SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Ask any theater kid or theater adult, and they will be able to tell you the exact number of minutes in a nonleap year.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (As characters, singing) Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred minutes. Five hundred twenty-five thousand, six hundred moments so dear.
DETROW: The song is "Seasons Of Love" from the musical "Rent." Last night, over 30 years - or 16 million minutes - after "Rent" first opened in New York, it returned to Broadway.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (As characters, singing) Seasons of love. Love. Seasons of love...
JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Last night, 67 actors gathered for a 30th anniversary concert and livestream. They included original cast members, alumni from later productions and other musical theater stars. It was a fundraiser for the nonprofit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
DETROW: "Rent," of course, tells the stories of a group of poor young artists in New York City at the height of the AIDS epidemic.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As Mark Cohen) Old rock 'n' roll posters hang on the walls. Or they would if we weren't on the set of "Hamilton."
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: Yes, this one-night-only performance did borrow the theater from a different generation-defining musical, but "Rent" was a smash hit in its own time. Famously, the man who wrote it, Jonathan Larson died of heart failure just before the show opened in early 1996.
MICHAEL GREIF: We remain strongly connected to Jonathan Larson and feel passionately and grateful that we're able to keep his legacy alive.
SUMMERS: Director Michael Greif was part of the original creative team, and now he's got five Tony nominations to his name. He returned to direct last night's tribute.
GREIF: That felt like meeting an old friend after a long time, and that was wonderful.
DETROW: Though, with multiple actors playing the same characters and very limited rehearsal, there were a few gentle bumps along the way.
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DAPHNE RUBIN-VEGA: (As Mimi Marquez, singing) Would you light my candle?
ADAM PASCAL: (As Roger Davis) No, 'cause I forgot my matches, but somebody's going to bring them to me.
(LAUGHTER)
DETROW: In the duet "Light My Candle" between Roger and Mimi, played by original cast members Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega, Roger forgot a key prop.
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PASCAL: (As Roger Davis, singing) Someone bring me some matches.
(LAUGHTER)
GREIF: There was always a concert-like spontaneous quality to the performance of the show, and certainly that happened last night.
SUMMERS: Audiences appeared to have goodwill for those small issues. Again, director Michael Greif.
GREIF: It's a show that's so much about finding family and finding your tribe and learning how to be the most generous and openhearted you can be.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (As characters, singing) No other road, no other way. No day but today.
SUMMERS: You'll have to act today if you want to watch last night's anniversary concert. The recording of the livestream is only being offered through Broadway Cares through 11 o'clock Eastern time tonight.
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UNIDENTIFIED SINGERS: (As characters, singing) My destiny.
(As characters, singing) Someone care?
(As characters, singing) I trust my soul.
(As characters, singing) Will I wake tomorrow...
(As characters, singing) My only goal...
(As characters, singing) ...From...
(As characters, singing) ...Is just to be.
(As characters, singing) ...This nightmare?
(As characters, singing) Without you...
(As characters, singing) There's... Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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