Mark Cohen News

For those who have been paying attention for the last 20-ish years, RENT was/is a pretty big deal. The rock opera adaptation of Puccini's La Boheme follows a group of young creatives in New York City during the AIDS crisis and was so popular during its initial run that it racked up multiple awards, including 3 Tonys and a Pulitzer. With that in mind, I believe it to be a very daunting task to perform RENT because it's easy to go through the motions and sing the songs that people know and love without really having to think about it. That being said, there were many moments where they got it right and others that might've fallen a little flat.

Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning masterpiece RENT will return to the National Theatre by popular demand with its 20th anniversary tour production. The musical will run Tuesday, November 12 through Sunday, November 17, 2019, and is the fourth production in the venue's recordbreaking 2019-2020 Broadway at the National season.

SHADOWLAND STAGES today announced completion of casting for CRY IT OUT - the final production of the theatre's 2019 regular season.

Broadway's original Mark in a?oeRent,a?? Anthony Rapp, will present his solo show at Bucks County Playhouse on Saturday, September 21 at 8:00 pm. Rapp's appearance is part of the Playhouse's Visiting Artists Series.

Tickets are now on sale for The Un-Common Theatre Company's Young Adult Summer production of RENT School Edition being presented at the Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center (formerly The Orpheum) in Foxboro, July 18-21, 2019. Tickets may be purchased online at uncommontheatre.orgtickets or by calling (800)838-3006.

SHNSF's Golden Gate Theatre was electric with excitement as the house filled to capacity for the touring company of RENT. Now thru June 23!

This week star of stage and screen Jordan Fisher announced his engagement to long-time love, Ellie Woods!

After considering hundreds of live stage productions, concerts, and art exhibitions in Austin between the dates of May 1, 2018, and April 30, 2019, members of the Austin Critics Table have announced their nominees for outstanding dance, classical music, visual art, and theatre with the nominees for the 2019 Critics Table Awards.

El pasado martes 30 de abril se cumplieron 20 años del estreno de RENT en Barcelona, y el reparto que estreno en 1999 se unio al actual para conmemorar este momento tan especial.

The 20th Anniversary Tour of 'Rent' has roared onto the stage at the Kansas City Music Hall for a week-long residency through Sunday, May 5.  'Rent,' a rock-opera rendering of Puccini's 'La Boheme,' is not easy stuff.   It is musically challenging and sometimes tough to follow, but it is also undeniably powerful and here performed at the highest possible level.

El proximo martes 30 de abril, el reparto de la primera produccion de RENT en Barcelona se unira al actual para celebrar el vigesimo aniversario de su estreno en la ciudad condal.

The Queens Theatre may cause a stir when it premieres Relic, or, I Was Bubbie's Favorite by Joel Feinman (as told to Lojo Simon), an outrageous new comedy by playwright Lojo Simon and directed by Will Pomerantz, that explores the cult of celebrity, religion and idolatry in modern times. The play, set in the Queens neighborhood of Rego Park, revolves around an out-of-work actor who finds what purports to be the world's greatest relic in his grandmother's attic, offering him the fame and fortune he always sought. He discovers, however, that it may not be all he wants! Performances will be held Friday, May 10th through Sunday, May 19th (Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays).

Chris Isaacson Presents presented Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp: Acoustically Speaking at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. Acoustically Speaking features two Broadway favorites and original stars of Rent coming together to celebrate music, memories, and their 20-year friendship.

Directors and Casting is set for the two PlayGround Festival premieres, A HISTORY OF FREAKS by Katie May, May 13-June 15  (Press /Opening: May 15 at 8pm), helmed by circus arts performer and director Doyle Ott and ANNA CONSIDERS MARS by Ruben Grijalva,  May 20-June 16 (Press /Opening: May 22 at 8pm), helmed by San Francisco Playhouse Producing Director Susi Damilano. The productions will run in rotating repertory as part of the 25th Season PlayGround Festival of New Works, May 13-June 16, 2019. Tickets for the entire PlayGround Festival are now on sale. For more information, visit http://playground-sf.org/festival.

Class is in session at the School of Rock and they're teaching Jacksonville all about rock-n-roll! The musical featuring music from Tony Award winner Andrew Lloyd Webber, is based on the 2003 movie School of Rock. The musical follows a man, Dewey Finn (Merritt David Janes), as he impersonates his best friend Ned Schneebly as a substitute teacher at Horace Green. When Dewey realizes he is in way over his head, he hears his students playing classical music. He decides he will teach them about rock-n-roll, and they will compete in 'The Battle of the Bands.' The musical displays amazing music, a great story, and life lessons for everyone to take away.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts more than 120 outstanding theater students from colleges and universities across the nation as part of the 50th annual Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF), which runs April 16-20, 2019 in multiple locations throughout the Center. The Center also announced the national awardees for the KCACTF. Selected awardees and representatives will be brought to Washington, D.C. for an expense-paid trip to participate in the National Festival. These student artists from across the United States have been recognized for their outstanding work from the eight regional festivals that were held January 8 through February 28, 2019.

The Performing Arts School at bergenPAC is partnering with Englewood Health to present a free production of RENT - The Musical: Concert Version Performance in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month.

Boston Court Pasadena announced the full details of its 15th annual New Play Reading Festival, April 13-14, 2019. Curated by Literary Manager Emilie Beck, in concert with Artistic Directors Jessica Kubzansky and Michael Michetti, the New Play Reading Festival is a key component of Boston Court Pasadena's commitment to nurturing playwrights and new work, and continues the company's core mission of developing and programming works that are inherently theatrical, textually rich, and visually arresting.

The Cohen New Works Festival, presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin, returns in a biennial, five-day festival celebrating new, student-created work April 15-19, 2019 on the university campus. The 2019 Festival will present 30 new works, including works of dance, theatre, new plays, installations and site-specific performance work.

Directors and Casting is set for the two PlayGround Festival premieres, A HISTORY OF FREAKS by Katie May, May 13-June 15 , helmed by circus arts performer and director Doyle Ott and ANNA CONSIDERS MARS by Ruben Grijalva,  May 20-June 16 (Press /Opening: May 22 at 8pm), helmed by San Francisco Playhouse Producing Director Susi Damilano. The productions will run in rotating repertory as part of the 25th Season PlayGround Festival of New Works, May 13-June 16, 2019. Tickets for the entire PlayGround Festival are now on sale. For more information, visit http://playground-sf.org/festival.