I love the fact that almost the whole Original cast already acted in the Motion Picture too, it's magical. I cry every time I see 'em together

So glad that Johnathan was able to leave the world his masterpiece before he passed. So incredibly tragic that such a great talent left the world so soon…. Such a great loss..

The chemisty between Jesse and Wilson is unmatched.

I’ve always wondered how Jonathan would have continued to change the world. If only. Rent was only the beginning…

41:21 when she looked up and said, 'thank you Jonathan' 🥹

I was living in London at the end of the millennium and saw this production at the Shaftesbury 11 times, including closing night. That last time, I applauded so long and loud that I bruised my hands. The crowd stood outside the theatre afterwards singing 'Seasons of Love' and I remember cast members waving at us from upstairs 🥰🥰🥰

Still my favorite musical on so many levels because Jonathan's work spoke to my generation. Was grateful to see it at the Niederlander Theater Off Broadway in 1997 with my best friend. We flew in from Toronto and had the whole NYC experience with Lunch at the Tavern on The Green, Dinner at Sardi's.

Jesse and Anthony were the only ones jamming out fully during the La Vie Bourne segment and I was all for it lol

Thanks for posting this. Had to shake my head at the critics they interviewed... No story resolution? It was a year in the life of these people - does that critic live a life whose story arcs start and end on Christmas? No character resolution? Would the play have been better with the deaths of Roger, Mimi and Tom? Rent is a story of resilience in the face of loss, hardship and discrimination. The resolution comes from the fact that these characters survive to fight another day, and hopefully, another year (in the life.) As the Variety columnist says Rent is rough around the edges. But that's part of its charm, and regardless, it was a remarkable first effort by Jonathan Larson. Just imagine what he could have accomplished if he had lived.

I saw this production in its second week in London - my Mum was visiting from Australia and she loved theatre so we would see a show every night. We saw this without knowing what it was about. My God. Magnificent. And the young actress who played Mimi wiped the floor with anyone else I've ever seen do the part.

Just wanted to state how handsome Jesse L. Martin is. Like really handsome. lol

The critics that say there were flaws, name me 1 theater piece without flaws? Not 1 work of art is flawless.

i had no clue this documentary even existed. Thanks for uploading!

omg, they're all so young and adorable

Rent is my FAVORITE MOVIE EVER. HAVE WATCHED OVER 30 TIMES

I must correct.... Rent's success was NOT because of Jonathan's tragic death, it would have been a success either way.

Thank you for sharing this. Rent is still my favorite muscial. I went to the same high school as Jesse L. Martin.

Currently being performed at the unique Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester. The production is respectful to the original score, with the most unbelievable choreography and first class cast. Has there been a better performance of " Seasons of Love" ? I doubt it, go along and decide for yourself.

Thank you for sharing this, Rent means so many things to so many people.

Thank you for posting this, I was lucky enough to see the original cast perform in NYC a few times at a pivotal time in my own life. This show meant so much to me that I traveled with my best friend at the time to London to see some of the original cast perform. The experience of seeing rent both in my hometown of NYC and abroad is seared into a memory and heart as a galvanizing, electric and deeply inspiring and moving experience.

6:00 Seasons of Love 💕. Hearing Gwen Stewart lead this song, Heaven

Thank you Jonathan ❤

The best musical of all life times

He died of an aortic dissection not a rare heart condition. He'd gone to the emergency department three times and been misdiagnosed. Normally people with dissections are older, with preexisting hypertension. So sad.

Oh I’m so happy to find this. You are all brilliant.

I'm a teenage boy who first saw Rent in the form of the movie in 2021. It holds the fuck up XD

Thank you for sharing this.

Thank you for posting this!! 😍🎉

Thank you for sharing this ❤

OMG! I saw this twice in London with the original cast, including on Jesse and Adam's last day. Sitting on the line, sitting in the second row, in the middle, even getting spittle on me from Benny, was all one of my most cherished memories. Though the best part was getting a hug and kiss from Krysten was the absolute best. I was so smitten! TYJL!

Thank you for video.🌈❤⭐🙏🎶

I love Anthony Rapp, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Jesse L. Martin, Adam Pascal, Krysten Cummings, Jacqui Debois, Jessica Tezier, Robert J. Solomon, Leon Maurice-Jones, Josh Cohen, Claire Coates and Bonny Lockhart.

I saw this in London - not long after nit had opened. During the interval, I was having a drink in the foyer and over heard an American lady say " Well, if I'd have known it was gonna to be about gays, I wouldn't have come". Everytime I went to see this the audiences have ben spectacular. I was so sad I couldn't get tickets for the last night. Still love this. Also love AR in Star Trek: Discovery. If you've not seen Anthony's acting chops...watch ST.

13:54 jeffery’s words really made me sad and when the narrator began speaking again, it scared me😂

I happened to see this production in London. My wife and I saw a matinee in the middle of the week. We were one of the few people there. It was mostly old ladies from the hinterlands and us. I think it was kinda far into the run so that may have been part of the reason it was sparsely attended. Plus it was a midweek matinee. I also think it may have been a bit too “New York” for most of the English audience. But whatever the reason the place was pretty dead and it was a chance to really see the mettle the performers had. And they really brought it, despite it echoing around in a mostly empty theater….

HSgraduation, 1985,& Rent, is my generation, & still need a place to live. depicts today problem, where can I afford to live a man's life's work

Cheers to the Broadway cast, the west end cast and the poor hungover phone operators

10:50 Rare heart condition 😢 I guess it is since an aortic dissection is essentially a tear that allowed blood to flow between the layers of the aortic wall. But I thought he also was suspected of having a genetic condition of Marfan Syndrome which his estate (mom and sister) donated to the cause that is an inherited disorder that affects connective tissue and it does affect the heart (which I guess makes sense since aortic aneurysm is officially cause of death) and blood vessels (which I believe is what happened with Larson) as well as eyes and bones. R.I.P Jonathan Larson Rent was something that touched my heart as a teenager when I played it in highschool ❤ always part of my life and how I started getting into theatre

I love Margherita Taylor.

parts 1 and 2 are excellent, part 3 re: how will it do in london is kinda irrelevant.

Ok so the young man in the thumb nail, Jessie L Martian he plays joe west on Netflix’s flash sometimes they let him sing.

Well, I’m curious. So what did Broadway look like in the years just before RENT? I know about the big boys in the yard, like Phantom, Les Miz, Miss Saigon.... So how different was RENT, compared to the rest of the competition? From what I remember from my copy of the RENT bible, the audition process was unique because everyone was told to sing a pop song. So is this part of the audition process more mainstream now?

I’m guessing no one in this comment section has heard Common People…

Broadway musicals never got cheaper or more accessible tho so that dream never got accomplished by RENT.

Someone here have the video from the 1996 Brodway performance??

I think some of what the critics say is legitimate. For one, the pacing of the show is odd. The entire first act takes place over 24 hours, but then the second act just rushes through an entire year. The first act does a nice job of establishing Benny and his conflicts with the other characters, but then the second act just crams all these subplots involving the other characters. So it isn’t really a cohesive narrative. Also, the main characters aren’t 100% sympathetic. Why can’t Roger and Mark get jobs to pay their rent? What is so bad about Benny removing homeless people off his private property? How was it right for Angel to make money by killing Benny’s dog, for the group to break and enter into a padlocked building, and for Collin’s to steal money from an ATM machine? The morality of the show seems backwards. No day but today? It seemed like Mimi was giving this as a justification for her recklessness, and somehow we are supposed to think Roger is wrong for rejecting that. By the end, they have their friendship and Mimi survives an OD, but what have the characters truly learned? Roger, Collins, and Mark are still unemployed, Mimi Is still a drug addict, Collins is a thief… yeah, something is off here. But when this show came out, none of this mattered. What mattered was that this show took place in the year it was written. For millennials, it was our “Hair”-it spoke to us in ways that Sondheim, Porter, Gershwin, etc., did not. It had a messy set, no curtain, no orchestra pit, a small band onstage…. It encapsulated the cynicism and grittiness of 90s alternative rock. And that’s why we loved it. Sadly, it caught on to the wrong audience and turned into a teenybopper show… but it was really cool when it came out. I saw it twice in 1996.

I just hated Angel