The 20th Anniversary Tour of 'Rent' Heads To The Rialto This Fall

Enjoy a piece of theatre history as the Rent: 20^th Anniversary Tour comes to the Rialto Square Theatre on Thursday, October 10^th at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Friday, May 24^th at 10:00 a.m.

Since first premiering Off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1996, Rent has remained a must-see musical production due to the dynamic performances and the groundbreaking story. Loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème, Rent tells the story of seven artists experiencing trials and tribulations as they fight to pursue creative dreams while also trying to remain true to themselves and their art. In the end, their creativity, friendships and overall love for one another pushes them through life’s struggles. The musical, set in the East Village in New York City in 1989 and 1990, was written by the late playwright and composer Jonathan Larson.

Now more than 20 years later, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical is a cult classic and has gone on to gross hundreds of millions of dollars. Rent is also the 11^th-longest-running Broadway show in history. And just this past January, FOX brought the musical to life with Rent: Live for more than three million viewers.

Now the musical is hitting the road again after a successful tour a few years ago. The stage direction will be based on the original, which was directed by Michael Greif. Evan Ensign will re-stage the 20th anniversary tour produced by Work Light Productions. Some original Broadway team members are also a part of the tour including Marlies Yearby on choreography, Angela Wendt on costume design, and Tim Weil on music supervision and additional arrangements. Jonathan Spencer on lighting design, Keith Caggiano on sound design, MiRi Park as the associate choreographer, and Matthew E. Maraffi joins the original Broadway members to round out the creative team. Maraffi is adapting the original scenic design by Paul Clay while casting will be conducted by Wojcik-Seay Casting.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see why so many love Rent when the tour comes to Joliet this Fall. Tickets range in price from $48.50 to $81.50 plus additional fees. To purchase on May 24, visit the Rialto website or the theatre’s box office located at 102 N. Chicago Street in Joliet.