Original star of Rent, Adam Pascal, joins host Michael Riedel live at Sardi's for this special bonus episode. Adam reflects on how he went from playing guitar in his basement to being on the cover of magazines across the globe after Rent catapulted him and his castmates into stardom, changing their lives and the lives of audience members the show has touched since opening at New York Theatre Workshop nearly thirty years ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rent is one of those super rare musicals that permeated pop culture all over the world. The show was on Broadway from 1996 to 2008 and is still produced throughout the world today. In this episode, members of the original cast and creative team, as well as creator Jonathan Larson’s sister Julie Larson, discuss how the musical forged an incredible connection with young people in a way that no musical had in decades, bringing a whole new generation of creators to American musical theatre,...

Many warned that the musical Rent did not belong on Broadway! Nonetheless, the show blasted past those naysayers to become one of the biggest hits of all time. Join Rent star Daphne Rubin-Vega, Tony Award-winning Director Michael Greif, Press Agent Don Summa, New York Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Jim Nicola, along with Producer Jeffrey Seller as they share their very insider memories of Rent’s road to Broadway! Plus Creative Director Drew Hodges shares the fascinating story behind...

In 1996, Rent creator Jonathan Larson tragically passed away just hours before the show’s very first preview at New York Theatre Workshop. Rent star Daphne Rubin-Vega, along with Tony Award-winning Director Michael Greif, join Rent Producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum, Press Agents Don Summa and Richard Kornberg and Jonathan’s father and sister - Al and Julie Larson - to share their vivid and very emotional memories about Jonathan’s final days. From that day forward, musical theatre...

Daphne Rubin-Vega, who was the original Mimi in Rent, and her personal wardrobe were invaluable resources for Rent costume designer Angela Wendt. With only $500 to create the original Rent costumes and set design, Angela was able to bring creator Jonathan Larson's vision to life and to fulfill his dream of Rent becoming a powerful 90's fashion "influencer." Join Angela and Daphne as they reminisce about helping to shape one of the greatest musicals of all time.  This episode features excerpts...

Daphne Rubin-Vega brought such undeniable grit, free spirit, and Lower East Side authenticity to her Mimi audition that the Rent team knew they found their Cat Scratch Club dancer. Listen to Michael Riedel's never before heard interview with Daphne as she reflects on scoring this life-changing role and the extraordinary Rent roller coaster that followed. Rent Producers Jeffrey Seller and Kevin McCollum, as well as New York Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Jim Nicola, also share their very...

How did the groundbreaking rock opera Rent get its start? New York Theatre Workshop Artistic Director Jim Nicola, Director Michael Greif, and Producer Jeffrey Seller dive back in time to share what initially drew them to Jonathan Larson and to his revolutionary new musical Rent.  This episode features excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interviews for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did Rent get to Broadway? The trajectory is unexpected and spectacular. Producer Robyn Goodman, Artistic Director Jim Nicola, and Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s father and sister recount Rent’s trajectory from blank page to the show’s monumental New York Theatre Workshop production. Theatre would never be the same.   This episode features excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interviews for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Learn more about your ad choices....

Listen in on this never before heard, very candid interview with Rent creator Jonathan Larson’s father, Allan Larson, and Jonathan’s sister, Julie Larson, as they share stories about Jonathan’s early passion for musical theatre, his extraordinary early musical gifts, and Jonathan’s deep desire to make musical theater relevant again for a whole new generation. This episode features excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Allan and Julie Larson for his 2020 best-selling book Singular...

Based on Michael Riedel’s spectacular book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway, the Rent miniseries explores the creation of the landmark musical with those who were there. Rent marks a major turning point in the history of American musical theatre. Before Rent, the British spectacles dominated - Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Sunset Boulevard. When Rent, composed and written by Jonathan Larson, exploded onto the scene, the show ignited huge excitement from a young...

Patti LuPone got her pool, but Glenn Close got the Tony. In this never-before-heard dressing room interview about Sunset Boulevard, Patti LuPone dives deep on the competition between her and fellow Norma Desmond, Glenn Close. Plus you don’t want to miss what she has to say about Faye Dunaway. This episode contains excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Patti LuPone for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Early access to the latest episodes available...

Listen in on this never-before-heard dressing room interview with Sunset Boulevard’s original Norma Desmond, Patti LuPone, to hear her take on the challenges of creating the role in London and the origins of her infamous feud with Andrew Lloyd Webber. This episode contains excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Patti LuPone for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Early access to the latest episodes available exclusively through...

Glenn Close discusses returning to Sunset Boulevard for the 2017 Broadway revival. She shares how the production evolved since Broadway in 1994 and how she was able to dive even deeper into the role of Norma Desmond.  This episode contains excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Glenn Close for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Early access to the latest episodes is available exclusively through http://bpn.fm/singularsensation. Learn more about your...

Tony-winning star Glenn Close shares her Norma Desmond memories from her first Sunset Boulevard audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber, to her experience launching a show about a Hollywood star in Hollywood, to Close originating the role on Broadway.  This episode contains excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Glenn Close for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Early access to the latest episodes is available exclusively through...

As we continue our deep dive into Sunset Boulevard, Andrew Lloyd Webber talks about Patti LuPone’s fierce competitiveness with Glenn Close…and how this sparked Patti’s infamous feud with Andrew - a painful experience for Andrew that took a significant toll on him personally. This episode contains excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interview with Andrew Lloyd Webber for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway. Early access to the latest episodes is available...

Did you know Andrew Lloyd Webber was not the first famous composer to consider turning Sunset Boulevard into a musical? Join host Michael Riedel in a rarified, behind-the-curtain conversation with legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber as he recounts the decision to hire Patti LuPone to star as Norma Desmond in the London production of Sunset Boulevard and how the decision to bring the musical to Los Angeles before Broadway ignited one of the biggest feuds in Broadway history. This episode...

Patti, Glenn, Webber... oh my! Get ready for the inside scoop on one of the biggest behind-the-scenes Broadway dramas of the 1990s. Early access to the latest episodes available exclusively through http://bpn.fm/singularsensation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices