Purdue News

October 5, 2001 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical 'Rent' to play Elliott Hall WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – "Rent," the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical, will be presented at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, in Loeb Playhouse. Tickets are $38, $32, $27 or $12 for general public; $28, $24, $20 or $12 for Purdue students and children K-12. Tickets can be purchased at Purdue box offices or charged by phone at (765) 494-3933 or (800) 914-SHOW. "Rent" is presented by Purdue Convocations. Written by Jonathan Larson and inspired by Puccini’s opera, "La Boheme," "Rent" is a musical that celebrates a community of artists as they struggle with the soaring hopes and tough realities of today’s world. The show swept all the major theater awards, including the 1996 Tony Award for best musical, as well as the Pulitzer Prize for drama. The show's world premiere off-Broadway was Feb. 13, 1996, at the New York Theatre Workshop. After opening to ecstatic reviews, it rapidly became a sold-out hit. The show transferred to Broadway on April 29, 1996, and continues to play to standing room only audiences. The most honored musical since "A Chorus Line" in 1976, "Rent" is only the fifth musical to win both the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award. The success of "Rent" is always tempered by the death of its creator, Larson. He died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm Jan. 25, 1996, just hours after the show's final dress rehearsal off-Broadway, and 10 days before his 36th birthday. "Rent" was directed by Michael Grief and features musical direction by Tim Weil, choreography by Marlies Yearby, set design by Paul Clay, costume design by Angela Wendt and lighting design by Blake Burba. CONTACT: Larry Sommers, Purdue Convocations, (765) 494-5045, lsommers@purdue.edu. NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: A publication-quality photograph of Kevin Spencer as Roger and Krystal L. Washington as Mimi is available at ftp://ftp.purdue.edu/pub/uns/. Photo ID: Rent.jpeg. Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page