RENT in Concert at Adelphi University on September 16 and 17

Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT, created by Adelphi graduate Jonathan Larson (’82), has become a pop culture phenomenon. The Adelphi University Performing Arts Center (PAC) opened its doors in the fall of 2008 with the first college production of this beloved musical. We are honored to kick off our 10th anniversary season in a similar fashion with a concert version of the show, featuring a cast of some of Broadway’s finest performers. RENT in Concert will be performed on Saturday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, September 17 at 2:00 p.m. on the Westermann Stage, Concert Hall in the Adelphi PAC, 1 South Ave, Garden City, New York.

With a band led by RENT’s original associate conductor Daniel Weiss, original Broadway company member of RENT Fredi Walker-Brown joins Broadway stars Matt Bogart (Jersey Boys, Aida, Miss Saigon, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, The Civil War), Felicia Boswell (Shuffle Along, Memphis, Motown: The Musical), Sydney James Harcourt (Hamilton, American Idiot, Bells Are Ringing), Lilli Cooper (SpongeBob SquarePants, Wicked, Spring Awakening), Danielle L. Greaves (A Streetcar Named Desire, Hairspray, RENT, Showboat, Sunset Boulevard), Douglas Lyons (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, The Book of Mormon), MJ Rodriguez (RENT Off-Broadway), Mike Squillante (NBC’s The Voice) and more to be announced for this special event. 

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.  This is theatre at its best – exuberant, passionate and joyous.

RENT’s book, music and lyrics were written by Jonathan Larson (‘82). RENT in Concert is produced and directed by T. Oliver Reed.

Tickets for Saturday night are priced at $100/$60/$55 and tickets for Sunday afternoon at $55/$50. The $100 VIP tickets include premium seating and an invitation to the post-show reception with the cast and other special guests in celebration of the start of the Adelphi PAC’s 10^th anniversary season.

The Adelphi PAC is one of Long Island’s premier cultural arts venues for entertainment of all kinds. Tickets are currently on sale and discounts are available to seniors, students and alumni. Information is available at the Lucia and Steven N. Fischer Box Office at 516.877.4000 or boxoffice@adelphi.edu. Regular box office hours are Tuesday through Friday from 1:00-6:00 p.m. The box office is also open two hours before most scheduled performances.