'The Jonathan Larson Project' is ending its run early at the Orpheum Theatre

"The Jonathan Larson Project" is ending its previously scheduled 16-week run two-plus months early at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue. 

The world-premiere musical, which celebrates the dozens of unheard songs of the "Rent" creator, will play its final performance next Sunday, March 30. 

The labor-of-love production began previews on Feb. 14 with a March 10 debut. It garnered solid reviews, though it apparently didn't pack the house.

Show creator Jennifer Ashley Tepper shared this in an Instagram post: 

It's no secret that it’s incredibly difficult to hit the numbers needed in order to run a commercial off-Broadway musical in the current theatrical climate. I am deeply proud of the valiant efforts our team made to try to do that because we believed in 'The Jonathan Larson Project." I am deeply proud of the passionate reactions we've received from audiences every night. And I am deeply proud of our beautiful show and everyone who made it. 

Larson died of an aortic dissection on Jan. 25, 1996, the scheduled day of the first preview performance of "Rent" Off-Broadway. He was 35. 

In the early 1990s, Larson frequented the Life Cafe (which closed in 2011) on the NW corner of Avenue B and 10th Street. There, he worked on treatments for what would become "Rent," also set in this neighborhood.

The post-"Stomp" life of the Orpheum has included shows by Rachel Bloom and Eddie Izzard, which saw the theater return to its roots in the 1980s and early 1990s when it hosted Off-Broadway productions like Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing," Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" and John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth." 

This will be the third show in the past two years to end its run early at the Orpheum — joining the "Star Wars" parody "The Empire Strips Back" and "The Big Gay Jamboree."

H/T Bayou!

Signage alert: 'The Jonathan Larson Project' at the Orpheum Theatre

Photos by Steven 

Crews at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue are prepping the venue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place for the next production — "The Jonathan Larson Project." 

Yesterday, the signage arrived...

The musical features a newly discovered collection of songs by the creator and composer of "Rent" and "tick, tick… BOOM!" It includes over twenty previously unheard songs.

Previews start on Feb. 14. Opening night is March 10 for the 16-week run. Find tickets here.

Larson died of an aortic dissection on Jan. 25, 1996, the scheduled day of the first preview performance of "Rent" Off-Broadway. He was 35. 

In the early 1990s, Larson frequented the Life Cafe (which closed in 2011) on the NW corner of Avenue B and 10th Street. There, he worked on treatments for what would become "Rent," which is also set in this neighborhood.

'The Jonathan Larson Project' is up next at the Orpheum Theatre

A story with strong connections to the East Village will hit the stage early next year at the Orpheum Theatre. (Thanks to the commenter for this tip!) 

"The Jonathan Larson Project" features a newly discovered collection of songs by "Rent" and "tick, tick… BOOM!" creator and composer. The musical, featuring more than 20 previously unheard songs, has its world premiere when previews start on Feb. 14. Opening night is March 10 for the 16-week run. 

You can find ticket info here. The Orpheum is at 126 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

In the early 1990s, Larson was known to frequent the Life Cafe (RIP 2011) on the NW corner of Avenue B and 10th Street, where he worked on treatments of what would become "Rent," also set in this neighborhood.

That production started as a staged reading in 1993 at the New York Theatre Workshop on Fourth Street between Second Avenue and the Bowery — three years before its smash Broadway debut.

Larson died of an aortic dissection on Jan. 25, 1996, the scheduled day of the first preview performance Off-Broadway. He was 35. 

Tribute to Larson at the Life Cafe. Photo from 2011 by Michael Sean Edwards.