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Celebrate three decades of RENT by exploring some of the most famous stars who have breathed new life into Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking rock musical. From Broadway legends to pop icons, these talented performers brought unforgettable energy and emotion to the stage and screen. Watch as we highlight the actors whose diverse backgrounds and powerhouse performances helped keep the RENT legacy alive for a whole new generation!
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00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're celebrating 30 years of Rent by counting down the most recognizable names, from
00:11pop stars to Emmy winners, who have taken the stage in Jonathan Larson's iconic rock musical, whether on Broadway, on
00:18tour, or in special productions.
00:31Number 10. Jordan Fisher. Fisher brought a fresh, youthful vibe to Mark Cohen in Rent Live.
00:37How do you document real life when real life's going more like fiction each day?
00:44If you've seen Fisher in anything before, you already know he's a chameleon who can do it all.
00:50His take on Mark was the perfect mix of sensitive and witty, always capturing that drive to tell stories through
00:56his ever-present camera.
00:57You're starving for attention, hating convention, hating potential, and not to mention, of course, hating deal on our own death.
01:08As a longtime fan, Fisher really leaned into Mark's job as the group's emotional glue, especially showing the guilt that
01:15comes with being the so-called stable one while your friends are struggling.
01:18Thanks to his mainstream fame from shows like Hamilton and Grease Live, Fisher helped shine the spotlight back on Rent
01:24and reminded everyone why this show still matters.
01:27We're dying in America. We're dying in America. We're dying in America. We're dying in America to come into our
01:38lives.
01:40Number 9. Wayne Brady.
01:43This multi-hyphenate took on Tom Collins for just three nights at the Hollywood Bowl, and honestly, he blew everyone
01:49away.
01:49It's been, um, the most stressful summer camp I've ever been to. It's been amazing. Amazing.
01:58Forget the quick-witted improv genius you know from TV.
02:01Brady showed up with a soulful, grounded performance that caught a lot of people off guard.
02:05Shifting winds of change, keep revving away.
02:10Critics raved about his rich vocals, especially during the gut punch that his I'll Cover You reprise.
02:15That was the moment Brady proved he was a legit musical theater star.
02:19No surprise he went on to headline shows like Kinky Boots, Hamilton, and The Wiz.
02:23If anyone still thought of him as just the funny guy from TV, this performance set them straight.
02:38Number 8. Leslie Odom Jr.
02:41Long before he was Aaron Burr in Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. was just a teenager in the Rent ensemble.
02:47No doubt already turning heads with that unmistakable voice and stage presence.
02:51You got your Broadway debut at 17. I knew that you started in Rent, I believe, but like I didn't
02:56know it was at 17 years old. That's very young.
02:58You can just imagine he was that one ensemble member your eyes keep getting drawn back to.
03:03Odom Jr. has even essentially claimed Rent as his gateway to a life of musical theater and even his theatrical
03:09North star,
03:10saying he's always chasing that feeling he got from being part of the show.
03:14That show changed my life. I honestly, like, I didn't, I didn't dream of a career in the, in entertainment,
03:21on the arts.
03:21I wanted to be in Rent. You know what I mean?
03:23That's kind of, that's all I wanted.
03:25You know, I thought I was going to get it when I was 30, retire from the show when I
03:30was like 40.
03:31Odom Jr.'s early days with the show are proof that Rent always seems to know how to spot greatness in
03:36the making.
03:37Without you, the tides change, the boys run.
03:48Number 7. MJ Rodriguez.
03:51Before Rodriguez became a household name for her Golden Globe winning role in Pose,
03:55she first made waves as Angel Dumont Chouinard in Rent's 2011 Off-Broadway revival.
04:00Today for you, tomorrow for me.
04:03While many see Angel as a drag queen, Rodriguez felt she was a trans woman at heart.
04:08After watching the 2005 film as a teenager, she told her dad, quote,
04:12I want to play Angel.
04:14I think they meant it when they said you can't buy love.
04:18Now I know you can rent it.
04:21Ain't the least you are my love.
04:24With a little encouragement from Freddie Walker Brown, the original Joanne,
04:28she went for it, and the rest is history.
04:30Critics and audiences loved her, but more importantly,
04:34Rodriguez has said that playing Angel taught her to, quote, live out loud.
04:38She even credits the show as one of the defining moments that inspired her transition.
04:42That was like the precipice of me like butting into the flower that I wanted to become.
04:47That was the time where I could really let who I was out all on the stage.
04:52Number 6. Joey Fatone.
04:54If you didn't know, Joey Fatone made his Broadway debut as Mark Cohen in Rent back in 2002.
05:00He joined the cast while NSYNC was on hiatus,
05:09drawing on his childhood theater roots and surprising many skeptics.
05:13Sure, his arrival drew in a specific fan base,
05:16but critics praised his strong vocals and natural stage presence.
05:19He really stepped up to the plate and proved he was a true triple threat.
05:23You're living in America
05:25At the end of the millennia
05:29You're living in America
05:32Where it's like the Twilight Zone
05:37Unsurprisingly, this opened the door to a solid Broadway career,
05:40with credits in Little Shop of Horrors,
05:42The Producers,
05:43and Juliette, and more.
05:44He's easily one of Rent's most successful stunt castings.
05:48Going against the great
05:49Going insane
05:51Going mad
05:54And he's not the only boy band member to play Mark Cohen either.
05:57Number 5. Mel B
05:59While they might have been hoping Scary Spice would bring a little extra heat to the role of Mimi Marquez,
06:04for many, this proved that being a pop star and performing eight times a week live are two very different
06:10ballgames.
06:11Colors of the world
06:12Every boy and every girl
06:14People of the world
06:16Interestingly, Broadway wasn't her only time with the show.
06:19She first played Mimi in a production in the Netherlands.
06:22This reportedly served as a, quote,
06:24warm-up before she took the role on The Great White Way.
06:27You haven't been on the Broadway stage in, what, about 10 years or so?
06:30Yeah, like 10, 11 years.
06:32Okay.
06:33Rent first time there.
06:34Still, her vocals just didn't have the power needed for the part, and it often felt like she was so
06:39focused on perfecting every detail that she never fully captured Mimi's carefree spirit.
06:44Did you always think that you would come back to Broadway after doing Rent all those years ago?
06:48I never thought 12 years later I would be back on Broadway.
06:52Number 4. Vanessa Hutchins
06:54When Hutchins was announced as Mimi for the Hollywood Bowl revival of Rent, many seemed to struggle to picture Gabriela
07:00Montez in that role.
07:02But she quickly proved the doubters wrong.
07:04Hutchins revealed she only discovered the show when Neil Patrick Harris called, and at the time, she felt Mimi suited
07:10her better than Maureen.
07:11Me and my girlfriend Ashley Tisdale used to always sing, I want to go out tonight, and now we actually
07:18get to do it on stage.
07:19Fast forward a few years, and Hutchins finally got her shot at Maureen in Rent Live.
07:24Jump over the moon
07:27Only thing to do is jump over the moon
07:33By this point, she'd already proven she was a bona fide musical theater performer.
07:38Hutchins ended up stealing the show, with critics singling her out for injecting new life into the production with her
07:43energy and powerhouse vocals.
07:46Come if you give a damn
07:50Take me baby
07:53Number 3. Adina Menzel
07:56This list wouldn't be complete without at least one original cast member, and when it comes to big names who
08:02originated Rent, Menzel's in good company.
08:06525,600 minutes
08:09How do you measure, measure a year
08:14Her performance as Maureen earned her a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, putting her firmly on
08:21the Broadway map.
08:22While many stage to film adaptations replace original actors with bigger Hollywood stars, Menzel was one of six OGs who
08:29reprised their roles in the 2005 movie.
08:43She has often said that Jonathan Larson changed her life by believing in her when she was just a quote,
08:48scrappy wedding singer.
08:49Her career soared when she originated Alphaba in Wicked, yet for many fans, she'll always be Maureen from Rent.
08:58525,600 minutes
09:03525,000
09:04Journeys to play
09:06Number 2. Neil Patrick Harris
09:09Long before he was suiting up and giving out high fives, Harris made his professional stage debut in a national
09:15tour of Rent in the late 90s.
09:16Headline, thread line, blow my mind, and now this deadline, eviction or pain
09:24His performance helped him transition his image from a child star to a serious stage actor.
09:29Don't breathe too deep
09:33Don't think all day
09:36Dive into work
09:39Drive the other way
09:43Then in 2010, he circled back to the show, this time stepping behind the scenes as director for a huge
09:49three-night run at the Hollywood Bowl.
09:51The cast was packed with big names, some we've already talked about, and one we'll get to soon.
09:57Thanks to Harris, Rent reached an even wider audience and cemented its place in musical theater history for a whole
10:02new generation.
10:04And so that's been sort of the constant excitement and terror, because it's unlike anything that any of us have
10:12ever done.
10:12Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:16Aaron Tveit
10:17This Broadway powerhouse brought rock star vocals and brooding intensity to the tragic songwriter.
10:22One song, one last refrain
10:25Glory from the pretty boy front man
10:31Who wasted opportunity
10:36Skylar Astin
10:38Astin played the filmmaker with a perfect blend of geeky charm and precision.
10:42It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out
10:46Till you're torn apart
10:48Mario
10:49The R&B star traded smooth melodies for a sharp suit as the landlord, Benny.
10:55You wanna produce films and write songs?
10:57You need somewhere to perfect it
10:59It's what we used to dream about
11:01Wink twice before you reject it
11:03You're seaborn
11:06Wilson Cruz
11:07Cruz delivered a soulful, groundbreaking performance as Angel that defined the heart of the show.
11:13And I have my Santa Claus jacket over my green vest and my fishnet stocking bodysuit.
11:20It's, it's, it's very intense
11:28Before we continue, check out this single from Sound Mojo's Adia.
11:32Songs from Iran.
11:34Reimagining Persian melodies as modern rock, metal and pop songs.
11:37Check out the full track and album below
11:40For my cries, ignore the cause
11:44Since you got my life still
11:53Number one, Nicole Scherzinger
11:56When Scherzinger was cast as Maureen Johnson in the Hollywood Bowl production,
11:59She was primarily known as the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls and the recent winner of Dancing with the
12:04Stars
12:04You actually seem surprised!
12:07Yes!
12:08Absolutely man, we don't take anything for granted
12:10Her turn as Maureen helped pivot her image towards serious musical theater,
12:14Proving she had the legit vocal chops and stage presence for demanding roles
12:18Some of the ensemble people are original cast members of RENT
12:22And they've said to me, um, we've never seen some of these pieces perform this way ever
12:29And it just means the world to me
12:30So hopefully I'll do all the RENT heads out there proud
12:33While the production itself received mixed reviews due to its massive scale,
12:37Scherzinger was widely considered the standout performer
12:40Critics praised her incredible vocals and comedic timing
12:43Noting that she, quote, rocked the stage like a wildcat
12:46This role served as a stepping stone for her later acclaimed theater work in London and beyond
12:51But you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last
12:58Did we miss your favorite RENT alum?
13:00No day but today to let us know in the comments
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