‘Rent’ Musical Marks 30th Broadway Anniversary With Star-Studded Benefit Show

The iconic rock musical “Rent” is celebrating its 30th anniversary on Broadway with a special, star-studded benefit performance.

The milestone event on Monday at the Richard Rodgers Theatre brought together original cast members and other Broadway luminaries to honor Jonathan Larson’s landmark production. Proceeds from the performance and available livestream tickets are being donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Original cast members returning to their roles include Idina Menzel, Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Taye Diggs, and Anthony Rapp. Other “Rent” alumni and notable Broadway performers such as Jordan Fisher, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Nicholas Christopher, Tracie Thoms, Jose Llana, Ephraim Sykes, Aaron Tveit, Neil Patrick Harris, Rachel Zegler, Norbert Leo Butz, Will Chase, Telly Leung, and Christopher J. Hanke were also scheduled to participate.

“It’s rare that a show has a life like this and is still exciting and inspirational enough to have a 30th festival, if you will,” said Jordan Fisher, who recalled hearing “Seasons of Love” for the first time as a middle schooler and being profoundly impacted by it. “It’s a really, really special thing.”

Inspired by Puccini’s “La Bohème,” “Rent” tells the story of artists and musicians living in New York’s East Village during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the early 1990s. The musical opened on Broadway in 1996 after a successful off-Broadway run.

“He believed that going to musical theater didn’t just have to be an escape. It didn’t have to just be looking at phantoms and things that happened hundreds of years ago. It could be about the life we’re living right now,” said Anthony Rapp, who originated the role of Mark Cohen.

Rapp noted the significance of the proceeds going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, an organization that has provided essential aid to artists since the 1980s. “They can help make a difference to help people get direct aid and direct support in communities around the country.”

Recalling the early days of the production, Rapp described the palpable energy in the room when the cast first heard “Seasons of Love,” a song now famous for its refrain, “525,600 minutes/How do you measure a year in the life?” He added, “I’ve never heard a song like it and certainly not in theater.”

Rapp believes “Rent” paved the way for a new generation of musicals that tackle contemporary issues, citing shows like “Hadestown,” “Spring Awakening,” “Next to Normal,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” and “Hamilton” as examples. “When you break a dam open, water rushes through. It’s like that,” he said. “Now, there’s a whole new universe of shows that have followed in our footsteps because we broke down the dam that seemed unbreakable.”

“Rent” garnered critical acclaim, winning Tony Awards for best musical, score, and book, as well as a Pulitzer Prize. The original Broadway production ran for 12 years and over 5,000 performances, launching the careers of its original cast members.

Larson, the musical's composer and lyricist, died at age 35 from an aortic aneurysm in January 1996, shortly after the final off-Broadway dress rehearsal, and never saw his creation achieve its widespread success. “The torch has been passed and carried by so many incredible artists over the years,” Rapp reflected. “I think it would thrill Jonathan Larson so much to know that so many wonderful human beings came through and kept his work alive and that they want to come back and celebrate it.”

Since its Broadway debut, “Rent” has seen a film adaptation, multiple national and international tours, an off-Broadway revival, and a live television adaptation on Fox in 2019, which featured Fisher in Rapp's original role. Livestream tickets for the 30th-anniversary performance remain available and will be accessible for 24 hours following the show.