Although some people never quite ‘got’ the 1996 Tony winning musical Rent, it cemented its place as a touchstone of modern musical theatre, running for 12 years on Broadway (which at the time put it amongst the 10 longest-running shows in Broadway history). Now it’s headed to TV as a live musical event, which Fox has announced it is planning to air in the US.
THR reports that it’s taken a long time to secure the rights, but the estate of the show’s creator, Jonathan Larson, is now on board, with Marc Platt producing. Loosely based on La Boheme, Rent follows a group of young bohemians living in Alphabet City in New York, who as they deal with love, art, death, sexuality and issues around HIV/AIDS.
The show was turned into movie in 2005, with most of the original cast reprising their roles. However it was met with mixed reviews and unimpressive box office. Fox will be hoping for more luck with their live TV version.
“Rent was Jonathan’s dream of sharing the theater and the passion he had for it with a whole new generation,” comment Julie and Al Larson. “None of us could have imagined the massive impact that the messages and themes in Rent would have on the theater community or the world… except for Jonathan. We are absolutely thrilled to be continuing Jonathan’s legacy and the still-relevant themes of the show in this way.”
It hasn’t been announced when the show will air, although we may have to wait until next year, as Fox has already announced a live musical version of A Christmas Story, which will debut in December. Elsewhere NBC will screen Bye Bye Birdie with Jennifer Lopez at Christmas, and the recently announced Jesus Christ Superstar for Easter 2018.
Leave a Reply (if comment does not appear immediately, it may have been held for moderation)