Jonathan wrote a few plays before Rent. His first was sacrimoralimmorality. He wrote sacrimoralimmorality while he was at Aldelphi (the college he went to). It was about the Christian right and it later renamed Saved. It was peformed on 42st for 2 weeks. He tried in 1982 to write a play based on Orwell's book,1984. He couldn't get the rights to it though. So he changed in to Superbia. It was performed a couple times. Never came out the way he wanted to. It was said to big and cost to much money too. The best performance of Superbia was at the Village Gate in 1989. Though is still has problems to he gave up on it. Than he started to work on a rock monologue called 30/90 (since he was turning 30 in 1990), than he changed it to Boho Days and changed it again to tick...tick...BOOM! he performed it himself (and was about himself and his life, the main character was called Jonathan Larson too) and it was about a man at his suprise thirtith birthday party having a midlife crisis asking himself if should remain a composer or give it up and become a Copywriter.
Jonathan also wrote four songs in the children's video Away We Go! and some things for Sesame Street, Lamb Chop's play along, some things in the musical J.P Morgan Saves the Nation and a few other things.
I have had the pleasure seeing (and hearing) some of his wonderful work. I have the video Away We Go! I have watched it many times. It was sooo cute. The music is good too. The songs Jonathan wrote are: Down, Away We Go, Destanation Sky and In the Water. Down is a upbeat song. it is the cutest of all the songs on the video. I love this song. Great to dance to. ADDED BONUS: in the video Jonathan dances it. he is a wonderful dancer. :) In The Water is slow and adorable. The tone of the song is like you're swaying in the water. very nice song. Destination Sky is very innocent and beautiful. I will try to get the lyrics up here one day. The song is song too. The song Away We Go is upbeat and fast. Its the last song in the video. All the songs are wonderful in my opinion and very "jonathan larson style"
I saw I Make Me A Promise on September 14, 1997. The children whom acted in it have never acted before and boy did it show! Sorry, but they sucked. They couldnt sing or act. But the show was based on their experiences with AIDS so thats why they acted in it. The topic was great and so was the music. three composers wrote the music, Jonathan was among one of them and wrote 4 or 5 songs. Reasons to Fail was a very cool song, it was about not living up to people expetations, it was written in a funny, upbeat way, and was a like a rap song. :) Some others songs were slow and sweet, and slow and touching. I love Jonathan's music. :)
I also, of course so Rent. My favorite show. The music, the story just about everything is totally amazing. It changed my life. I love it beyond words. Renthas also won many awards. Four Tony's, The Pulitzer Prize and many more. Wonderful show...I just can't explain how amazing it is. His profile in the playbill is like this:
JONATHAN LARSON
Show: Rent
Role: Book, Music, Lyrics
Biography:
JONATHAN LARSON ("Book, Music, Lyrics") received the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for "Rent. Rent" received four 1996 Tony Awards (including Best Musical and two to Mr. Larson-Best Book of a Musical and Best Score of a Musical); six drama Desk Awards (including Best Musical and three to Mr. Larson-Best Book of a Musical, Best Music and Best Lyrics); Best Musical Awards from the New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle (Off-Broadway); and three Obie Awards (including one to Mr. Larson for Outstanding Book, Music and Lyrics). Previously, he received the Richard Rodgers Award, the Richard Rodgers Development Grant, the Stephen Sondheim Award and the Gilman & Gonzales-Falla Theatre Foundation's Commendation Award. Earlier work includes "Superbia; tick, tick...BOOM!"; the score of "J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation"; and selections of "Sitting on the Edge of the Future. "He also wrote music for "Sesame Street" and the children's book-cassettes" An American Tail" and "Land Before Time" as well as for Rolling Stone magazine publisher Jann Wenner. He conceived, directed and wrote four songs for "Away We Go!," a children's video. "Rent "had its world premiere on February 13, 1996 at New York Theatre Workshop and opened at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre on April 29, 1996. Mr. Larson died unexpectedly of an aortic aneurysm on January 25, 1996, 10 days before his 36th birthday.