“The Jonathan Larson Project” premieres at the Orpheum
The Mount Vernon-born playwright, composer and lyricist Jonathan Larson died suddenly of an aortic dissection on January 25, 1996 at age 35… just hours before the Broadway premiere of his musical “RENT,” which would proceed to change the face and sound of musical theatre and become an essential centerpiece of pop culture. His first production, 1990’s semi-autobiographical “tick, tick… BOOM!” which leaned untraditionally into rock sounds, had already made waves of its own (and would continue to do so long after, leading up to an acclaimed 2021 film version). Larson’s story can be seen as haunted with life’s cruel twists: a life cut tragically short, hard work unrewarded, unrealized potential.
But perhaps now the real twist to Larson’s story is, much of that potential will not be left unrealized for long. In the years after Jonathan’s passing, the Library of Congress would come to house a massive archive of his personal material: tapes, notes, transcriptions, sheet music…a time capsule of the genius that was, and a treasure trove of brilliance that could still be. It took Jennifer Ashley Tepper, an accomplished theater historian / author and a Larson fangirl in her own right, a decade to forage through that archive to come up with material that could act as the blueprint for what would historically become the third ever Jonathan Larson musical.
Photography by Wilsonmodels
“The Jonathan Larson Project” is set to begin premieres at The Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue on Valentine’s Day (with opening night scheduled for March 10th). Directed by John Simpkins and starring Adam Chanler-Berat (who closely resembles Larson), Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus and Jason Tam with Gilbert L. Bailey II and Jessie Hooker-Bailey on standby. The show is the brainchild of those found Larson archives–songs from unproduced works and unfinished ideas–with characters and a narrative throughline cultivated by the musical’s creative team. “I guess technically it’s a song cycle,” Simpkins told reporters at a January 31st press event. “I’d like to think of it as a thematically constructed, full musical and theatrical experience… but I don’t think that fits on the poster.”
Many of the songs selected for the musical were performed in a 2018 concert at 54 Below and released as an album the following year; the press were able to witness the staging of two numbers now in context of the full “Project.” The mournful “SOS” led by Mientus was originally part of “1984,” Larson’s unproduced adaptation of George Orwell’s classic 1949 dystopian novel (that Larson originally intended to release in the year 1984). There was also “One of These Days” from “Superbia,”(Larson’s attempt at an original dystopian musical after “1984” fell through), a group number sung with the lyricist’s trademark surge of hope and creative longing, holding desperately but firmly against fear and failure.
Additional creatives behind “The Jonathan Larson Project” include music supervisor Charlie Rosen, music director Cynthia Meng and choreographer Byron Easley.
Although Larson’s shortened life can be viewed as a tale of tragedy, his works have emphasized hope and the dawn that comes after the darkness. Character in “tick, tick… BOOM!” and “RENT” thwart rejection, heartbreak, lonliness and despair alongside the very real and specific threats of poverty, AIDS and homophobia, with conviction, love, flair and above all artistry. With “The Jonathan Larson Project,” we at last have a trilogy representing the life and work of an artist whose words and music are as relevant and necessary in 2025 as they were decades past.
