Rent

The Phenomenon Arrives!August 4 – 10

Strength, revolution, survival. 1980s East Village NYC was a place of struggle and angst for impoverished artists living through the AIDS epidemic. They persevered through love and acceptance. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical taught us to measure our life in love. The Jonathan Larson rock musical that defined a generation features the iconic “Seasons of Love,” along with “Light My Candle,” “One Song Glory” and “La Vie Bohème.”

Show Program

Performances begin at 8:15pm

Running Time: 2:35 Including Intermission

Learn about the show

Strength, revolution, survival. 1980s East Village NYC was a place of struggle and angst for impoverished artists living through the AIDS epidemic. They persevered through love and acceptance. The Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical Rent taught us to measure our life in love. The Jonathan Larson rock musical that defined a generation features the iconic “Seasons of Love,” along with “Light My Candle,” “One Song Glory” and “La Vie Bohème.”

Ratings and age restrictions are not issued for The Muny’s professionally-licensed productions, but we understand that sensitivities vary from person to person. For this reason, The Muny offers the following script content categories that may have a bearing on patron comfort.

Dialogue and lyrics throughout the show include mature language and references to sexual situations.

Language

The words shit, hell, damn, ass, piss, pussy and whore are used multiple times. The words faggots, lezzies, dykes, wench and bastard are each used once.

Sexual Innuendo

Multiple songs make explicit references to sex. The song “Contact” dramatizes sexual intercourse through song and dance.

One of the main characters in the ensemble is an adult dancer.

Drugs and Alcohol

One of the main characters in the ensemble is a drug addict. Drugs in the form of a small bag of white powder are shown onstage at one point, and characters are sometimes depicted drinking alcohol.

The song “Christmas Bells” makes explicit references to “junkies” and addicts getting their fix.

Many other song lyrics and lines of dialogue mention alcohol and drugs.

Violence

A character is beaten to the ground by two random people on the street.

Mature Content

Rent openly explores what it means to live with HIV and AIDS through songs such as “You Okay, Honey?” “Support Group” and “One Song Glory,” among others. The show celebrates same-sex and non-cisgender romantic relationships.

CAST

LINCOLN CLAUSS

Mark Cohen

is thrilled to return to The Muny after playing Tobias in last season’s Sweeney Todd. New York: Bat Out of Hell (New York City Center). Regional credits: Cabaret (Asolo Rep), Fly (La Jolla Playhouse), Burn All Night (American Repertory Theater), Evocation to Visible Appearance (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival of New Plays), Peter Pan (Laguna Playhouse). TV: Batwoman (CW). Proud alum of Ball State University.

VINCENT KEMPSKI

Roger Davis

was most recently seen in Kinky Boots (Charlie Price, Olney Theatre Center) in his hometown of Washington D.C. Other select regional credits include Assassins (John Wilkes Booth, Helen Hayes nomination), Rent (Roger Davis), Into the Woods (Cinderella’s Prince), A Chorus Line (Al DeLuca), Gypsy (Tulsa), Spring Awakening (Melchior Gabor), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Chip Tolentino). Film/TV: A Capitol Fourth.

ASHLEY DE LA ROSA

Mimi Marquez

is a multi-hyphenate artist working in theatre, television and music. She was in the original company of Mean Girls on Broadway and the closing company of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical as Janelle Woods. National tours: Hamilton: An American Musical (Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds) and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (swing). TV: Apple TV’s Dear Edward (Sienna) and the third season of HBO’s The Other Two (Natalie). But before all of that, her first professional theatre gig was as a swing and understudy in Rent: The 20th Anniversary Tour, so she’s ecstatic to return to this show again after six years. Ashley’s original music is available for streaming on all digital music platforms.

TRÉ FRAZIER

Benjamin Coffin III

Credits include Hamilton (Principal Standby in the Peggy, Eliza and Angelica touring companies), Sister Act (TJ) for Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera and Kansas City Starlight, Mamma Mia! and Pride and Prejudice (Ensemble) for Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theater and The Nolan Williams Project (Ensemble) for Cleveland Playhouse. Graduate of Baldwin Wallace University in Music Theatre (2018). Originally from Hartford, Connecticut. Proud AEA member.

ADRIAN VILLEGAS

Angel Schunard

is a passionate up-and-coming Puerto Rican and Colombian artist who is absolutely honored to be making their debut at The Muny! Regional credits: Grease (La Mirada Theatre), Evita (The REV). Adrian graduated from Hussian College In Studio in 2021 majoring in Contemporary Musical Theatre and Film. They also had the honor of being a two-time Jimmy Award nominee at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in 2016 and 2017.

EVAN TYRONE MARTIN

Tom Collins

is so excited to return to The Muny after playing Mister in The Color Purple! Other select credits: Grease (Teen Angel) at Drury Lane, Blues in the Night (Man in Saloon, Black Theatre Alliance Award) at Porchlight Music Theatre, Queer Eye: The Musical Parody (Karamo) at Second City, The Black Clown (Ensemble) at American Repertory Theater and Lincoln Center’s 2019 Mostly Mozart Festival, Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus, BTAA nomination) at Paramount Theatre, Dreamgirls (Curtis), Far From Heaven (Raymond, Jefferson nomination) at Porchlight and Disney’s The Little Mermaid at Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Martin also toured with the hit one-man revue An Unforgettable Nat King Cole Christmas and stars in his one-man show Let’s Fall In Love, celebrating the music of Cole and other iconic performers of his time.

ANASTACIA MCCLESKEY

Joanne Jefferson

starred last summer as Celie in The Color Purple (St. Louis Theater Circle Award). She recently starred as muse Thalia in Disney’s Hercules at Paper Mill Playhouse, Dotty in the Broadway revival of Caroline, or Change; and Nurse Norma in the Broadway production of Waitress. Other Broadway: Violet, The Book of Mormon, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Hair, Tarzan. Favorite select credits include Hairspray (first national tour), Close to You (London’s West End), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Barrington Stage), world premieres of The Secret Life of Bees, Afterwords and The Tattooed Ladies, and Murder Ballad (Helen Hayes nomination). TV: Annie Live! (NBC), New Amsterdam (NBC), The Good Fight (CBS).

LINDSAY HEATHER PEARCE

Maureen Johnson

is honored to be making her Muny debut with this special show. Broadway: Wicked (Elphaba). First national tour: Mean Girls (Janis Sarkisian). Regional: American Idiot, Spring Awakening, Bare. TV/Film: The Glee Project, Glee, Recovery Road, Grey’s Anatomy, Drop Dead Diva.

TERRANCE JOHNSON

Standby for Tom Collins

is overjoyed to be reprising his dream role at The Muny! His performance credits include: Rent: In Concert(Collins) The Kennedy Center; Rent(Collins) Paper Mill Playhouse; Bhangin’ It (Jake) La Jolla Playhouse; Dreamgirls (C.C. White) National/International Tour; & Once On this Island(Ti Moune) FIPAP; Tick, Tick… Boom, The America Play, A Christmas Carol (Triad Stage). He sends much love to his friends & family for their unending support! IG @TerranceLJohnson TerranceLJohnson.co

Ensemble

Shelby Brown, Ricky Cardenas, Josh Hoon Lee, Sage Lee, Alicia Revé Like, Jhardon DiShon Milton, Michael Schimmele, Eric Shawn, Erica Stephan and Julia Yameen.

CREATIVE TEAM

LILI-ANNE BROWN

Director

is thrilled to return after directing 2022’s The Color Purple. The Chicago South Side native works as a director, actor and educator, and has directed, performed or produced many award-winning shows in Chicago and nationally. Recent direction includes Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Huntington Theatre), Ain’t No Mo’ (Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Baltimore Center Stage), Once on This Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play; the world premieres of Ike Holter’s I Hate It Here and Lottery Day(Goodman Theatre), Acoustic Rooster… (Kennedy Center) and Put Your House in Order (La Jolla Playhouse). A former Artistic Director of Bailiwick Chicago, she focused on Chicago-premiere musicals and new works development with resident playwrights.

BREON ARZELL

Choreographer

A dedicated teaching artist from Detroit, specializing in hip-hop, jazz, contemporary, lyrical and body percussion, and mentor to several universities, studios and theatres. Regional: The Color Purple (Muny), Once on This Island (Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Acoustic Rooster… (Kennedy Center), Miss You Like Hell (Olney Theatre). TV: The 4400, Empire. Chicago: Kill Move Paradise (Jeff Equity Award, TimeLine Theatre), The Color Purple (Drury Lane), The Wiz and Head Over Heels (Jeff Award, Kokandy Productions), The Total Bent (Haven Theatre), The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens), Marie Christine, The Scottsboro Boys, Little Shop of Horrors and more. Listed among ‘50 Players for Chicago’ (2018, 2020, 2023), he’s toured the US and internationally. Along with developing original works, he is restoring and reviving a historical black musical.

JERMAINE HILL

Music Director/Conductor

is thrilled to return to The Muny for Rent. Hill is an educator, administrator, award-winning music director, pianist, conductor and vocal coach. Recent credits: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (Huntington), The Color Purple (The Muny, Drury Lane Oakbrook), Choir Boy (Steppenwolf), Spunk (Roundabout’s Refocus Project), We Are Out There, Nell Gwynn and Madagascar (Chicago Shakespeare), Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies and Memphis (Porchlight Music Theatre), The Music Man (Goodman) and more. As an actor, he has worked with Erasing the Distance and appeared on television’s Chicago Med. Hill is currently Interim Dean of the Theater Division at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and maintains a small roster of private clients including Tony and Grammy Award winner Heather Headley. Proud graduate of New England Conservatory and Ithaca College.

Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson