Kathy Kohl (Assistant Technical Director)
Elijah Chase (Scenic Artist)
Makenna Bird (Assistant Stage Manager)
Viva La Vie Boheme! Weathervane Playhouse celebrates the 30th anniversary of Rent, Jonathan Larson's iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that shaped a generation of audiences and taught us all to measure our life in love. Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV/AIDS in the early 1990s. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.
Jonathan Larson had been a "starving artist" living the bohemian life for several years, when, in 1989, his friend and fellow struggling playwright, Billy Aronson, suggested a contemporary, American version of Puccini's La Boheme. Instantly, Larson saw the possibilities of exploring AIDS, homelessness, sexuality, and the struggle for art in an East Village setting. He envisioned a "Hair for the ‘90s," that could "bring musical theater to the MTV generation." Initially, Aronson and Larson developed Rent together, writing early drafts of the title song, as well as "Santa Fe" and "I Should Tell You." Eventually, the two parted ways amicably, and Larson continued to develop the show on his own.
Rent had several stages of development before it reached production. The first staged reading occurred in March of 1993. Larson was awarded a Richard Rodgers Development Award in January 1994, for which he had applied on the advice of his mentor and hero, Stephen Sondheim. The $45,000 prize helped finance a two-week workshop of Rent that took place in November of that year. Two of the people in the audience were up-and-coming producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum. Based on the strength of the workshop presentation, the two agreed to partner with New York Theatre Workshop to stage a full production the following year, where it officially opened on January 25, 1996.
Rent moved to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996, where it ran for twelve years and 5,123 performances. The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions. The show was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won four of them (including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score). Rent also won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
In 2005, Christopher Columbus made a movie version of Rent that featured six of the eight principal cast members from the original Broadway production.
The final performance of Rent (on September 7, 2008) was filmed. Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway also included footage from the closing-night celebration. It had a limited theatrical release in late September 2008 and was then released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Rent pioneered the now-common practice of Broadway “rush tickets.” Two hours before each performance, the show's producers offered 34 seats in the front two rows of the orchestra for $20 each. Fans would camp out for hours in front of the Nederlander Theatre in order to get the tickets. These fans became known as "Rent Heads."
Mark Cohen…..Andrew Allen
Roger Davis…..Adam Vigneault
Tom Collins…..Anthony Woods-Mitchell
Benjamin Coffin III…..Benjamin Lowery
Joanne Jefferson…..Ja'Liyaha Sanders
Angel Dumott Schunard…..Matt Deus
Mimi Marquez…..Alicia Diaz-Valls
Maureen Johnson…..Carly Phillips
Understudies
Mark Cohen u/s…..Colin Snider
Roger Davis u/s…..Jordan Potter
Tom Collins u/s…..Jhalil Douglas
Benjamin Coffin III u/s…..DeAndre Karim
Joanne Jefferson u/s…..Amani Dafína
Mimi Marquez u/s…..Karina Moran
Maureen Johnson u/s…..Anna Liggett
ENSEMBLE
Allison Cirner
Nikki Cvammen
Amani Dafina
Jhalil Douglas
Lindsay Dunphy
DeAndre Karim
Anna Liggett
Gia Maglione
Andrew Maust
Karina Moran
Alysa Musselman
Rachel Osherow
Jordan Potter
Dan Reichert
Maxwell Smith
Colin Snider
Kaylee Vaught
Jonathan Larson (book, music and lyrics) received the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Rent. He also won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 1994 Richard Rodgers Award for Rent and twice received The Gilman & Gonzales-Falla Theatre Foundation's Comendation Award. In 1989 he was granted the Stephen Sondheim Award from American Music Theatre Festival, where he contributed to the musical Sitting on the Edge of the Future. In 1988 he won the Richard Rodgers Development Grant for his rock musical Superbia, which was staged at Playwrights Horizon. He composed the score for the musical J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, which was presented by En Garde Arts in 1995. Mr. Larson performed his rock monologue tick, tick... BOOM! at Second Stage Theatre, The Village Gate and New York Theatre Workshop. In addition to scoring and song writing for Sesame Street, he created music for a number of children's book-cassettes, including Steven Spielberg's An American Tail and The Land Before Time. Other film scores include work for Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner. He conceived, directed and wrote four original songs for Away We Go!, a musical video for children. Rent, his rock opera based on La Boheme, had its world premiere on February 13, 1996 at New York Theatre Workshop. Mr. Larson died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on January 25, 1996, ten days before his 36th birthday. His music (including songs cut from his shows) is archived in the Library of Congress.
Act 1
"Tune Up #1"
Mark and Roger
"Voice Mail #1"
Mark's Mother
"Tune Up #2"
Mark, Roger, Collins, and Benny
"Rent"
Company
"You Okay Honey?"
Angel, Collins, and Man on Street
"Tune Up #3"
Mark and Roger
"One Song Glory"
Roger
"Light My Candle"
Mimi and Roger
"Voice Mail #2"
Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson
"Today 4 U"
Collins, Roger, Mark, and Angel
"You'll See"
Benny, Mark, Roger, Collins, and Angel
"Tango: Maureen"
Joanne and Mark
"Life Support"
Company
"Out Tonight"
Mimi
"Another Day"
Mimi, Roger, and Company
"Will I?"
Company
"On the Street"
Company
"Santa Fe"
Collins, Angel, and Mark
"I'll Cover You"
Angel and Collins
"We're Okay"
Joanne
"Christmas Bells"
Company
"Over the Moon"
Maureen
"La Vie Bohème"
Company
"I Should Tell You"
Mimi and Roger
"La Vie Bohème B"
Company
Act 2
"Seasons of Love"
Company
"Happy New Year"
Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, and Joanne
"Voice Mail #3"
Mark's Mother and Alexi Darling
"Happy New Year B"
Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Angel, Maureen, Joanne, and Benny
"Take Me or Leave Me"
Maureen and Joanne
"Seasons of Love B"
Company
"Without You"
Roger and Mimi
"Voice Mail #4"
Alexi Darling
"Contact"
Company
"I'll Cover You (Reprise)"
Collins and Company
"Halloween"
Mark
"Goodbye Love"
Mark, Roger, Mimi, Collins, Maureen, Joanne, and Benny
"What You Own"
Roger and Mark
"Voice Mail #5"
Roger's Mother, Mimi's Mother, Mr. Jefferson, and Mark's Mother
"Finale"
Company
"Your Eyes"
Roger
"Finale B"
Company
Toussaint English
Bass
Dylan Gomez
Drums
Ryan McDermott
Guitar
Steven A. Miller
Keyboards, Conductor
Steve Miller
Guitar
Set Construction Crew
Elijah Chase
Dale Gilbert
Kathy Kohl
Dave Moledor
Richard Morris, Jr.
Electrics Crew
Master Electrician: Jack-Anthony Ina
Electricians: Fiona Cook, Anabelle Otto, Van Wornkey
Sound Operators
Kevin Lambes
Christopher Pepe
Costume Sewing Crew
Beth Desberg
Wynne Gavin
Sabrina Kim
Millie Keyser
Lindy Lincicolme
Pat McRowe
Jasen Smith
Costume Inventory crew
Jemmy Banker
Pam Groom
Jasen Smith
Deck Chief
Connor Mast
Backstage
Andrew Allen
Jeannie Clarkson
Doug Fidler
Ken Hardman
Alyssa Miller
Sara Vollman
Front-of-House
Adam Alderson
JayShon Austin
Jenny Banks
Jeannie Clarkson
Doug Fidler
Tonya Gully
Marcia Korane
Patti McCoy
Katherine Peck
Paige Sheeks
Nancy Shorts
Set Construction Crew
Elijah Chase
Dale Gilbert
Kathy Kohl
Dave Moledor
Richard Morris, Jr.
Electrics Crew
Ben Gonzalez
Allison Harvey
Micah Harvey
Master Electrician
Jack-Anthony Ina
Sound Operators
Kevin Lambes
Dan Braun
Costume Construction
Beth Desberg
Wynne Gavin
Sabrina Kim
Millie Keyser
Lindy Lincicolme
Jasen J. Smith
Costume Inventory
Jenny Banker
Pam Groom
Jasen J. Smith
Lighting Operator
Robin Ungerleider
Spot Operators
Ken Hardman
Abby Hetman
Connor Mast
Front-of-House
Adam C. Alderson
Jennifer Banker
Jeannie Clarkson
Doug Fidler
Brian O. Jackson
Elena Klingler
Kate Lombardo
Jeffrey Miller
Eric Steckel
Verna Vander Kooi
Sean Vollman