Project share day 31: RENT
January 25, 1996 is the night RENT had its first preview & the day the very talented #JonathanLarson passed away.
I am a renthead or rentaHolic. RENT is one of my favorite musicals and I’m fortunate enough to see the production twice with the original cast of New York City and once with Daphne Ruben-Vega in Los Angeles.
It’s summer and it’s exciting. My friend to Talaya and I choose to wake up around 7 AM and get to the Nederlander Theater on 41st St. The box office doesn’t open until 6 PM however the line starts forming first thing in the morning for the first two rows of the theater. $20 tickets. We wait, all day. I take a small break and go to the International Center of Photography museum.
There’s a girl next me that has a pillow and a blanket. On the other side are friends who are playing Monopoly. It’s beautiful out. Everyone in line is talking about so many things including the show. At 6 PM box office opens and we are able to get three tickets, one for me, one for Talaya, and one for her mom. We go get dinner and come back for the show at 8 PM.
Our seats are amazing. I’m sitting in the front row, four chairs from the middle. Two rows behind us is Vanessa Redgrave. Olivia Newton-John is at the show. We hear and interact with the cast on stage. When the show is over we wait outside to meet the cast. They are so happy to see us and take pictures with us as well. It’s a great evening!
RENT is one of my favorite shows. Another favorite is Les Miserables, as is Spring Awakening. These are the shows I’ve seen more than once. I love musicals. And it’s so fun to be in front of the scenes and behind the scenes.
Viva la musical.
