Courtesy Richard Kornberg ' Associates, Photography by Joan Marcus

Rent Plays on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater

208 West 41st Street

New York, New York

Rent is the musical hit on Broadway which tells the audience to come celebrate the seasons of love despite all the unsurmountable pitfalls of life. Since it first opened off-Broadway, Rent has been awarded the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and has been credited with re-inventing the Broadway musical. This drama is a modern day version of Giacomo Puccini's classic 1896 opera, La Boheme. Dealing with today's controversial issues such as homelessness, AIDs and drug addiction in such a manner as to fill the audience with feelings of hope and compassion. The tale being told is seen through the eyes of a group of New York City East Village artists struggling to survive and find love and hope in today's world.

Rent in the Making of a Broadway Musical

The musical production of Rent, book, music and lyrics, was created by Johnathan Larson and directed by Michael Greif. Larson suddenly died on the eve of the show's first off-Broadway performance at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1996. The opening was to

Courtesy Richard Kornberg ' Associates, Photography by Joan Marcus

a sold-out, extended limited engagement and went on to win every major best musical award. Rent is now the 9th longest running show in Broadway history. Grease's long standing record has already been surpassed by Rent.

Drew Lachey's Broadway Debut in Rent

Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees band fame has joined the cast of Rent as Mark Cohen, the musical's narrator who is a struggling filmmaker living in New York's East Village. The multi-platinum recording group 98 Degrees, one of the most popular boy bands in the past 10 years, is presently taking time off. The group's hit albums include "98 Degrees and Rising" and "Revelation". Meanwhile, Drew Lachey is making the most of this off-time with numerous guest TV appearances and making his debut on Broadway in Rent. American Idol contestant, Frenchie Davis gives a soloist performance with "Seasons of Love". The cast is young, vibrant and full of energy.

The Nederlander Theatre on-Broadway

The now Nederlander Theatre was built in 1921 on an existing tennis court. Originally the theater had a seating capacity of over 1,150. The Shuberts owned the theater from 1927 to 1959, then selling to Billy Rose. In 1978 the theater was purchased by The Nederlanders and was renamed. The Nederlander Theatre suffered a lack-luster existence from 1978 until the award winning musical production of Rent opened to sold-out crowds in 1996. Not only has the production of Rent revitalized this theater... the Broadway musical has been reinvented and given new life.