Broadway's 'Rent' to Close After 12 Years

Jan 16, 11:37 AM

The seventh-longest-running show in Broadway history, Rent is credited with helping attract a new generation of young people to the theater, The New York Times said Wednesday.

The rock version of Puccini's opera La Boheme, set in Manhattan's East Village neighborhood, was written by Jonathan Larson, who died of an aortic aneurysm on the night of the show's final dress rehearsal at the New York Theater Workshop in the East Village.

The musical opened in February 1996, just weeks after Larson's death, and earned raves from critics and audiences alike.

It moved to Broadway two months later.

Many of the show's original cast members also starred in a 2005 film version.

Although Rent has grossed more than $280 million on Broadway and another $330 million on the road, ticket sales have been on the decline, leading the producers to announce its closing date.

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, producer Jeffrey Seller told the Times. Broadway's 'Rent' to Close After 12 Years
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