Who is Jonathan Larson?
Jonathan Larson was an American playwright and composer, best known for his musical Rent. He was born in New York in 1960, and died in 1996 at the age of 36. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and four Tony Awards after his death, all for Rent. Jonathan Larson was involved in both music and theatre from an early age, playing a number of instruments and appearing in his school theatre throughout high-school. He attended college to study acting, and at that time started to compose small pieces. While in college he also came into contact with Stephen Sondheim, who would look over his pieces and help him with recommendations. After college, Jonathan Larson moved into a small loft in Lower Manhattan, living in relative squalor with a number of other artistically inclined people, giving a great deal of inspiration for what would eventually become Rent. In his early career, Larson created a number of unsuccessful shows, including Sacimmoralinority, which was eventually renamed Saved! — An Immora
