Save this story Save Story Save this story On Monday night, members of the original Broadway cast of Rent —the iconic rock opera that dropped the plot of La Bohème into Alphabet City during the HIV/AIDS crisis—united with a sprawling company of theater talent to celebrate the show’s 30th birthday before a sold-out crowd at New York’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Rent played its first preview off-Broadway, at the New York Theatre Workshop, on January 25, 1996—the same day that Jonathan Larson , its 35-year-old composer and librettist, died suddenly at his home in Manhattan. Three months later, on April 29, it opened at the Nederlander Theatre, going on to earn 10 Tony nominations (the most of any production that season) and four wins, including for best musical. After making stars of its young actors, including Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, Taye Diggs, and Idina Menzel , Rent ’s subsequent iterations across the country, in regional and touring productions, also helped to launch the careers of performers like Aaron Tveit, Brandon Uranowitz, and Norbert Leo Butz. (Its Broadway run ended in 2008, after a dozen years and 5,123 regular performances.)
Celebrity guests at Rent during its first year on Broadway:
Barbara Walters and David Geffen on Rent ’s opening night, 1996.
Shirley MacLaine at a performance of Rent in May 1996.
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward at Rent in May 1996.
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise at a performance in May 1996.
Jim Carrey at a performance in July 1996.
Eddie Murphy at a performance of Rent in October 1996.
Al Hirschfeld’s caricature of the original Broadway cast of Rent .
To mark 30 years of Rent —and to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS —nearly 70 actors and singers whose lives have intersected with the show in some way, from Neil Patrick Harris (who starred in the 1997 national tour) to Rachel Zegler (who had to quit a high school production to make her screen test for West Side Story ), took the stage of the Lunt-Fontanne for a rollicking and emotional one-night-only concert. (The full thing is available to stream until 11 p.m.)
On the scene to capture the staging’s stars was photographer Curtis Brown. See his portraits—and relive the concert’s joyous celebration of one of musical theater’s most groundbreaking and influential works—below.
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 1/21 Anthony Rapp
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 2/21 Adam Pascal
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 3/21 Daphne Rubin-Vega
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 4/21 Fredi Walker-Browne
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 5/21 Wilson Jermaine Heredia
27 Ridiculously Easy Couples Costume Ideas for Halloween Watch Vogue Cover Star Jenna Ortega Get Real With Her Inner Voice Reed All About It: Here’s How Alexander Skarsgård Wound Up in Couture Scuba Pants for Wicker How to Preserve Your Social Battery Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 6/21 Idina Menzel
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 7/21 Rachel Zegler
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 8/21 Aaron Tveit
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 9/21 Nicholas Christopher
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 10/21 Neil Patrick Harris
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 11/21 Jordan Fisher
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 12/21 Tracie Thoms
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 13/21 Norbert Leo Butz
How to Preserve Your Social Battery 27 Ridiculously Easy Couples Costume Ideas for Halloween Watch Vogue Cover Star Jenna Ortega Get Real With Her Inner Voice Reed All About It: Here’s How Alexander Skarsgård Wound Up in Couture Scuba Pants for Wicker Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 14/21 Eden Espinosa
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 15/21 Wilson Cruz
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 16/21 Merle Dandridge
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 17/21 Ephraim Sykes
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 18/21 Tamyra Gray
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 19/21 Will Chase
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 20/21 Lencia Kebede
Expand Photo: Curtis Brown 21/21 Director Michael Greif
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Source: Lifestyle
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