Here is the thing about a one-night-only show at Shea’s Performing Arts Center: you either go, or you miss it forever. Starring Buffalo has built its whole model around that feeling — one performance, Broadway caliber, Buffalo’s biggest stage — and their season finale on Saturday, May 9 at 2:00 PM is exactly the kind of afternoon you will still be talking about in December.
This is RENT In Concert, and it is a big deal on multiple fronts. It marks the first time Starring Buffalo has performed at Shea’s Mainstage, and they are going out for the season finale with a cast that can actually deliver it. Kennedy Kanagawa — Drama Desk Award-nominated for his work in Into the Woods — takes on the role of Mark. Ben Jackson Walker, who originated Romeo in Broadway’s & Juliet, plays Roger. Alyssa Wray, an American Idol Top 9 finalist, steps into Mimi. The rest of the cast fills out with a deep bench of working Broadway and touring performers, including George L. Brown, Kayla McSorley, Jennifer Mysliwy, and Joe Russi.
The format is what sets Starring Buffalo apart — think NYC’s City Center Encores! series, brought to Western New York. Staged concert, full creative team (director Drew Fornarola, music director Karen Saxon, choreography by Chanon Judson), and something no Broadway house can replicate: a 130-person community chorus drawn from nearly 300 local auditionees who have been part of this program since 2021. This is their stage too.
Plan for 2 hours and 20 minutes with one intermission. Shea’s sits at 650 Main Street in downtown Buffalo — box office is reachable at 716-847-0850. For more shows coming to the area, check the Buffalo / Western NY region page.
Tickets start at $35 and are available through Ticketmaster. One performance. No second night. If you are a Western New York theater person, you already know you are going — and if you are making the drive in from Syracuse or the Southern Tier, this one is worth it.