RENT 20th Anniversary Tour returns to the Lied Center for Performing Arts March 1-3 as part of the Glenn Korff Broadway Series. Tickets start at $49 and are available at LiedCenter.org, by phone at 402-472-4747 or at the Lied Center box office, 301 N. 12th St. UNL students can purchase tickets at a 50 percent discount with a valid NCard. Children 18 and younger are eligible for half-price tickets.
In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway… and forever changed the landscape of American theatre. Two decades later, Jonathan Larson’s RENT continues to speak loudly and defiantly to audiences across generations and all over the world. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award®-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production. A re-imagining of Puccini’s La Bohème, RENT follows an unforgettable year in the lives of seven artists struggling to follow their dreams without selling out. With its inspiring message of joy and hope in the face of fear, this timeless celebration of friendship and creativity reminds us to measure our lives with the only thing that truly matters—love.
The show received its world premiere off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop on February 13, 1996 to ecstatic reviews and transferred to Broadway on April 29, 1996. RENT won the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Based on original direction by Michael Greif (Tony and Drama Desk Nominations, RENT), Evan Ensign re-stages the 20th anniversary tour. Original Broadway creatives Marlies Yearby (Choreography), Angela Wendt (Costume Design), and Tim Weil (Music Supervision and Additional Arrangements) are joined by Jonathan Spencer (Lighting Design), Keith Caggiano (Sound Design), MiRi Park (Associate Choreographer), and Matthew E. Maraffi (adapting original scenic design by Paul Clay) to make up the creative team for the tour. Casting for the tour is by Wojcik | Seay Casting.
The RENT 20th Anniversary Tour is produced by Work Light Productions, whose other touring productions include Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Something Rotten!, and the upcoming tour of the 2016 Olivier Award-winning production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
This Glenn Korff Platinum Artist presentation is made possible in part with generous support from Liberty First Credit Union and Patron Friend Sponsors Matt & Clover Frederick and Bryan & Nancy Shank.
About the Lied Center for Performing Arts
The Lied Center for Performing Arts is “Nebraska’s Home for the Arts.” As part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the Lied presents the world’s most iconic artists and offers major regional, national and international performances designed to educate, inspire and entertain audiences. We offer something for everyone, including the best of Broadway, symphony orchestra, dance, music, theater and family programs. The Lied also is committed to transforming lives through the power of the arts, and nearly all visiting artists work with students in the days leading up to their performance. The Lied Center and its programs are made possible through the generous 2018/2019 season support of Christina Hixson and the Lied Foundation Trust, the Glenn Korff Broadway Endowment, Friends of Lied, Ameritas and Union Bank & Trust Company. Major private patron investments support enhanced Broadway and classical music programming as well as the GK Platinum Artist Fund.