Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Youthful vitality and undiminished human spirit shine through in THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT

• By drediman
• March 11, 2025
• No Comments

Last night, The Jonathan Larson Project opened Off-Broadway at the Orpheum Theater. Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper as an homage to the late creator of the iconic Pulitzer- and Tony-winning musical Rent — which influenced a generation of theatergoers and theater-makers — the production features twenty-odd songs from a number of Larson’s unfinished and unproduced musicals (namely 1984 and Superbia), as well as material cut from Rent and tick, tick…BOOM! and other miscellaneous songs.

The project’s first iteration was a 2018 concert at 54 Below, which inspired a well-received album and now this full-fledged, snugly-staged production at the Orpheum — without a doubt, the classic East Village theater is the perfect venue for the production, especially given that the neighborhood is where Larson lived and a number of his works take place. The Jonathan Larson Project gives audiences a rare glimpse at the body of work that both led to the creation of both Rent and tick, tick…BOOM! Indeed, many of the songs in the revue are suggestive of both of those shows’ themes and sentiments, giving fans a broader picture of Larson’s talent at the time of his tragic and untimely and unexpected death at the age of 35 on the eve of Rent‘s Off-Broadway premiere. These tuneful songs operate more than merely time capsules of musical curiosities, they shimmer with undiminished human spirit, particularly with regards to its youthful — if at times thickly sentimental and charmingly naive — vitality and idealism, largely sans the angst-ridden veneer that coats Rent. Smartly, Tepper lets the songs speak for themselves without much narrative hand-holding, trusting audiences to find within them their continued relevance, as well as Larson’s immense humanism.

Tightly and efficiently directed by John Simpkins, the production harkens back to the look and feel of his two fully-produced shows, even in its attempt to conjure archetypal outlines of the iconic characters from them. Under the music direction by Cynthia Meng, the songs pop, thanks largely to the vocal prowess of the excellent ensemble cast comprised of Adam Chanler-Berat, Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, Jason Tam. Each bring warmth and personality to their performances, if occasionally — and understandably — lacking in specificity. The end result is an ultimately moving celebration of one of the most distinctive voices in modern musical theater, and a true labor of love.

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THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT
Off-Broadway, Revue
Orpheum Theatre
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 1