by Irene Ferradaz
Gainesville Sun
January 26, 2000

For at least a few days, Gainesville will be their home.

The cast and crew of the musical "Rent" have been golfing, dining, working out, shopping and even buying flowers, a cake and other gifts for their manager's birthday.

"I think it is so interesting how (the lives of these artists) are on the road," said Deborah Rossi, marketing director for the Center for the Performing Arts. "Everywhere they go, they just make themselves a little house."

And that is exactly what "Rent," which has spent the past two years touring the United States, seems to be doing in Gainesville.

Perhaps the best impact of the performance will be evidenced by the city's future economic prosperity. As word of the Broadway-caliber show leaks out, Gainesville could become known as a "cultural destination."

"Having 'Rent' in town definitely enhances the perception that our city is a place for cultural events," said Roland Loog of the Alachua County Visitors and Convention Bureau. "A perception like that could only result in more revenue for Gainesville."

With a cast and crew of about 50 and a technical crew of 15, the hotels where tour members are staying will most likely profit from the additional use of valet, room and laundry services.

"The cast and crew alone will spend about $50,000 to $60,000," said Kenrick Pierre, the economic development coordinator for Alachua County.

He also projects that about one-forth of the audience will be from surrounding counties, and these patrons will dine and shop in town before and after the play. Marion County residents are expected to make up about 15 percent to 20 percent of the audience.

The entire tour stop should bring in about $250,000 to Gainesville, Pierre said.

The cast and crew of "Rent," which opened Tuesday, have eight performances scheduled through Sunday. Rossi said about 10,000 tickets already have been sold for all of the performances. The theater has a 1,754 seating capacity.

The best seats, she added, can be bought for the Sunday matinee and evening performances. Tickets range from $32 to $55. Rush tickets, sold two hours before the show, cost $20.

Available before every performance, the rush tickets apply to the first two orchestra rows. The idea of offering Rush ticketsThe seating arrangement came from the creator of "Rent," Jonathan Larson, who was a struggling artist like the ones he created on stage. Larson, 35, died of an aortic aneurysm in 1996, the day before the first Broadway preview of "Rent."

"Rent" producer Kevin McCollum began providing the cheaper seats in Larson's honor so everyone could see a "universal piece of musical theatre" without fear of high prices.

Erica Jacobson, media representative for The Producing Office in New York, which prepares "Rent" tours, said college students should relate to the play's themes, which include AIDS, homelessness and the co-existing fear and joy of living out one's dreams.

"This marriage of contemporary music and Broadway has sold at every city it visits because it relates to many young people and the issues they face," Jacobson said.