Rejoice, Musical Theater Nerds: ‘The Jonathan Larson Project’ Is Here

The beautifully structured tribute to the ‘Rent’ composer, lyricist, and librettist is running at the East Village’s Orpheum Theatre, an intimate venue that has been turned into a makeshift shrine to the artist who died at age 35 in 1996.

Joan Marcus
Adam Chanler-Berat in 'The Jonathan Larson Project.' Joan Marcus

Jonathan Larson never really belonged to the world. The composer, lyricist, and librettist, who died in 1996 after suffering an aortic aneurysm at age 35 — less than 24 hours before his most famous musical, “Rent,” staged its first preview performance off-Broadway — found posthumous stardom of a sort, and more than once. “Rent” became a national sensation after opening on Broadway just months after his death, capturing four Tony Awards, including best musical, book, and score.

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