"Rent" takes the stage in Philadelphia as the Tony Awards honor Broadway's best
This Sunday, Broadway's biggest night takes center stage for the 78th Annual Tony Awards on CBS, celebrating excellence in live theater.
But right now, the spotlight is also shining in Philadelphia, where the is presenting its own tribute to Broadway history, Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical "Rent."
The rock musical, which won four Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996, continues to resonate with audiences nearly 30 years later.
"The vibration of 'Rent' – what it stood for – I think, is still really, really impactful today," said Gilbert Diego Sanchez, who stars as Angel in the Arden Theatre production.
A Timeless Story with Timely Themes
"Rent" follows a group of struggling artists in New York City's East Village, grappling with love, loss, poverty and the AIDS crisis. It's a portrait of resilience and chosen family with themes that continue to hit home in 2025.
"Introducing the piece to a lot of young people, I think, is really important," Sanchez said. "Because when I heard this soundtrack at 14 years old, it blew my mind."
Sanchez brings warmth and emotional depth to the role of Angel, a generous, joyful drag performer living with AIDS, whose presence lifts the entire community.
"I think Angel is a beautiful example of like even though things are awful or can be awful on you, if you choose love, if you bring people together, if you make people laugh, it can bring the light back into the room," said Sanchez.
Still relevant, still radical
The musical's urgent messages about housing insecurity, health care access and LGBTQ+ rights still ring loud and clear, especially as those issues persist across the country.
"Homelessness is a huge issue," Sanchez said. "We see kind of the erasure of trans people, and gay people being attacked by the administration, kind of like AIDS was attacked in that time, and no one was talking about it."
While "Rent" offers moments of escape, it also offers reflection.
"What's amazing about the piece, and also it's, I think, kind of disheartening about the piece, is that it still stands very, very true," Sanchez said.
As audiences fill the seats at Arden Theatre, the show invites them to measure their lives in love, just as its characters do.
The Arden Theatre's bold new production transforms the Haas Stage with the iconic chords of "Seasons of Love," "I'll Cover You" and more.
Twenty-dollar Rush Couch Seating is available up to 72 hours before each performance — in-person only at the TKTS booth inside the Independence Visitor Center. For tickets and showtimes, visit .
