Applause before show

2008-09-08 12:05

New York - They cheered, they cried and gave the show a standing ovation even before the first note was sung.

Broadway said goodbye on Sunday to Rent 12 years and 5 124 performances after it first became a rock musical with a message for theatregoers of all ages.

"Like we did when we opened, we dedicate this performance to Jonathan Larson," said actor Adam Kantor, referring to the man who wrote the show's book, music and lyrics.

Then Rent was off and running toward its final curtain that had the last cast as well as members of its original company together on stage at the end of the evening to sing an electric version of Seasons of Love one of the show's best-known songs.

"There's mixed emotions, but it's time," said Allan S Gordon, one of its producers, talking about the closing.

The show was born off-Broadway in triumph and tragedy. Larson died of an aortic aneurism after its final dress rehearsal in January 1996. He was 35.

Shocking

"It was the most shocking thing," Gordon recalled. "I still can't believe Jonathan is dead. All you need is one (big hit), and he had that. I don't miss what he didn't write. I feel bad that he isn't here to enjoy what he did."

Larson's tale of free-spirited artists and street people in a gritty drug- and Aids-plagued East Village of the early 1990s touched several generations.

Rave reviews propelled Rent to Broadway where the musical opened the following April at the Nederlander Theatre, a house often shunned by producers because it was on the wrong side of 42nd Street.

The show, inspired by Puccini's La Boheme, found a ready-made audience in young people. Its fanatical supporters were nicknamed "Rentheads", and many of them saw the show after the musical instituted a same-day, front-row ticket price of $20.

The plan proved so popular that it was changed to a lottery format to accommodate the demand.

Yet the show's fans were more than just young theatregoers.

All ages love it

"It's 80% the traditional audience," Gordon explained. "Rent was not defined by age. It attracted a wide spectrum of people. People of all ages love it. That's why it survived."

Survived and thrived - winning Tonys, Obies and the Pulitzer Prize for drama as well as grossing more than $280m during its Broadway run.

Millions more were made from national tours and foreign productions that performed on six continents. A film version, using much of the original cast, was released in 2005.

But what made "Rent" stand out and be embraced by so many people?

"Rent speaks to people's hearts," said Gwen Stewart, original cast member. "There is a universal truth that I think everyone can identity with: Living today to the fullest because you don't know if tomorrow will be promised to you.

But it's not the end of "Rent," according to Gordon.

Another tour starts in January for some 30 weeks with several members of the original cast.

- AP