The East Village is where the play takes place and where it was written. The East Village has changed over the years, but in the time that Rent was produced, it was a hub of artists. However, it was also where gentrification was occurring. The remnants of 300 homeless people still resided in the East …
Category: Tours
Little Apollo Theater
The approximate former location of the Little Apollo Theater. Not to be confused with the more famous Apollo Theater, this establishment was acquired by the Minskys soon after they left the Park Theater, and quickly became one of their most profitable venues, taking in net profits of around $20,000 a week at its height.
The Life Cafe
The Life Café is where the end of the first act of the Rent takes place. The song “La Vie Bohème”, which occurs before the intermission and is one of the most popular scenes from the play, is performed here. The Life Café was chosen for this particular scene because Jonathan Larson was a frequent …
Oriental Theater
The approximate former location of the Oriental Theater. Acquired by H.K. and Morton Minsky in 1936, it was apparently meant to be a permanent home for Minsky productions, but it was forcibly closed by the city government before this vision could become a reality.
The Nederlander
Built in 1921, the Nederlander is the theater that premiered Rent in its Broadway debut. The Nederlander is located near the heart of the Times Square theater district. The Nederlander was the perfect theater for Rent and the inside was decorated to look just like the East Village.[11] The interior of the building was inspired …
Gaiety Theater
The former location of the Gaiety Theater. Acquired by Abe Minsky shortly after his split from his surviving brothers in 1932, it became the center of Abe’s attempt to present more “highbrow” entertainment than could be found in typical burlesque shows of the time.
New York Theater Workshop
The New York Theater Workshop was founded in 1979 and is dedicated to ensuring the presence of artists in society. The New York Theater Workshop states that they do this in two ways, “…first through producing an annual season of productions in our 199-seat theatre in Manhattan’s East Village and second, by inviting theatre-makers at …
Republic Theater
The former location of the Republic Theater, now known as the New Victory Theater. The Minskys first acquired this establishment around 1931, and it remained their principal venue until H.K. and Morton moved operations to the Oriental in 1936.
Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center
This hospital reported one of the very first AIDS cases in the nation. It became one of the primary health centers for AIDS in New York City.[1] [1] Thomas Rzeznik, “The Church and the AIDS Crisis in New York City.” U.S. Catholic Historian 34, no. 1 (2016): 143-65.
Park Theater
The former location of the Park Theater. Briefly owned by Billy Minsky from 1922 to 1923, the Park represented the Minskys’ first attempt to break out of the Lower East Side and into more “respectable” circles. Low ticket sales, however, forced Billy Minsky to abandon the Park after only about a year.