Jonathan Larson News

One of Toronto's favourite musicals bursts back onto the stage this month, as Theatre Sheridan graduates transfer their much loved production of RENT to The Panasonic Theatre. Originally presented last year at the Sheridan campus in Oakville, the show is bigger than ever, and full of heart.

Following its limited engagement of Into the Woods and its co-production of The Rocky Horror Show in 2011, Stocking Productions previously announced that it would bring RENT to Frederick for the first time for a special Memorial Day weekend presentation at The Way Off Broadway Theatre.

Esteban Cruz has had to permanently leave the cast of American Theater Company/About Face's production of RENT for undisclosed personal reasons. As of today, Wednesday, May 23, the role of Angel will be taken over by Eduardo Placer.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) last night honored New York Theatre Workshop Board Chair Barbara Warner Howard and Disney Theatrical Group and its president Thomas Schumacher at its 2012 Spring Gala at the Plaza Hotel. BroadwayWorld was ther for the festivities, and brings you full photo coverage below!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Three shows make a PR appearance at Sidetrack, ATC plans a 'Hair' re-do, 'Camelot,' 'Floyd Collins,' three new mainstage musicals, a reading, a benefit and more!

With music and lyrics by Adam Guettel, the grandson of Richard Rodgers, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA fulfilled its great promise by becoming one of the most enchantingly romantic and melodically moving musicals to come about in the new millennium and its Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Actress In A Musical, Best Orchestrations and a trio of technical prizes go a long way in justifying the notable place the Italianate musical has in American theatre history. Plus, what an original cast - besides Tony-winner Victoria Clark, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA also featured fellow nominee Kelli O'Hara, who appears this season in a leading role in NICE WORK IF YOU CAN GET IT, as well as crossover GLEE superstar Matthew Morrison, who would go on to make another strong impression in a pivotal role in a musical at Lincoln Center soon thereafter (also under the direction of Barlett Sher) - SOUTH PACIFIC.

RENT owned the 90s. No other Broadway show managed to have the dual impact on society by becoming not only a pop culture phenomenon, but also changing perceptions of what a musical on Broadway could be - and, most importantly, how it could sound. Contemporary, cool, caustic and engaging, RENT updated LA BOHEME to the East Village just as Jonathan Larson updated the way the general public looked at Broadway at a time when musicals had fallen farther out of fashion than they had since their early years approaching the turn of the last century. Yet, at the end of the millennium - to quote one of the show's lyrics - RENT represented the hopes, dreams and desires of many Broadway babies and what we hoped would be achieved on the Great White Way in the new century. While SPRING AWAKENING, AMERICAN IDIOT and NEXT TO NORMAL certainly stand as solid continuations of the rock musical formula recalibrated and made anew in the mold made by RENT, no show since RENT has quite managed to have the cultural impact and win over audiences and critics alike in as major a way as that Tony Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical has - with the exception, perhaps, of WICKED, which obviously owes a debt to its Oz-ian source inspiration and the built-in audience that comes along with that. Yes, indeed, RENT represents an entire generation in its sound, style, ideals and overall feeling, mood and tone and the subsequent success of the many members of the simply astounding assortment of talents that comprised the original cast acts as evidence that the show may have had the cast of the decade, as well.

Nationally syndicated morning show 'LIVE! with Kelly' previously announced the lineup of guest co-hosts who will join Kelly Ripa this week, May 21-25, 2012. Today, Monday, May 21, 'Private Practice' star Taye Diggs shares the hosting duties with Ripa. R&B superstar Robin Thicke chats with the hosts and performs for the 'LIVE' audience, and 'The Bachelorette' Emily Maynard sits down with Kelly and Taye.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo have announced that Kathleen Chalfant will lead the cast of NYTW's production of Red Dog Howls, written by Alexander Dinelaris. Ken Rus Schmoll will direct the production, which opens the 2012-13 season, beginning performances September 4, 2012. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) Artistic Director James C. Nicola and Managing Director William Russo just announced that the theatre will honor New York Theatre Workshop Board Chair Barbara Warner Howard and Disney Theatrical Group and its president Thomas Schumacher at its 2012 Spring Gala on Tuesday, May 22 at the Plaza Hotel.

Theatreworks USA (Barbara Pasternack, Artistic Director; Ken Arthur, Producing Director), the nation's leading not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences, has announced the Off-Broadway premiere of the new children's musical SKIPPYJON JONES.

Theatre Sheridan makes its downtown Toronto debut with the ground-breaking musical RENT at the Panasonic Theatre from May 15-June 3. Get a first look at the production in the photos below! 32 performers from the graduating class of Sheridan College's prestigious Music Theatre Performance Program take the stage as audiences are treated to the next generation of talented young artists who are going to take the theatre world by storm.

As previously reported, Julian Ovenden will star in a new musical version of the film Finding Neverland, which starred Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet and followed the the story of J.M. Barrie's inspiration for his famous children's book, Peter Pan.

Presented last December to sold out houses at Sheridan College's Oakville campus, Theatre Sheridan transfers its production of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical RENT to Toronto's Panasonic Theatre tonight, May 16, where it runs through to May 27 (preview May 15). Tickets go on sale TODAY through mirvish.com or call TicketKing at 416.872.1212.

Producers Scott Landis and Philip Morgaman have announced that EVER AFTER, a new musical based on the 20th Century Fox Film, will open on Broadway in the 2013-2014 season following a pre-Broadway engagement to be announced. The production will be directed and choreographed by three-time Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. EVER AFTER features music by Zina Goldrich and book & lyrics by Marcy Heisler, who recently won the 2012 Kleban Prize for Musical Theatre for most promising musical theatre lyricist. The music director is Mary-Mitchell Campbell.

In 1994 Anthony Rapp was working at a Starbucks and about to audition for Rent a new musical by a young guy named Jonathan Larson. An inspiring story about friends and artists struggling in New York's Lower East Side, it was based loosely on Puccini's La Boheme. Anthony got the part, but Jonathan died suddenly the night before the musical's off-Broadway premiere.

Theatre Sheridan makes its downtown Toronto debut with the ground-breaking musical RENT at the Panasonic Theatre from tonight, May 15 through June 3. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!

Anthony Rapp will perform his one-man show, Anthony Rapp: Without You - An Evening of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival on August 1-26.

The Fred Ebb Foundation (Mitchell Bernard, Trustee) in association with the York Theatre (James Morgan, Artistic Director) presents an invitation-only showcase presentation entitled Trunk and Disorderly: Songs from the Deep Dark Trunk of Jeff Blumenkrantz, who received the 2011 Fred Ebb Award. The presentation will feature Drew Gehling, Dee Hoty, Dee Roscioli, and Sarah Stiles.

Theatre Sheridan makes its downtown Toronto debut with the ground-breaking musical RENT at the Panasonic Theatre from May 15-June 3. Get a first look at the production in the photos below!