Rent’s Original Broadway Cast Album Is Finally Coming To Vinyl

One of Broadway’s most famous cast recordings is getting a major anniversary release, with the original album on vinyl for the very first time.

Rent: Original Broadway Cast Recording (30th Anniversary Edition) will be released on 13 November as a three-LP set.

It has been created with the Jonathan Larson estate and members of the original Broadway company, with the recording newly mastered for vinyl by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound.

Fans will be able to choose standard black vinyl or a limited-edition “Avenue B Brick” colour. The packaging takes inspiration from the original Rent album artwork and promotional material, while the records will sit inside a specially designed gatefold jacket.

There’s plenty from the archives too. The collection includes reproductions of Jonathan Larson’s handwritten and typed lyrics, alongside notes showing how Rent developed on its journey to the stage. Material comes from collections held by the Library of Congress and New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

A 24-page booklet will feature the complete lyrics and a new oral history written by theatre historian Jennifer Ashley Tepper. Drawing on 19 new interviews, it explores the making of the recording through memories from members of the original cast and creative team.

Pre-order now via Verve Records here