E. C. Glass Theatre opens its thirty-fifth season with the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning RENT, the rock opera that took Broadway by storm in 1996 and changed the face of modern musical theatre forever.
Jonathan Larson’s riveting tale, based on Puccini’s La Bohème, transports the romantic world of the bohemian artists in turn of the century Paris, to the artistic “bohemian” East Village in New York City in the early 1990s. In its portrayal of this community in crisis, the musical explores multiculturalism, class struggle, addiction, and homophobia; instead of the deadly epidemic of Tuberculosis that plagued the characters in La Bohème, Larson’s characters suffer from the “maladie du moment,” AIDS. But the true message of the story can be summed up from one line of lyrics from the show, “No Day But Today!”
Glass theatre director J.D. Stallings has been working alongside an incredibly passionate and hardworking cast and crew. “We are working with a very short rehearsal period, but the members of the company are very excited about the show and are dedicating a great deal of time and energy to make this an incredible production,” he said. “Two weeks in, the cast has learned most of their music and blocking, while the skeleton of an East Village lot is taking shape up on the stage. This production will be presented in a unique format, using the architecture of the E. C. Glass auditorium and having the audience sit on stage with the actors for a more intimate experience that will make RENT come to life. RENT is all about creating and maintaining community, and, as the process continues to unfold, we are getting more and more excited to share what we are learning and discovering with OUR community.”
RENT opens September 30th and runs through October 4th at E. C. Glass on the auditorium stage. Shows begin promptly at 7:30 p.m. on September 30 and October 1, 2 and 3. There will be two performances on Saturday, October 4, a matinee at 2:30 p.m. and an evening performance at 7:30pm.
Tickets for shows are $12, $8 for seniors and students. Season tickets are available; contact Tom Harris with E. C. Glass Theatre at [email protected] or call (434) 515-5370. Check for box office times or order season tickets online at www.ecglasstheatre.org.