OriginalRentCast Members Reunite 29 Years After Musical’s Debut to Support Idina Menzel

Mar. 15, 2025

Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Anthony Rapp, Michael Greif at the Opening Night of “Redwood” on Broadway at The Edison Ballroom on February 13, 2025.Photo:Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty

Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty

Idina Menzelhad the support of some famous friends at the premiere ofRedwood.

On Thursday, Feb. 13, members of the original 1996 Broadway production ofRentreunited to help celebrate the opening night of Menzel’s new show.

Menzel, who played Maureen in the original Broadway production, received support fromAnthony Rapp(Mark), Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), and Fredi Walker (Joanne).

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Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Anthony Rapp, Michael Greif at the Opening Night of “Redwood” on Broadway at The Edison Ballroom on February 13, 2025 in New York, New York.Stephanie Augello/Variety via Getty

While Menzel was preparing for the show, Rapp, Heredia, and Walker posed for photos outside the Nederlander Theatre withRent’s original director, Michael Greif.

The play finds Menzel playing Jesse, a woman with “a successful career and devoted family — until a life-altering event drives her far from everyone and everything she knows.”

“When she finds herself at the foot of the redwoods in Northern California, a chance encounter and a leap of faith will change her life forever,” anofficial descriptionexplains.

The red carpet reunion of her previous cast memberscomes six years after they reunited at Fox’s live television production ofRentin 2019.The original cast members join the television cast for an encore ofRent‘s anthem, “Seasons of Love.”

In addition to Rapp, Heredia, Walker, and Menzel, original cast members who appeared in the special performance wereAdam Pascal(Roger), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi),Jesse L. Martin(Tom Collins), andTaye Diggs(Benny), as well as ensemble members Gilles Chiasson, Rodney Hicks, and Timothy Britten Parker.

Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Fredi Walker, Anthony Rapp, Michael Greif at the Opening Night of “Redwood” on Broadway at The Edison Ballroom on February 13, 2025.redwoodmusical/Instagram

redwoodmusical/Instagram

Rent,loosely based on the operaLa Boheme,tells the story of a group of New York City artists dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis in 1989.

Creator Jonathan Larson died on Jan. 25, 1996, the night beforeRent‘s off-Broadway premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop.The show opened on Broadway on April 29, 1996, and had a 12-year run consisting of 5,123 performances before closing on Sept. 07, 2008.

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In addition to receiving critical acclaim, it won many awards, including the 1996 Tony for best musical and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

source: people.com