Getty Brennin Hunt, Tinashe, Brandon Victor Dixon, Valentina, Vanessa Hudgens, Kiersey Clemons, Mario and Jordan Fisher.
Fox aired its live musical production of the hit musical Rent tonight. The live show was directed by Michael Grief, who directed the original Broadway production of Rent.
Fox’s live musical production stars Vanessa Hudgens as “Maureen Johnson,” Jordan Fisher as “Mark Cohen,” Tinashe as “Mimi Marquez,” Kiersey Clemons as “Joanne Jefferson,” Valentina as “Angel Dumott Schunard,” Brennin Hunt as “Roger Davis,” and Brandon Victor Dixon as “Tom Collins.”
This post will be updated when the complete video becomes available.
Before the production began, Fox included a poignant quote by the writer of Rent, Jonathan Larson, who past away just before he had the chance to see his show open Off-Broadway:
“In these dangerous times where the world is ripping apart at the seams, we can learn from those who stare death in the face every day by reaching out to each other and bonding as a community, rather than hiding from the terrors of life.”
EVERYTHING IS #RENT. 💵 t.co/p0B7ufetd5
As the show began, a note at the bottom of the screen told viewers that this portion of the production was “previously recorded.” It was later explained by the cast that Brennin Hunt broke his foot during the dress rehearsal the day before, which means that many portions of the show that viewers are watching at home were previously recorded during the dress rehearsal.
The event then opened with Brennin Hunt as Roger playing his guitar in the loft apartment he shares with his friends, struggling to come up with his one great song. He was accompanied in the scene by Jordan Fisher, playing Mark.
📽 Zoom in on Benny calling for the #RENT.
As the scene progressed, they answered calls from their roommate Collins and their landlord Benny, and the camera cut from one space to the next and back to Roger and Mark.
👏👏👏 @Jordan_Fisher already KILLIN’ it as Mark. #RENT t.co/0Q528K2HDa
As the opening dialogue came to a close, the curtains dropped on a stage surrounded by a live audience and the cast broke out into the show’s title song, “Rent.”
The opening number featured only some of the core cast, interacting with the audience along the edges of the stage and establishing the narrative with breaks in song for both Joanne and Mark to talk to Maureen over the phone. The show’s ensemble performed in the rafters which flashed orange and yellow lights to mimic the fire that lit up the scene in the film.
The start of a love story for the ages. ❤️ #RENT
In those first few minutes, we also saw the first interaction between the characters Angel and Collins (for that scene, James Leyva was not dressed in drag).
Ahead of the live premiere, Fox shared a video clip of one of the cast’s rehearsals for the song “Seasons of Love.” In the video, the core cast stands alongside one another singing the song a cappella. In the film adaptation of the musical, the show begins with an on-stage performance of “Seasons of Love.”