Aaron Harrington (fist raised) starts wit the cast of the RENT 20th Anniversary Tour. (photo by Carol Rosegg)
The RENT – 20th Anniversary Tour comes to the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Andrew Jackson Hall for a limited, one-week engagement on October 18-23, 2016. Broadway lovers in Music City are rejoicing at the news.
RENT, the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning landmark rock musical written by Jonathan Larson, is a re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème and follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters – love.
“Twenty years ago, Jonathan Larson’s RENT changed Broadway forever. Ground-breaking in its debut, it continues to resonate with people today,” said Kathleen O’Brien, TPAC’s president and chief executive officer. “Bringing back this unforgettable story of family and community is our way of both celebrating it as a powerful piece of art and allowing it to connect with contemporary audiences through its diverse characters, powerful lyrics, and anthems such as ‘Seasons of Love.’ We are excited to revisit this transformational production with an updated cast and staging for new audiences to discover and for loyal fans to enjoy.”
The original production made its world premiere off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on February 13, 1996, to ecstatic reviews and transferred to Broadway on April 29, 1996. RENT is winner of the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
“For the past 20 years, RENT has touched the lives of audiences around the world from Broadway to regional productions to high school auditoriums,” said producer Stephen Gabriel. “We’re thrilled to introduce a new generation to this timeless story of love, friendship and community.”
Tickets are on sale at TPAC.org, by phone at 615-782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street, in downtown Nashville. For groups of 10 or more, call 615-782-4060.
RENT – 20th Anniversary Tour is the second production featured in the 2016-17 HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC season, and is presented locally by Bank of America. The Broadway season is supported by the HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA and the TriStar Family of Hospitals. Institutional sponsors for TPAC include Nissan North America and Coca-Cola. TPAC is funded in part by support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission.
Over three decades, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center has welcomed more than 11 million audience members and served more than 1.6 million students and educators with performances at TPAC, resources for teachers, classroom residencies, and enrichment programs for adults. Founded in 1980, TPAC serves several hundred thousand audience members each year with the HCA/TriStar Health Broadway at TPAC series, a variety of special engagements, and the productions of the three resident artistic companies – Nashville Ballet, Nashville Opera, and Nashville Repertory Theatre. For more information, visit TPAC.org
