Idina Menzel in "Rent"
(Photo: Joan Marcus)
(Photo: Joan Marcus)
Will Idina Menzel, Anthony Rapp & Rent Original Cast Members Appear on Rent Live!?
by Broadway.com Staff • Jan 25, 2019
TV audiences might get an extra special treat when watching Fox's Rent Live! on January 27. Idina Menzel, who originated the role of Maureen Johnson in the hit musical, and Anthony Rapp, who first played Mark Cohen, have shared social posts which seem to indicate that original Broadway cast members will appear on the live television event.
— Idina Menzel (@idinamenzel) January 26, 2019
In addition to Menzel and Rapp, the original principal cast of Rent included Adam Pascal as Roger Davis, Daphne Rubin-Vega as Mimi Marquez, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Fredi Walker as Joanne Jefferson, Taye Diggs as Benny and Wilson Jermaine Heredia in a Tony-winning turn as Angel.
As previously announced, the live cast will include Vanessa Hudgens as Maureen Johnson, Jordan Fisher as Mark Cohen, Brennin Hunt as Roger Davis, Tinashe as Mimi Marquez, Brandon Victor Dixon as Tom Collins, Kiersey Clemons as Joanne Jefferson, Mario as Benny and Valentina as Angel, with Keala Settle as the "Seasons of Love" soloist.
Larson's beloved musical about a group of friends surviving and thriving in New York City at the height of the AIDS crisis has garnered numerous awards, including the 1996 Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize. A film version was made in 2005 starring many of the original cast members. There have been countless productions of the favorited tuner all over the world since it bowed on the Great White Way.
(Photo: Joan Marcus)