CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The first Broadway in Chicago production will open in Chicago's Loop for the first time in 19 months.
"We were the first industry to close and the last to reopen. Unlike our restaurants that were able to open with reduced capacity and handle carry out, we were totally dark during that period. We are thrilled to welcome everyone back," Raizin, president of Broadway in Chicago, told WBBM Newsradio.
The cast of "Rent" gave audiences a special preview on the CIBC Theater Tuesday. Raizin said it's fitting to open the new season with this particular show, and this particular song, "Seasons of Love.”
"We stand here on the stage of ‘Rent’ that opens here this evening. There's a magical number in the show that speaks to us in a a very poetic way. The song speaks to 525,600 minutes, that's the time in a year. We have our own number: 822,900 minutes, that's one year and seven months and nothing has been on our stages,” Raizin said, then pausing, before smiling. "Until now."
Actor Cody Jenkins, who plays Mark in “Rent,” was in the cast the last time it was on stage in Chicago in 2019.
"It's great to be back in Chicago, I love this city. This city is massive for this industry. There is so much that this city offers. I'm so excited to be here. The cast is so excited to be opening Broadway In Chicago. We're all honored to be a part of it,” Jenkins told WBBM Newsradio.
Jenkins said returning to the stage after 19 months is a bit overwhelming.
"It's a whole new world. We realize that. It's hard to put into words what it feels like. You want to pinch yourself, I can't believe we're back. March 1, 2020 was our last performance,” Jenkins said.
Although "Rent" is set back in the 1990s during the AIDS crisis, Jenkins said the issues are still the same.
"The AIDS epidemic, when it started, they didn't know if they could get close to each other. If I'm standing 6 feet away, am I going to get this? It's very much like the pandemic now. HIV doesn't see any of that and that's how COVID is, too,” he said. "There was a lot of things that were outdated in this show however, this show is beautiful more even more so now because the resonance. It's resonating in new ways. All the social and political climate before COVID. Everything we've been through the last 18 months is on stage. Audiences can relate and understand in new ways."
The 25th anniversary farewell tour of "Rent" is playing at the CIBC Theatre through Oct. 10.
All audience members will be required to wear a mask at all times and show COVID-19 vaccination proof.
"It won't be long until right after Rent, we open a pre-Broadway show called ‘Paradise Square’ at the Nederlander Theatre, followed by ‘Frozen,’ ‘Pretty Woman,’ ‘Beautiful’ and ‘What The Constitution Means to Me’ just to name a few,” Raizin said.
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