Theater News

Harbor Lights Gives New York Some More Rent for the Show's 20th Anniversary

Jonathan Larson’s ground-breaking musical will celebrate the landmark birthday in Staten Island.

The 2008 Broadway cast of Rent.
The 2008 Broadway cast of Rent.
(© Joan Marcus)

Staten Island's Harbor Lights Theater Company will add to the 20th-anniversary celebration of the late Jonathan Larson's iconic rock musical with a fall production of Rent, running from September 18-October 4 at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center.

The Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical opened off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop January 25, 1996, before transferring to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre where the production opened on April 29. Inspired by Giacomo Puccini's classic opera La Bohème, Rent tells the story of a group of friends in the East Village living and loving during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

Alex Perez will direct and choreograph the Harbor Lights production, with music direction by Charles Santoro, lighting design by Kia Rogers, and costume design by Kurt Alger.

The cast will feature Travis Artz (Roger), Nick Devito (Mark), Denzel Edmondson (Benny), Madeline B. Fansler (Joanne), Monte J. Howell (Tom Collins), Michael J. Mainwaring (Angel), Emily Jeanne Phillips (Mimi), Zuri Washington (Maureen), and Michael Sheehy (Gordon), with Philip Bolton, Hannah K MacDonald, Nate McClure, Gavyn Pickens, Ben Rosenbach, and Josephine Spada rounding out the company.

"Marking the 20th anniversary of Rent," said executive artistic director Tamara Jenkins, "by bringing it to a young and up-and-coming professional theater company like Harbor Lights provides an opportunity for both the musical and Harbor Lights to tap into new audiences and cultivate their exposure to the fascinating world of live theater. We are thrilled to be producing this show!"

For tickets and more information, click here.

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Closed: October 4, 2015