Closing of “Rent” brings tributes
“Rent” changed the demographics of Broadway when it came out of nowhere in 1996. Kids who thought Rodgers & Hammerstein was a law firm were flocking in droves to musical theater to watch a bunch of poor East Village bohemes sing about their travails.
The show was doubly poignant: several of its characters were HIV-positive in an era when AIDS was a death sentence, and Jonathan Larson, its creator, died unexpectedly on the eve of its off-Broadway opening.
“Rent’s” long Broadway run finally ended Sept. 7. The tributes and retrospectives have been pouring in, including this interesting showing an assortment of actors who have tackled the show’s major roles. (I’d forgotten about Norbert Leo Butz, who’s more frequently associated these days with comic characters).
No tag for this post.