'The Jonathan Larson Project' review — a living scrapbook for an artist gone to soon
Read our review of The Jonathan Larson Project off Broadway, a musical revue featuring lesser-known songs from the late Rent composer Jonathan Larson.
They say “kill your darlings” in writing. But your darlings might end up released elsewhere rather than staying in your drafts. Such is true in The Jonathan Larson Project, a curated revue at the Orpheum Theatre. The show weaves together obscure songs by the late composer Jonathan Larson, who tragically died at age 35 and received posthumous fame for writing the landmark rock musical Rent.
Rent was a formative musical in my teenhood (I lip-synced “One Song Glory” in middle school), and The Jonathan Larson Project is a nostalgia ride for fans who long for more windows into the artist's mind. The energetic direction by John Simpkins and choreography by Byron Easley is carried out by an incendiary cast: Adam Chanler-Berat, Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, and Jason Tam.
They flex their knack for Larson’s work-in-progress material, which runs the gamut from chummy cabaret tunes (like “Casual Sex, Pizza, and Beer”) to unfiltered jabs at Reaganism and white supremacy (“White Male World”) to longing ballads (the cut Rent song “Valentine’s Day,” which astoundingly marries pain and passion). In the second half, multiple songs rehash the theme of yearning before the show dips back into bangers.
Beyond nostalgia, The Jonathan Larson Project leaves Larson admirers in want — and not just for the potential of his unrealized ideas. The program explains for what or whom Larson originally wrote each song. Some numbers can speak for themselves, but others would benefit from more onstage context. For example, Larson composed “Love Heal,” rapturously performed by Jones, to honor the late AIDS activist Alison Gertz. But only the program will tell you that, and the show leaves this person’s life untouched.
The Jonathan Larson Project summary
Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper, The Jonathan Larson Project strings together songs from the catalog of the late Jonathan Larson, from his cabaret contributions to cut songs from his famous musicals tick, tick… BOOM! and Rent to songs from his unproduced musicals. As announced in the beginning of the show and the program, “not a word [in his songs] has been changed.”
What to expect at The Jonathan Larson Project
The production is initially set in a bar where five friends casually and communally share songs. That setting soon dissolves away, and each song becomes its own vignette, much like a traditional song cycle.
Michael Schweikardt’s stair-laden, screen-loaded scenic design echoes the aesthetic of Michael Greif, who directed the original production of Rent. The screens (video design by Alex Basco Koch) play New York B-roll, footage of Larson, or other related footage for each song. An overhead camera also captures the actors gazing up.
My seatmate and I did wonder whether a fraction of Koch’s projections came from generative AI or deliberately assumed the appearance of such to make a point. Either way, it is contradictory with Larson’s own commentary on technological dependence.
What audiences are saying about The Jonathan Larson Project
The show currently has an 88% average on the review aggregator Show-Score, based on 99 ratings. Audience reviews collectively summed up the show as “heartfelt, absorbing, great acting, joyous, enchanting.”
- Show-Score Richard 129440 called the show an "obvious labor of love infused with an excellent ensemble of vocal & comedic talent" while finding it "confused."
- Show-Score Heather Curtis said the show was "too generic" while praising the cast.
- “Heartfelt and nostalgic, The Jonathan Larson Project showcases the vocal talent of the actors while letting the audience spend 90 minutes immersed in the mind of a man who was taken far too soon.” - My +1 at the show
Read more audience reviews of The Jonathan Larson Project on Show-Score.
Who should see The Jonathan Larson Project
- Fans will enjoy the The Jonathan Larson Project if they followed the lineage of theatre work, whether from Larson himself or inspired by Larson, such as Rent, tick, tick… BOOM!, or Anthony Rapp’s solo show Without You. Stagings of cut songs from Rent or tick, tick… BOOM! will generate interest for viewers of those musicals.
- If you do not know of Jonathan Larson, you can see the show for a gateway into his influential style.
- A theatre fan may want to see the talents of stage stalwarts Adam Chanler-Berat, Taylor Iman Jones, Lauren Marcus, Andy Mientus, and Jason Tam.
- Theatregoers who enjoy other song cycles like Songs For A New World will appreciate The Jonathan Larson Project.
- Followers of sci-fi theatre (such as Maybe Happy Ending) might be curious to dig into Larson’s lost songs from high-concept dystopia musicals, such as his futuristic “Hosing the Furniture,” frenetically performed by Marcus.
Learn more about The Jonathan Larson Project off Broadway
Though its curated scrapbook of songs has shortcomings, The Jonathan Larson Project delivers on its promises to capture those interested in an artist gone too soon.
Photo credit: The Jonathan Larson Project off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)
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