Overview

Thirty years after Rent, Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking rock opera, opened on Broadway, you would be hard-pressed to find a musical theater fan who doesn't know at least some of the show's iconic tunes by heart. Much of the impact comes from the show's musical style, a singular blend of grunge rock, power pop, gospel, and R & B that was brought to life by the show's onstage band, headed by the legendary musical director Tim Weil. From his first day as audition accompanist through his elevation to musical director, Weil was a critical collaborator with Larson in developing Rent's unique sound. And when, on the eve of the company's first public performance, Larson died unexpectedly, Weil was there to finesse a still-unfinished show into the musical Larson had long dreamed of. Making Rent reveals how the music that has shaped generations of new American musicals grew out of Weil and Larson's intimate partnership and how Weil endeavored to preserve Larson's musical vision. Previously untold stories about some of the show's most iconic moments capture the energy, ingenuity, and passion of Rent's company and creators while providing a unique level of insight into just how collaborative and innovative a process making Rent was and why it has had such a lasting impact on musical theater and fans the world over.

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Tim Weil is a musical director, composer, arranger, and orchestrator who has worked on more than one hundred productions in New York City and around the world, including Rent, Shrek the Musical, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, and Sally Marr . . . and Her Escorts. His work in film includes Camp and The Marc Pease Experience and he composed songs for the children's television shows Sheep in the Big City and Bear in the Big Blue House. Tim lives with his wife, the actor Randy Graff, in North Bergen, New Jersey. Neil Patrick Harris is a Tony and Emmy Awardâ ""winning actor, director, and producer who has appeared on Broadway in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Assassins, and Proof. He starred as Mark Cohen in the 1997 National Tour of Rent and directed Rent at the Hollywood Bowl in 2010. He lives in New York City. Daniel Henning is a director, producer, actor, and writer. His work has been seen on HBO, CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, MTV, Comedy Central, and on stages throughout Southern California. He won a 2017 Telly Award for ""Best Writer"" for the film version of his play The Tragedy of JFK (as Told by Wm. Shakespeare). As director and writer, his TV and film work includes MTV's Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory and the film Critic's Choice. He won the NAACP Theatre Award for ""Best Director of a Musical"" for The Wild Party. He is the Founding Artistic Director of Hollywood's The Blank Theatre, winning over 200 awards for his productions, including ""Best Production,"" from LA Drama Critic Circle, LA Weekly, Ovations, NAACP, etc. Henning has been inspirational to thousands of young artists through his creation of The Blank's Young Playwrights Festival (the only professional nationwide competition for playwrights aged nine to nineteen). He directed the first play by 2016 Tony Award Winner for ""Best Play"" Stephen Karam when Stephen was seventeen and a winner in The Blank's Young Playwrights Festival. Henning has also been an acting teacher and coach and is known for his ability to spot young talent. He has given opportunities to many young actors who later went on to success in Hollywood including Tessa Thompson, Noah Wyle, Alison Brie, Molly Shannon, Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, and Sarah Michelle Gellar. He coached Sarah Michelle Gellar on her auditions for the landmark TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and they shared a close personal friendship, even traveling to Australia together with family for New Year's Eve 2000, where the paparazzi photographed Henning and Gellar dancing. For several months, Henning was rumored to be dating Gellar in the Australian fan magazines (including Big Hit Magazine), which, of course, was inaccurate as Henning was traveling with his husband, Rick Baumgartner. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Circle in the Square Theatre School, and American Conservatory Theatre. His work for LGBTQ Equality includes creating the fiftieth Anniversary Celebration of the Black Cat Protests (the first major LGBTQ Demonstration in the US) and directing and hosting the 2017 LA City Council LGBTQ Pride Ceremony. He was recently honored by the CA State Legislature for his work in LGBTQ Equality and nurturing the future of the Arts. He has also narrated dozens of audiobooks, both nonfiction and fiction. Jennifer Ashley Tepper is a musical theater historian and the author of Women Writing Musicals and The Untold Stories of Broadway. She conceived The Jonathan Larson Project and was the historian consultant on the Jonathan Larson biopic tick, tickâ ] BOOM! She lives in New York City.

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