From the music director of Rent comes a never-before-told, thirtieth-anniversary account of how Broadway’s iconic grunge rock show was made and how it would forever reshape musical theater.

Thirty years after Rent, Jonathan Larson’s groundbreaking rock musical, opened on Broadway, you would be hard-pressed to find a musical theater fan who doesn’t know at least some of the show’s iconic tunes by heart. “Take Me or Leave Me,” “Light My Candle,” “La Vie Bohème,” and the ubiquitous “Seasons of Love” revolutionized the kind of music heard on the Broadway stage. Much of the impact comes from the show’s musical style, a singular blend of grunge rock, piano pop, and alternative jazz that was brought to life by the show’s onstage band, headed by the legendary music director, Tim Weil.

In this affecting memoir, Weil recounts his journey with Rent in full for the first time, from his first day as audition accompanist, through the aftermath of Larson’s death, which left an unfinished show in the hands of its creative team, and Weil’s six years with the Broadway run. The page-turning result, artfully recounted in loving detail, reveals how the music that has been heard by generations of musical theater fans grew out of Weil and Larson’s intimate partnership.

Previously untold stories about some of the show’s most iconic moments, accompanied by behind-the-scenes photos, capture the energy, ingenuity, and passion of its company and creators while providing a unique level of insight into just how collaborative and innovative a process making Rent was.

Tim Weil is a music director, composer, and orchestrator who has worked on more than a hundred productions in New York and around the world, including Rent, Shrek the Musical, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, and Sally Marr . . . and Her Escorts. His work in film includes Camp and The Marc Pease Experience and he was the composer for the children’s television shows Sheep in the Big City and Bear in the Big Blue House. Tim lives with his wife in North Bergen, New Jersey.