Rent is one of those super rare musicals that permeated pop culture all over the world. The show was on Broadway from 1996 to 2008 and is still produced throughout the world today. In this episode, members of the original cast and creative team, as well as creator Jonathan Larson’s sister Julie Larson, discuss how the musical forged an incredible connection with young people in a way that no musical had in decades, bringing a whole new generation of creators to American musical theatre, including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bobby Lopez, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and more.

This episode features excerpts from Michael Riedel’s interviews for his 2020 best-selling book Singular Sensation: The Triumph of Broadway.