The Jonathan Larson Project is a new musical that celebrates the dozens of unheard songs, unfinished and unproduced musicals, and pop songs found in files and boxes when the visionary writer of RENT died suddenly from Marfan syndrome-related aortic dissection at the age of 35 in 1996. The five-person cast will feature Broadway stars Adam Chanler-Berat, Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, and Jason Tam.
Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper and directed by John Simpkins, The Jonathan Larson Project features more than 20 undiscovered songs by the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning writer. The new musical began previews on Friday, February 14, with an official opening on Monday, March 10, at the Orpheum Theatre, located at 126 2nd Avenue, for a 16-week limited engagement.
Director John Simpkins connected with the Foundation for a Q&A about the show and Jonathan Larson’s legacy.
Q: As a director, what drew you to Jonathan Larson’s body of work and his life story?
A: As a young artist in the 1990s, I was trying to find my own artistic voice. Rent was my first experience seeing any of Jonathan’s work and I felt instantly like he was speaking right to me. There were characters on the stage that I had never seen before – exciting, real, human, flawed, complicated characters who were fighting to survive and thrive in a world that didn’t understand them. Although I couldn’t articulate it at that time, seeing Rent would become a landmark experience for me as a director. It began a lifelong process of being drawn to writers and musicals and stories that explore what it means to be human, what it means to be different, and how we live our lives in community with others. It would be much later as I studied Jonathan’s life story that my admiration for him grew even more. Reading and hearing stories about how he looked at the world, cared for his friends, and fought for his art only served to enhance my admiration of who he was as a person and artist.
Q: People living with Marfan syndrome (and those who don’t know they have it yet) have a 250x greater chance than the general population of experiencing an aortic dissection, as sadly proved fatal in the case of Jonathan Larson. Had Jonathan Larson lived, given your closeness to his work, how do you think the theater scene might be different today due to his influence?
A: Jonathan changed what was possible in theatre. His art, his activism, his passion for bringing new forms of music and storytelling to musicals has altered our art form forever. He opened the floodgates for new ideas, new stories, and new artists. I can’t even fathom what could have been possible had he lived. He was a young artist at the top of his game. The songs in The Jonathan Larson Project are proof of how much more he had to say as a writer. I believe he would have kept writing and fighting – for artists, for the world in which we live, and for making art reflect the way we can strive to look at our world and make it a better place.
Q: How do you feel Larson’s impact continues to be felt in theater now despite his passing?
A: He made it possible for artists to see themselves in his work. So many people have their story of when they first encountered Rent and how it impacted them. I don’t think we will ever fully know how much musical theatre has changed and grown because of Jonathan. I think often of all the young people who encountered his work and were forever changed about the possibilities in our storytelling on stage. I think of the generations of people that have been empowered by his revolutionary work and taken that boldness and fearlessness into their own work. It is particularly exciting to me these days to see this generation of young artists and how Larson’s influence can still be seen in their possibilities.
Q: What do you hope people will come away from the show having experienced?
A: Our goal has been to allow the show to be a dialogue between Jonathan’s work and time and our current experience today in 2025. The things that he observed, fought for and cared about are all still resonant today. Whether he was writing about the struggles of artists or the destruction of the environment, the challenges of relationships, or the political polarization of our country and its leaders, he was always fighting for the best in people. I hope audiences will come away from The Jonathan Larson project not only with a powerful and current connection to Jonathan’s work but also with a renewed optimism and motivation to help make the world a better place through our individual and collective powers of friendship, advocacy, and love. Please come see us at the Orpheum Theatre!
For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.thejonathanlarsonproject.com.
April Dawn Shinske is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for The Marfan Foundation. She is proud to lead a stellar integrated marketing and communications team and honored to help tell the amazing stories of our community members.