I heard that RENT is cancelling performances the week of September 29 through Oct 5, returning on October 6. Is this to spruce up the theatre or something?
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
I read that they chose that theatre largely because it felt much more urban, and they actually "crapped" it up a bit to enhance the atmosphere and setting of the show. So it's a little of both I guess. I also heard they liked the location. That street is probably the most broken down street in the broadway district.
It used to be the crappiest theatre in the Broadway district, but with the new stores on Broadway and NY Sports Club right next door...times have changed.
the thing with the theater is that they thought rent was gonna be a flop... so when they moved from off broadway they kinda just gace them the crapy theater....
A dancer might dream to see her name in lights and mean it,
but all she really dreams is to make someone
else feel the way she did when she first saw a dancer.
And that is so beautiful-Anonymous
The theater was specifically selected and modified for the show.
They picked it because it serves as a metafor for "alphabet city" location (out of the way from mainstream) and purposely made it look run down to create the ambiance for the show. They even put up a semi-tacky "Rent Tickets Here" neon sign like you would find in a seedy flop house hotel.