RENT

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script type="text/javascript" src="http://hb.lycos.com/hb.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://ratings.lycos.com/ratings/lycosRating.js.php"></script> <script type="text/javascript"><![CDATA[//><!]]></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://scripts.lycos.com/catman/init.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-start.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-middle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/ad/code-end.js"></script> <noscript> <img src="http://members.tripod.com/adm/img/common/ot_noscript.gif?rand=443334" alt="" width="1" height="1" />  <iframe frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" width="728" height="90" src="http://ad.yieldmanager.com/st?ad_type=iframe&ad_size=728x90&section=209094"></iframe>  </noscript> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" height=115 BGCOLOR="#808080" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03e00a20eowhpc.gif"> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="_"><U><B><IMG SRC="0d62c4b0.jpg" border=0 width="300" height="75" ALT="Logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></b></U></A></div> <div> <B>RENT</b></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=365 BGCOLOR="#A0A0A4" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.siteforrent.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.siteforrent.com"><U><IMG SRC="0ac2abc0.gif" border=0 width="298" height="188" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> THE STORY</div> <bR> <div> The story of <I>RENT</I>  has a strange trajectory.  For seven years, Larson, a talented playwright, composer and pianist who was eager to remake the American musical and hungry for a career breakthrough, had worked on an update of the opera <I>LA BOHEME</I>, relocating Giacomo Puccini's tale of Parisian artists to New York City's East Village.  The off-Broadway production of <I>RENT</I> was scheduled to go into previews January 25, 1996, at New York Theater Workshop.  The night before, at the final dress rehearsal, the play received a standing ovation.  Larson then went home, put a pot of water on the stove for tea, collapsed and died alone on the floor of his apartment.  Two weeks later,<I> RENT</I> opened to phenomenal acclaim.  Within three months, the show moved to Broadway, its young cast became stars and Larson won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. <I>RENT</I> swept the theater awards that spring, including the Tonys' the cast recording was nominated for a Grammy; and a film is in the works. <I>RENT</I> not only invigorated the moribund Broadway musical form; it offered a testament to lives lived on the edges of creation and death--a testament that struck a chord with thousands.</div> <div> --Allan S. Larson</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> THE PICTURES</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0ae97850.gif" border=0 width="151" height="389" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#9900FF" FACE="Georgia Ref" >Jonathan Larson</FONT></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0b0a5c50.jpg" border=0 width="165" height="197" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"> Angel Dumott Schunard (Wilson Heredia)</div> <div>                                                                Tom Collins (Jesse L. Martin)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="0b2cfa20.jpg" border=0 width="207" height="162" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Mimi Marquez (Daphne Rubin-Vega)</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="108bfef0.jpg" border=0 width="191" height="239" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="10623430.jpg" border=0 width="547" height="323" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> The entire original Cast</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>