Here's Everything You Need To Know About 'Rent: Live!'

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes is not how long you’ll have to wait for Rent: Live! to hit the small screen. The highly anticipated live broadcast of Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning musical will air tonight, Sunday, January 27, on FOX. 

Rent, which was first performed off-Broadway in 1996, revolves around young artists trying to make it in Manhattan’s East Village. As they navigate their careers and love lives, they also grapple with the effects of the HIV/AIDS epidemic ravaging their community. The musical went on to become one of the most successful productions of all time.

Before you park yourself in front of the television to tune in for FOX’s iteration, here’s everything you need to know about Rent: Live! 

Who are the new cast members?

The musical will introduce a fresh crop of talented artists to portray the bohemian New Yorkers we know and love. Leading the pack is Jordan Fisher as hopeful filmmaker Mark Cohen, Vanessa Hudgens as performance artist Maureen Johnson, Brennin Hunt as musician Roger Davis, Tinashe as stripper Mimi Marquez, Valentina as drag queen Angel Dumott Schunard, Brandon Victor Dixon as philosophy professor Tom Collins, Kiersey Clemons as lawyer Joanne Jefferson, and Mario as landlord Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III.

Itching for a glimpse? Here’s a goosebumps-inducing a cappella performance of Rent’s most famous ballad, “Seasons of Love.”

Will the original cast make a cameo?

Why, yes, indeed! Prepare to see some familiar faces on stage, as some of the original cast will appear. Per Broadway, the network “can confirm that the original Broadway cast of Rent will appear during tonight’s live telecast.”

On the production’s official Instagram account, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Anthony Rapp, and Daphne Rubin-Vega smile alongside the cast and crew in a promo image. “Some special guests are joining us tonight at 8/7c on @FOXtv!” the pic’s caption reads.

Menzel, Diggs, Rapp, and Rubin-Vega played Maureen, Benny, Mark, and Mimi respectively.

The rest of the original cast includes Adam Pascal as Roger Davis, Jesse L. Martin as Tom Collins, Fredi Walker as Joanne Jefferson, and Jermaine Heredia as Angel.

Is everyone as excited about this as I am?

The Twitterverse is very excited about the live broadcast. People can’t stop tweeting about it.

What time will Rent: Live! air?

Those who haven’t cut the cable cord (congratulations!) can tune in to watch Rent: Live from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. Folks living in the central US can watch from 7 to 10 p.m. C, so if you’re based on the west coast, you better log off Twitter until 8 p.m. PT so you don’t spoil yourself.

How can I watch it without cable?

Hope is not lost for anyone who’s ditched cable for streaming. If you happen to have access to cable login credentials, you can stream the live broadcast on  FOX.com/live or the network’s official mobile apps, available for iOS and Android.

You can also stream it over live TV providers, most of which offer one-week trials so you don’t have to worry about whipping out your credit card. You can tune into Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, FuboTV, and DirecTV Now.

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