Rent is a rock musical, with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson based on Puccini's opera La Boheme. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side in the thriving days of the Bohemian East Village, under the shadow of AIDS.

The musical was first seen in a limited two-week workshop run at the New York Theatre Workshop in 1994. This same New York City off-Broadway theatre was also the musical's initial home following its official January 25, 1996, opening. Tragically, the show's creator, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before the off-Broadway premiere. The show won a Pulitzer Prize, and the production was a hit. The musical moved to Broadway's larger Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996.  

On Broadway, Rent gained critical acclaim and won a Tony Award for Best Musical among other awards. The musical brought an ethnically diverse cast and controversial topics to a traditionally conservative medium, helping to increase the popularity of musical theatre amongst the younger generation. The Broadway production closed on September 7, 2008, after a 12-year run and 5,124 performances, making it the 7th longest-running Broadway show in history. The production grossed over $280 million. At the time of its closing, it was the second-longest-running musical playing on Broadway, eight years behind The Phantom of the Opera.

And now, DCU Drama along with 5-time AIMS Best Director John Donnelly, after our triumphant run at The Helix in March 2009, are delighted to bring RENT to The Olympia...

(source: wikipedia - thanks guys)