Jonathan Larson

Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 - January 25, 1996) was a composer from New York City who created musicals including Rent and tick, tick...BOOM!.

Related Topics:
February 4 - 1960 - January 25 - 1996 - New York City - Musicals - Rent - Tick, tick...BOOM!

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These musicals seriously tackle issues such as multiculturalism, addiction, sexual orientation and HIV, although he was was heterosexual and HIV negative himself. Rent was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and won four Tony Awards; the scores of his shows reveal that he was an apt composer and lyricist.

Related Topics:
Multiculturalism - Addiction - Sexual orientation - HIV - Pulitzer Prize for Drama - Tony Awards - Composer - Lyricist

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One tick, tick...BOOM! song called "Sunday" is an homage to Stephen Sondheim, who supported Larson, staying close to the melody and lyrics of Sondheim's own song of the same title but turning it from a manifesto about art into a waiter's lament.

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Amongst many awards he received during and after his lifetime, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (for Rent), the Richard Rodgers Production Award, the Richard Rodgers Development Grant, the Stephen Sondheim Award, the Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation's Commendation Award, the Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score of a Musical for Rent, the Drama Desks for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, Best Book, and Best Lyrics (also for Rent), the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical (again for Rent), the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Musical in the Off-Broadway category (another for Rent), and three Obie Awards for Outstanding Book, Outstanding Lyrics and Outstanding Music (yet again for Rent).

Related Topics:
Rent - Outer Critics Circle Award

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Among his many creative works are Rent, tick, tick...BOOM!, Sacrimoralimmorality with David Armstrong (retitled Saved for the one-week run on 42nd Street), Superbia, the music for J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, numerous individual numbers, music for Sesame Street, music for the children's book cassettes of An American Tail and Land Before Time, music for Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner, and four songs for the children's video Away We Go! (which he also conceived and directed).

Related Topics:
Rent - Tick, tick...BOOM! - Sacrimoralimmorality - Superbia - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation - Sesame Street

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Mr. Larson died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm, believed to have been caused by Marfan Syndrome, on January 25th, 1996. It was ten days before his 36th birthday, and only hours before Rent premiered Off-Broadway.

Related Topics:
Marfan Syndrome - Rent

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After his death, Mr. Larson's family and friends started the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation.

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