by Chris Jones
Metromix
September 7, 1999

The reappearance of the hit Jonathan Larson musical, "Rent," at the Shubert Theatre next week marks the unofficial beginning of the touring Broadway season. So here's an advance -- and subjective -- look at the prospects for some of the shows that will be trucking our way (or not trucking our way) before next summer.

By this city's usual standards, the early part of the fall is fairly quiet -- although things heat up toward the end of the year. This is not shaping up to be a great season for fans of the big 1980s blockbusters or those who like to see their Broadway fare in the suburbs. But there are some interesting new bookings that you may not know about yet.

We'll start with the return of "Rent," which opens Tuesday, Sept. 7, and plays through Oct. 10 (because there is a two-week window between then and the show's next booking in Las Vegas, don't be surprised if the Shubert Theatre suddenly announces an "extension" for at least a week). If you saw "Rent" the last time it toured Chicago, you saw the "Angel Company," which is currently touring in San Francisco and will be closing in early September after a 27-week run. This time, Chicago gets the "Benny Company," which has been playing mainly smaller markets to date. So will you notice any difference from before?

"Absolutely not," says "Rent's" producer Jeffrey Sellars in a telephone conversation from New York. "Both casts are totally committed to the show. We've never seen them as an 'A' and 'B' company. (They were named after characters in the play.) The only difference is that the set for the Benny Company moves around a little more easily."

Still, there will now be only one "Rent" touring troupe (as is the case with "Les Miserables"), which will make the show a little harder to catch. But if you are reading this in central Illinois, you may prefer to wait until February, when, the troupe's tour schedule shows, there's a booking in Springfield.