RENT 30th Anniversary Concert Will Host a Behind-the-Scenes Pre-Show Livestream

Livestream audiences for Monday's Rent, the 30th Anniversary Concert will get an exclusive look behind the curtain of the musical, with backstage access and rare footage spanning its 30-year history in an exclusive pre-show hosted by Troy Iwata and Jay Armstrong Johnson, stars of the Off-Broadway sensation Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody, and celebrated actor and talk show host Ricki Lake.

This hourlong pre-show begins at 7 pm Eastern, leading into the star-studded concert at 8 pm. The hosts will return during intermission with exclusive backstage cast interviews and more surprises only accessible to livestream viewers. The concert and pre-show will be available to stream until 11 pm Eastern on Tuesday, October 27.

Lake will anchor red carpet coverage, bringing viewers up close to the star-studded cast of Rent, the 30th Anniversary Concert before they take the stage for the one-night-only celebration.

Original Broadway cast members and more than 60 renowned performers will unite onstage for the benefit performance celebrating the legacy of the musical that shaped a generation.

The full show streams live from the set of Hamilton at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre, benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The evening's presenting sponsor is ViiV Healthcare, with livestream matching sponsor the Gates Foundation.

The Gates Foundation will match donations received from every livestream ticket purchase, up to $525,600. The matching gift, a nod to the iconic lyric in Rent's “Seasons of Love,” will double the impact of the donations for Broadway Cares, extending the legacy of Jonathan Larson's landmark musical and providing twice the lifesaving services to people living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses.

The all-star lineup includes original cast members Yassmin Alers, Gilles Chiasson, Darius de Haas, Shelley Dickinson, Taye Diggs, David Driver, Rodney Hicks, Tony winner Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Tony winner Idina Menzel, Timothy Britten Parker, Tony nominee Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Tony nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega, Byron Utley and Fredi Walker-Browne.

Joining them are Tony winner Natalie Venetia Belcon, Sharon Catherine Brown, Bryson Bruce, Haven Burton, Tony winner Norbert Leo Butz, Matt Caplan, Tony nominee Will Chase, Tony nominee Nicholas Christopher, Wilson Cruz, Coleman Cummings, Merle Dandridge, Maya Days, Tori DePrimo, Shaun Earl, Trey Ellett, Tony nominee Eden Espinosa, Jordan Fisher, Rayla Garske, Ava Gaudet, Andrea Goss, Tamyra Gray, Christopher J. Hanke, Tony winner Neil Patrick Harris, Nicolette Hart, Marcus Paul James, Cody Jenkins, Justin Johnston, Owen Johnston II, Adam Kantor, Lencia Kebede, Tamika Lawrence, Telly Leung, Jose Llana, Tracy McDowell, Tony nominee Michael McElroy, David Merino, Alan Mingo Jr., Manley Pope, Jai Rodriguez, James Schoppe, Andy Señor Jr., Aiyana Smash, Antonique Smith, Jacques C. Smith, Tony nominee Ephraim Sykes, Tracie Thoms, Deri'Andra Tucker, Tony winner Aaron Tveit, Lorraine Velez, Jay Wilkison, Schele Williams and Rachel Zegler.

Rent's original director, five-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, will return to helm the evening. Original choreographer Marlies Yearby and music supervisor Tim Weil also will return. Weil will lead original Rent band members Kenny Brescia, Jeff Potter and Daniel A. Weiss, who will be joined by Steve Gelfand.

The one-night-only presentation of Larson's seminal work will be produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Andy Jones, founder of Baseline Theatrical. The license for this production of Rent is generously provided by Music Theatre International.

Rent features a book, music and lyrics by Larson, with music arrangements by Steve Skinner. The original concept and additional lyrics were provided by Billy Aaronson, with music supervision and additional arrangements by Weil. The dramaturg was Lynn Thompson.

For the 30th anniversary concert, Ben Stanton serves as lighting designer, Brian Ronan as sound designer, Angela Wendt as Costume Designer and Lisa Zinni as costume coordinator. Justin Scribner is production stage manager.

Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical reimagines La Bohème in the AIDS-era East Village of New York City, following a tight-knit group of artists navigating love, loss and survival at the turn of a generation. With its electrifying score and deeply human stories, Rent captures the urgency of living fully in the face of uncertainty, a cultural touchstone that continues to inspire audiences to measure life in love.