Rent will be the next musical to get the live production treatment on network television, and now we finally know who will be starring in the upcoming Fox production.
In a press release sent out on Monday (October 29), Fox announced the cast for its upcoming live musical production of Jonathan Larson’s beloved Broadway musical, Rent.
The network has tapped Vanessa Hudgens (Grease Live!), singer Tinashe, RuPaul’s Drag Race alumn Valentina, Kiersey Clemons (The Flash), Brandon Victor Dixon (Jesus Christ Superstar), Jordan Fisher (Grease Live!), Brennin Hunt (Walking With Herb), and singer Mario to bring Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical to life on the small screen.
Here’s the breakdown of who will be playing who, along with the press release’s description of each character:
Kiersey Clemons as JOANNE JEFFERSON, Maureen’s girlfriend and an Ivy League-educated lawyer.
Brandon Victor Dixon as TOM COLLINS, the computer scientist who returns to New York after being expelled from MIT.
Jordan Fisher as MARK COHEN, an aspiring filmmaker, who serves as the show’s narrator, while filming the lives of his friends.
Vanessa Hudgens as MAUREEN JOHNSON, the outgoing performance artist who’s not afraid to take on the establishment.
Brennin Hunt as ROGER DAVIS, a struggling musician and Mark’s roommate and best friend.
Mario as BENJAMIN COFFIN III, Mark and Roger’s former roommate-turned-landlord, who is after their rent.
Tinashe as MIMI MARQUEZ, the dancer who struggles with addiction.
Valentina as ANGEL DUMONT SCHUNARD, a young drag queen and street percussionist who embraces life and lives it to its fullest.
Additionally, Keala Settle (The Greatest Showman) will perform “Seasons of Love” as part of the production.
Set early on in the AIDS era in New York City’s East Village, Larson’s re-imagined take on Puccini’s La Boheme first opened in 1996 and ran for 12 years thereafter.
The groundbreaking musical has touched the hearts of many since its Off Broadway debut in the ’90s, so it’s safe to say Fox and the cast of their upcoming live production have some pretty big shoes to fill.
One thing that might make fans of the source material rest a bit easy is that theater producer Marc Platt will be working with Larson’s estate to bring the three-hour musical event to life.
Dear Evan Hansen vet Michael Greif, who directed the original New York Theater Workshop and Broadway productions of Rent, will also be involved with the upcoming live television event. He’ll be overseeing stage direction on the Fox production.
Fox is also bringing back a slew of creative team members involved with the original Broadway production, including Emmy Award-winning casting director Bernie Telsey and costume designer Angela Wendt.
All in all, it seems as though Fox is taking care to do their production of the beloved musical justice, so we’ll be looking forward to seeing how everything turns out on the big night.
Fox’s live musical event of Rent will air on Sunday, January 27, 2019 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, with a tape delay for the west coast.