THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT

About the show

This new production commemorates 30 years since Larson’s death on the very eve of his greatest success. Following a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway run, The Jonathan Larson Project will premiere in London at Southwark Playhouse Borough. An electrifying celebration of the groundbreaking composer behind ‘Rent’ and ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’, it is being reimagined for London by the original Off-Broadway director, John Simpkins. The Jonathan Larson Project is a show about a young man following his heart in New York City trying to change the world. The show offers a rare and exhilarating window into Larson’s creative world, featuring previously unheard songs from the late composer’s archives. They illuminate the artistry, activism, and restless imagination of one of musical theatre’s most influential voices. The 2026 London production holds special significance, marking 30 years since Jonathan Larson’s death in January 1996 from an aortic dissection just one day before Rent’s first performance in New York. Jonathan Larson’s sister, Julie, said “It means so much to us to bring this show to a UK audience and to continue honouring Jonathan’s extraordinary work and legacy. This new celebration of my brother’s previously unheard music offers an intimate portrait of an artist who was truly ahead of his time, and we are deeply honoured to share it with you”. This exciting UK cast of West End stars will bring Larson’s early, experimental, and never-heard work to life with bold theatricality and contemporary resonance.