Seasons of Rent

After twelve years on Broadway, Rent closed this weekend. Even if you're a Puccini purist, there's no denying that Rent made an impact on the New York theater scene. Jonathan Larson put together an incredibly diverse cast for a medium that is typically pretty lily white, and he introduced themes that were probably pretty racy to the octogenarians who make up most of Broadway's audiences.

And speaking of those white-haired audience members--Rent introduced a new way to change that audience demographic. When it started selling $20 tickets for seats in the first two rows, nothing like it had ever been done before. Now it's almost standard fare, especially for any show trying to bring in a youthful crowd.

Rent had a good run, and, to remember it properly, here are a few scenes of the original cast: