New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008

[Wanna Be A Foster]

New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#1

Posted: 12/19/07 at 10:43am

The new London production of Rent, entitled Rent Remixed, has posted an early closing notice.

The updated version of Jonathan Larson's La Bohème-based rock musical opened at the West End's Duke of York's Theatre on Oct. 15 starring Denise Van Outen and former Sugarbabe, Siobhan Donagh.

The musical had been booking until April 2008 but will now take its final bow on Feb. 2, 2008. The show will be replaced by the acclaimed version of Mozart's opera The Magic Flute by South African company Isango/Portobello.
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The re-orchestrated, reworked and redesigned production of Rent was given a contemporary makeover by director William Baker and music supervisor Steve Anderson, the creative team behind pop diva Kylie Minogue.

The show's spokesperson told Playbill.com that producers Ambassador Theater Group, Tulbart Productions and Michael Brenn are considering a possible life for the show on tour in Europe.

In the hope of making the show more accessible to London audiences, Baker reworked Larson's book, turning three of the central characters into English expatriates.

News of the closure comes just a week after it was announced that soap star Jessie Wallace will replace Van Outen in the role of Maureen beginning Dec. 22.

After an acclaimed run Off-Broadway, Rent opened on April 29, 1996, at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, where the musical continues to run.
New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008

"Winning a Tony this year is like winning Best Attendance in third grade: no one will care but the winner and their mom."
-Kad

"I have also met him in person, and I find him to be quite funny actually. Arrogant and often misinformed, but still funny."
-bjh2114 (on Michael Riedel)

[songanddanceman2]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#2

Posted: 12/19/07 at 10:59am

Yeah i think everyone over on the west end board new that this was coming, it had already been looking at theatres round the UK for a possible tour but the word is that that idea has to been scrapped.

It was a pointless update which UK audiences hated

It wont be missed

Thanks for posting foster

Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna

[Mealz1042]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#2

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:17am

Well, it did better than High Fidelity :-

I just hope this disaster of a production didn't make London audiences have a negative view towards Rent itself.

<-- Gwen Stewart, SOLoist at the last show of RENT
Cages or wings? Which do you prefer? Ask the birds. Fear or love, baby? Don't say the answer Actions speak louder than words. (Tick, Tick... BOOM!)

[folkyboy]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#3

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:20am

what is the consensus on the cast recording of this show?

[Pascal/Menzel/Bundy]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#4

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:20am

That is a relief.

songanddance: A "pointless update" pretty much sums it up, doesn't it? :)

"It means nothing to come and sit in a theater night after night and immerse yourself in fantasy, only then to walk out the door and be unchanged in reality. This show will live on in our hearts. But where it truly must survive is in our actions, our compassion and our generousity of spirit towards one another." - Adam Pascal on the closing of RENT

[songanddanceman2]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#5

Posted: 12/19/07 at 7:41pm

I dont think they will be doing a cast recording (thank god)

Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna

[BobbyBubby]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#6

Posted: 12/19/07 at 7:48pm

I don't think London had a high opinion of the show to begin with. (It is DEEPLY flawed).

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#7

Posted: 12/19/07 at 7:55pm

RENT wasn't the hit people expected it to be in London the first time around (based on the much-publicized Broadway outing), this new production proved the piece is not as "universal" as people think it is.
It's indeed a deeply flawed work-in-progress, and I honestly don't see why it is still running on Broadway (or why it was that big of a hit to begin with).

"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"

[songanddanceman2]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#8

Posted: 12/19/07 at 9:17pm

Rent has a MASSIVE fan base here in the UK but at the time the show originally opened in the UK it had not caught on (its not like it flopped though as it did a year and a half)

The show has found A LOT of fans since its opening and the UK tour and limited prince of wales dates did really well.

Rent fans have stayed away from Rent Remixed as its s**t and they did not want to see the show killed.

You have to remember that the film Rent was better received here and the tour was a huge hit.If Rent would have come back in its original format now its gathered a huge fan base since the original UK production it would have done much better.

Namo i love u but we get it already....you don't like Madonna

[JRybka]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#9

Posted: 12/19/07 at 9:20pm

I still hope they record this version as I have heard clips of take me or leave me and I have to admit that i am a bit addicted to it in a Ethel Merman Disco/Disco Evita/Sweeney Todd Disco obsession....

"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."

[winston89]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#10

Posted: 12/19/07 at 9:55pm

Rent in its original form would have done leagues better then the cuurrent rent remix. There is a fan base for the show that wasn't there during the shaftsbury run. I think that if they opene the version that is playing at the Nederlander and what played at the shaftsbury intead of making it Rent remix then the show wouled be doing much better.

"If you try to shag my husband while I am still alive, I will shove the art of motorcycle maintenance up your rancid little Cu**. That's a good dear" Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll

[erinrebecca]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#11

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:01pm

winston, that's exactly what songanddanceman said!

[RentBoy86]

re: New London Production of RENT to Close in February 2008#12

Posted: 12/19/07 at 11:55pm

Perhaps it is a flawed show, but it's such a beautiful show too. And - I can't speak for other people - but when I saw the show in '03 on tour, I thought all musical theatre had to offer was Annie Get Your Gun, Oklahoma, and The Music Man. These shows aren't bad by any means, but they don't really do anything for me. However, RENT just touched me so much. I didn't realize musical theatre could be like that. I was literally that kid in the last row of the theater who was just so into the production. And I think there are a ton of teens out there that can relate to the mood of the show, and certain aspects of the characters. And it really played to my generation.