Dependent as “Rent” is on a young audience and fueled by the occasional celebrity casting announcement, its grosses could be erratic. But recently the show’s take at the box office was consistently less than its costs. A closing date was on the horizon, and after some not entirely amicable back-and-forth, the Broadway producers, Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum and Allan S. Gordon, agreed to a guarantee to keep the show running through June 1.
“Something happened with us in the fall in which we were consistently selling less tickets than we were last year and three or four years ago,” Mr. Seller said, citing new competition on Broadway like “Legally Blonde” and “Spring Awakening.” On the other hand, he said, when the show began, “I couldn’t have foreseen that we’d get to five years.”
Over the past 12 years, the Larson family has viewed the show as a source of pride as well as, in the words of Mr. Larson’s father, Al, “a constant reminder of something we don’t really want to be reminded about.”
In an interview from his home in Los Angeles, Mr. Larson said the ending of the show’s Broadway run would mean more shows in high schools and small theaters, a development he embraces. But, he said, “for essentially 12 years I’ve been saying I’d trade the whole business in if Jonny could still be alive. I still feel that way.”
It is so sad that it is leaving, especially for me since I have longed to see it since I saw the film version, and now the oppourtunity of seeing it is diminished. School isn't out until June 7, so I won't be able to see it in New York. I think there are talks of a U.S. tour, so then if it gets to Cincinnati, I might be able to see it, if my mother takes me (though chances are that she won't considering the subject matter, the cursing and the overall tone of the play). If not, I don't know what I'll do. I'll just have to continue watching the film version, which really can't even be compared to the stage version.
