Rapp and Pascal Return to Rent

Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp have returned to the roles that they originated in Rent for six weeks this summer. Eleven years on, are these guys looking a bit long in the tooth for the roles? Here are some recent photos of Rapp and Pascal. You be the judge. I'll just say this: pay particular attention to the photos in which they pose with the other current cast members. "Grandpa, what was it like when you were on Broadway?"

Do you call it stunt casting when you're bringing back the original stars? Well, if you define stunt casting as an attempt to increase box office by bringing in a name, then I guess you do. The question is, how well will it work? This reminds me of when Barry and Fran Weissler brought back Bebe Neuwirth to Chicago, but this time as Roxie Hart rather than Velma Kelly, which I think was moderately effective, although certainly not the box-office boon that was the Broadway debut of hip-hop star Usher.

Isn't it insane how long Rent has lasted? I mean, it's a good show, don't get me wrong. A very good show. But it's racked up more than 4,600 performances, making it the seventh-longest-running show in Broadway history. And it's brought in more than $250 million in gross sales. That's a quarter of a billion dollars, folks. Sure, it's been playing to half-empty houses quite a bit over them past few months, but it does manage a week here or there when it takes in more than $400,000, which is still pretty frickin' good.

I saw Rent the night before it opened on Broadway, and it was one of the most electrifying nights I've ever had in the theater. Part of the power of the show for me was that my boyfriend at the time was HIV-positive, and by the time Collins sang the powerfully dramatic reprise of "I'll Cover You," I was a great big wet sloppy mess. Over the years I've come to recognize the flaws in the show, but overall it's great theater, an important theatrical milestone, and a terrific roller-coaster ride of emotion.

So I hope the show keeps on running, exposing a new generation of theater goers to the sadly lost genius that was Jonathan Larson.