Editing Rent (musical) (section)

===Original Broadway production===
[[File:OriginalBroadwayCast-1.jpg|thumb|270px|Original Broadway cast, 1996]]
Due to its overwhelming popularity and the need for a larger theater, ''Rent'' moved to Broadway's previously derelict Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street on April 29, 1996.<ref name="Rent: Glory"/>  On Broadway, the show achieved critical acclaim and word-of-mouth popularity. The production's ethnically diverse principal cast originally included [[Taye Diggs]], [[Wilson Jermaine Heredia]], [[Jesse L. Martin]], [[Idina Menzel]], [[Adam Pascal]], [[Anthony Rapp]], [[Daphne Rubin-Vega]] and [[Fredi Walker]].

The production's controversial topics and innovative pricing, including same day-of-performance $20 tickets, helped to increase the popularity of musical theater amongst the younger generation.<ref name="Marks">{{cite journal| author=Marks, Peter| title=Looking on Broadway For Ramshackle Home| journal=The New York Times| date=February 26, 1996| page=C9| url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20616FD3A5D0C758EDDAB0894DE494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fOrganizations%2fN%2fNew%20York%20Theater%20Workshop| access-date=February 12, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070529083704/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20616FD3A5D0C758EDDAB0894DE494D81&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FOrganizations%2FN%2FNew%20York%20Theater%20Workshop| archive-date=May 29, 2007| url-status=dead| df=mdy-all}}</ref>  The production was nominated for ten [[Tony Awards]] in 1996 and won four: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Original Score and Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Heredia).<ref name="Tonys Search">{{cite web|url=http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search?year=1996&show=Rent|title=Past Winners Search|access-date=November 30, 2006|publisher=IBM Corp., Tony Award Productions|work=The Official Website of the American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards|archive-date=January 5, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130105002734/http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search?year=1996&show=Rent|url-status=live}}</ref>

On April 24, 2006, the original Broadway cast reunited for a one-night performance of the musical at the Nederlander Theatre. This performance raised over $2,000,000 for the [[Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation]], [[Friends In Deed]] and New York Theatre Workshop. Former cast members were invited, and many from prior tours and former Broadway casts appeared, performing an alternate version of "Seasons of Love" as the finale of the performance.<ref name="Playbill 10th">{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/98789.html|title=''Rent''{{'}}s 10th Anniversary Celebration Will Reunite Past Bohemians, for Three Good Causes|publisher=Playbill, Inc.|date=March 30, 2006|author=Jones, Kenneth|access-date=November 30, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061224123746/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/98789.html|archive-date=December 24, 2006}}</ref>

''Rent'' closed on September 7, 2008, after a 12-year run and 5,123 performances,<ref name="AP0907">Kuchwara, Michael. [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/2008-09-07-2823599183_x.htm "'Rent' brings down the curtain on Broadway run."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321200452/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/music/2008-09-07-2823599183_x.htm |date=March 21, 2016 }} ''[[Associated Press]]'', September 7, 2008. Retrieved on July 8, 2015.</ref> making it the seventh-longest-running Broadway show at that time, and currently the [[List of the longest-running Broadway shows|eleventh-longest-running Broadway show]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/75222.html |title=Long Runs on Broadway |access-date=June 22, 2008 |publisher=Playbill, Inc. |date=May 28, 2008 |author=Hernandez, Ernio |work=Celebrity Buzz: Insider Info |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090420212111/http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/75222.html |archive-date=April 20, 2009 }}</ref>  The production grossed over $280 million.<ref name="Time"/>

Original cast [[Musical ensemble|ensemble]] members Rodney Hicks and Gwen Stewart returned to the cast at the time of the Broadway closing. Hicks played Benny and Stewart played the role she created, the soloist in the song "Seasons of Love". In addition, actress [[Tracie Thoms]] joined the cast at the end of the run playing Joanne, the role she portrayed in the 2005 film version.<ref name="AP0907" />  The last Broadway performance was filmed and screened in movie theaters as ''Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway'' in September 2008. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray formats on February 3, 2009.