Hardly stopping to catch its breath after announcing the live telecast in December of “A Christmas Story,” Fox announced today that it’s made a deal to present “Rent,” the 1996 groundbreaking musical that won Tony, Pulitzer and Grammy recognition and ran more than 5,100 performances on Broadway.
Marc Platt, who is following up “Grease: Live” with “A Christmas Story,” is exec producing along with the estate of writer/composer Jonathan Larson. Larson never enjoyed the success of his show or saw its impact on the culture, which was rare for a Broadway musical in the age of new media; he died of an aortic aneurysm on the eve of the show’s off-Broadway premiere.
Additional details and auspices to be announced.
“We are so honored to partner with the estate of the brilliant Jonathan Larson and producer Marc Platt on one of the great musicals of our time,” said Dana Walden and Gary Newman, Chairmen and CEOs, Fox Television Group. “The title is so iconic, the music is so beloved, and the themes are as meaningful today as they were when the show first premiered on Broadway. With Marc overseeing this project, we are sure it will have a profound impact on the legions of fans who know and love this musical.”
“‘Rent’ was Jonathan’s dream of sharing the theater and the passion he had for it with a whole new generation,” said Julie and Al Larson, parents of the composer/lyricist and stewards of his legacy. “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.”
“Rent” originally was produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop. The telecast will be executive-produced by Platt, Adam Siegel, Julie Larson, Al Larson and Revolution Studios’ Vince Totino, Scott Hemming and Marla Levine.