violence, share their first kiss. The celebration continues ("La Vie Bohème B"). The cast lines up to sing together before the plot of the second act begins, affirming that one should measure life "in love" (" Seasons of Love "). On New Year's Eve, Mark, Mimi, Roger, Maureen, Joanne, Collins and Angel gather to break back into Mark and Roger's apartment which they have been locked out of. ("Happy New Year"). Once Mark, Joanne and Maureen break in through

4752-470: The film version of Rent , directed by Chris Columbus . Pop idol Justin Timberlake was considered for the role of Roger, but Columbus decided to stick with the original cast members. The film released on November 23, 2005. In the independent movie Falling Star (formerly titled Goyband ), Pascal stars as a former boy-band icon who is booked to play a show at a Kosher hotel but ends up shocking

4840-527: The film version of Rent , and Laura Bell Bundy , another Broadway star who originated the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde . The episode, called "Willkommen", originally aired on April 2, 2006, and revolved around an amateur production of Cabaret . Pascal provided the narration and sang a song, "I'm Not an Egg Anymore", in the double-length episode " Tale of the Mighty Knights " for

4928-566: The future of the American musical." Another reviewer wrote, " Rent speaks to Generation X the way that the musical Hair spoke to the baby boomers or those who grew up in the 1960s," while the New York Times similarly called it "a rock opera for our time, a Hair for the 90s." The show proved extremely successful off-Broadway, selling out all of its performances at the 150-seat theatre. Due to its overwhelming popularity and

5016-673: The guests with his sexy show. Fans were invited to participate in the movie as extras for the concert scenes. His co-stars are Amy Davidson , Cris Judd , Tovah Feldshuh , Dean Edwards , Tibor Feldman , and Natasha Lyonne . Goyband originally premiered at the Jerusalem Films Festival in December 2008. Its North American premiere was July 2009, on Long Island. The movie was bought by distributor MarVista Entertainment, which retitled it Falling Star . Pascal also filmed another independent movie, Wild About Harry , about

5104-421: The leader of the meeting, replies, "Okay...but, Gordon, how do you feel today?" Gordon admits that he is feeling the best that he has felt all year. Paul asks, "Then why choose fear?" Gordon says, "I'm a New Yorker. Fear's my life." Lynn Thomson was a dramaturge who was hired by New York Theatre Workshop to help rework Rent . She claimed that between early May and the end of October 1995, she and Larson co-wrote

5192-453: The loft while Roger stays home ("Tune Up #3"), trying to compose on his guitar without success; he wishes desperately to write one last song to be remembered by before he dies ("One Song Glory"). Their neighbor Mimi, an exotic dancer and drug addict, arrives at their apartment asking for help with lighting her candle, flirting with Roger in the process; however, he is clearly hesitant to return her affections ("Light My Candle"). Meanwhile, Joanne,

5280-439: The members of Life Support had a solid block of the "forget regret" refrain, and they talked about remembering love. When Jonathan's HIV positive friends heard this scene, they told him that having AIDS was not so easy to accept: it made you angry and resentful too, and the song did not match that. Jonathan then added a part where Gordon says that he has a problem with this "credo...my T-cells are low, I regret that news, okay?" Paul,

5368-526: The motivation behind the storyline in which Maureen leaves Mark for a woman (Joanne) is based on the fact that Larson's own girlfriend left him for a woman. The Mark Cohen character is based on Larson's friends, cinematographer and producer Jonathan Burkhart and documentary filmmaker Eddie Rosenstein . Playwright Sarah Schulman alleged that Rent bore striking similarities to her novel People in Trouble . Schulman's 1998 book "Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and

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5456-485: The musical. Life Café, where the "La Vie Bohème" numbers are set, was an actual restaurant (closed 2013) on 10th Street and Avenue B in the East Village of New York City. The riot at the end of the first act is based on the East Village riot in 1988 that arose as a result of the city-imposed curfew in Tompkins Square Park . "Will I?", a song which takes place during a Life Support meeting and expresses

5544-559: The need for a larger theater, Rent moved to Broadway's previously derelict Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street on April 29, 1996. On Broadway, the show achieved critical acclaim and word-of-mouth popularity. The production's ethnically diverse principal cast originally included Taye Diggs , Wilson Jermaine Heredia , Jesse L. Martin , Idina Menzel , Adam Pascal , Anthony Rapp , Daphne Rubin-Vega and Fredi Walker . The production's controversial topics and innovative pricing, including same day-of-performance $ 20 tickets, helped to increase

5632-461: The pain and fear of living a life with AIDS , was inspired by a real event. Larson attended a meeting of Friends in Deed , an organization that helps people deal with illness and grief, much like Life Support. After that first time, Larson attended the meetings regularly. During one meeting, a man stood up and said that he was not afraid of dying. He did say, however, that there was one thing of which he

5720-494: The popularity of musical theater amongst the younger generation. The production was nominated for ten Tony Awards in 1996 and won four: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Heredia). On April 24, 2006, the original Broadway cast reunited for a one-night performance of the musical at the Nederlander Theatre. This performance raised over $ 2,000,000 for

5808-529: The progressive metal band, Queensrÿche . The band is one of Pascal's musical influences, and has fully endorsed his efforts. Pascal made his film debut in SLC Punk! (1999) and also appeared in School of Rock (2003) and Temptation (2004). The audio for Temptation , a musical, was recorded live on set during filming. In late 2005, he, along with five others of the principal cast, reprised their roles in

5896-506: The rent, which they were promised would not be a problem ("Rent"). Meanwhile, Angel, a cross-dressing street drummer (presently out of drag), finds Collins wounded in an alley and tends to him ("You Okay Honey?") - the two are immediately attracted to each other, each learning that the other is HIV positive . It is revealed that Roger also has HIV, which he contracted from his last girlfriend, who died by suicide after learning of her diagnosis, causing Roger to fall into depression. Mark leaves

5984-406: The role she portrayed in the 2005 film version. The last Broadway performance was filmed and screened in movie theaters as Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway in September 2008. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray formats on February 3, 2009. Successful United States national tours, the "Angel Tour" and the "Benny Tour", launched in the 1990s. Later, the non- Equity tour started its run. There was also

6072-523: The show The Backyardigans . On December 19, 1998, Pascal married Cybele Chivian, the daughter of Eric S. Chivian, M.D. , Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, and the granddaughter of writer Joseph Jay Deiss . The couple has two sons. Pascal and Chivian separated in 2021. [1] Rent (musical) Rent (stylized in all caps )

6160-934: The show as the Emcee (closing cast). He also participated in several charity performances, including Chess in 2003 (playing the American, Freddie Trumper), Hair in 2004 (singing "I Got Life"), and the 24 Hour Plays in 2005. He returned to Aida in 2004 to close the run of the show as Radames. Along with original Broadway Rent cast member Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen), Pascal returned to Broadway to star as Roger in Rent from July 30 to October 7, 2007. In January 2009, he and Rapp reprised their originating (and film) roles as Roger and Mark in Rent: The Broadway Tour , which played in many cities in North America, as well as stops in Japan and South Korea. At

6248-504: The show, which in its final incarnation contained 42 songs. In the fall of 1992, Larson approached James Nicola, artistic director of New York Theatre Workshop, with a tape and copy of Rent ' s script. When Rent had its first staged reading at New York Theatre Workshop in March 1993, it became evident that, despite its very promising material and moving musical numbers, many structural problems needed to be addressed, including its cumbersome length and overly complex plot. As of 1994,

6336-403: The simultaneous multiple calls ("We're Okay"). Before the performance, Roger apologizes to Mimi, inviting her to come to the protest and the dinner party his friends are having afterwards. At the same time, police, vendors, and homeless people prepare for the protest ("Christmas Bells"). Maureen performs in an avant-garde, if not over-the-top, manner, basing her piece on " Hey Diddle Diddle " ("Over

6424-655: The song "Rent"), and "I Should Tell You". Larson suggested setting the play "amid poverty, homelessness, spunky gay life, drag queens and punk " in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan , which happened to be down the street from his Greenwich Village apartment. He also came up with the show's ultimate title (a decision that Aronson was unhappy with, at least until Larson pointed out that "rent" also means torn apart). In 1991, he asked Aronson if he could use Aronson's original concept and make Rent his own. Larson had ambitious expectations for Rent ; his ultimate dream

6512-422: The song he wrote for her, revealing the depth of his feelings for her ("Your Eyes"). Mimi appears to die, but abruptly awakens, claiming to have been heading into a white light before a vision of Angel appeared, telling her to go back and stay with Roger. The remaining friends gather together in a final moment of shared happiness and resolve to enjoy whatever time they have left with each other, affirming that there

6600-576: The stage. Initially hesitant with each other, the two eventually bond over their shared distrust of Maureen's "gaslighting" and promiscuous behavior ("Tango: Maureen"). Mark then joins Collins and Angel to film their HIV support group meeting ("Life Support"), while Mimi attempts to seduce Roger alone in his apartment ("Out Tonight"). Extremely upset by Mimi's intrusion, he demands that she leave him alone and resists any romantic feelings he may harbor for her ("Another Day"). After Mimi leaves, Roger reflects on his fear of dying an undignified death from AIDS, while

6688-807: The ticket prices. The film Team America: World Police includes a character who plays a lead role in Lease , a Broadway musical parody of Rent . In 2017, the song "Out Tonight" was covered by the characters Josie and the Pussycats in an episode of the television series Riverdale . Satirist Randy Rainbow parodied "Seasons of Love" as "Seasons of Trump" for his 2021 look back at the Trump administration , and "Tango: Maureen" as "Tango: Vaccine" to highlight purveyors of COVID-19 misinformation . Rent has also been referenced in other musicals. Yitzhak in Hedwig and

6776-504: The tour's Detroit , Michigan stop in February, Pascal suffered two herniated discs in his neck and was on medical leave for a week. His role was filled in by Cary Shields, who had played "Roger" in the Broadway, Canadian, "Benny" National Tour productions. Pascal made a full recovery and finished up the tour in early 2010. This tour closed on February 7, 2010. Pascal reprised the role of Frederick Trumper, aka "Freddie, The American" in

6864-442: The trial, according to a partner in the firm representing the Larson estate, Thomson could not recall the lyrics to the songs that she allegedly wrote, nor the structures of the libretto she claimed to have created. The judge ruled against her and gave Larson's estate full credit and right to Rent . A federal appellate court upheld the original ruling on appeal. In the judgement, the court ruled against Thompson saying "she had brought

6952-402: The window, a voicemail reveals that Mark's footage of the riot has earned him a job offering at a tabloid news company called Buzzline ("Voice Mail #3"). The others finally break through the door just as Benny arrives, saying he wants to call a truce and revealing that Mimi, a former girlfriend of his, convinced him to change his mind. Mimi denies rekindling her relationship with Benny, but Roger

7040-459: The wrong suit." Thompson had sued over a verbal agreement she claimed to have with Larson, which she could not prove. However, the court stated in the judgment that her claim to have written some of the material in RENT, including the lyrics to the song "Glory," was credible and that she had standing to sue for ownership of some of the material in RENT. She filed suit with revised claims. In August 1998,

7128-489: Was a personal trainer. Although he began as a rock musician playing in a number of bands (such as Mute) formed with his schoolmates, Pascal became drawn to musical theater. A friend of his from high school (Idina Menzel's boyfriend at the time) mentioned Rent to him. On a whim, he auditioned and was cast as the HIV-positive rock guitarist Roger Davis. His powerful tenor voice and his performance in Rent earned him

7216-559: Was afraid: Would he lose his dignity? From this question stemmed the first line of this song. The people present at the Life Support meeting in the show, such as Gordon, Ali and Pam, carry the names of Larson's friends who died. In the Broadway show, the names of the characters in that particular scene (they introduce themselves) were changed nightly to honor the friends of the cast members who were living with or had died from AIDS. The scene and song "Life Support" were also based on Friends in Deed, as well as on Gordon, Pam, and Ali. Originally,

7304-503: Was first seen in 1993 in a workshop production at New York Theatre Workshop , the off-Broadway theatre which was also where the musical began performances on January 26, 1996. The show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly of an aortic dissection , believed to have been caused by undiagnosed Marfan syndrome , the night before. The musical moved to Broadway 's larger Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. On Broadway, Rent gained critical acclaim and won several awards, including

7392-514: Was incredible." The song "Seasons of Love" became a successful pop song and often is performed on its own. Because of its connection to New Years and looking back at times past, it is sometimes performed at graduations or school holiday programs. Rent gathered a following of fans who refer to themselves as "RENT-heads". The name originally referred to people who would camp out at the Nederlander Theater for hours in advance for

7480-415: Was performed in 1994 starring Anthony Rapp as Mark and Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi, and more workshops followed. The show opened in 1996, again at New York Theatre Workshop, and quickly gained popularity off-Broadway, receiving enthusiastic reviews. The New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley called it an "exhilarating, landmark rock opera" with a "glittering, inventive score" that "shimmers with hope for

7568-445: Was positive not only for its acting and musical components, but also for its representation of HIV-positive individuals. Many critics praised the portrayal of characters such as Angel and Collins as being happy, with positive outlooks on life, rather than being resigned to death. While critics and theatre patrons had largely positive reviews of the show, it was criticized for its stereotypically negative portrayal of lesbian characters and

7656-583: Was to write a rock opera "to bring musical theater to the MTV generation ". Aronson and Larson made an agreement that if the show went to Broadway, Aronson would share in the proceeds and be given credit for "original concept & additional lyrics". Jonathan Larson focused on composing Rent in the early 1990s, waiting tables at the Moondance Diner to support himself. Over the course of years, Larson wrote hundreds of songs and made many drastic changes to

7744-541: Was ultimately cancelled. On November 4, 2024, it was announced that Pascal will be joining the off-Broadway musical, Drag: The Musical as the token straight man, Tom Hutchinson. Pascal believed he was looked upon solely as a Broadway singer, and thus returned to his rock and roll roots with a solo recording contract on Sh-K-Boom Records , which was founded by his Aida costar, Sherie Rene Scott and her husband Kurt Deutsch. He has released two solo rock albums , Model Prisoner (2000) and Civilian (2004), as well as

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