'Hamilton' Musical Cast Bows to 'Rent' on 20th Anniversary of Broadway Smash for Tribute

It's been 20 years since Jonathan Larson's Bohemian musical Rent first opened on Broadway and became one of the biggest things musical theater had ever seen -- and the newest smash in town is not above recognizing what came before them: the cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton recently paid homage to Rent on the latter's 20th anniversary!

Through Facebook and Twitter, Broadway sensation Hamilton honored Rent by adding a side-by-side photo of the casts of the two musicals with a quote from the 1996 song "What You Own" from the now classic 80s-set rock version of Giacomo Puccini's opera La Boheme.

"'When you're living in America at the end of the millennium, you're not alone.' Tonight, we honor Rent after 20 yrs," the official social media for Hamilton wrote.

"When you're living in America at the end of the millennium, you're not alone." Tonight, we honor Rent after 20 yrs. pic.twitter.com/1hYUxei6jP

— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) April 29, 2016

Creator and star Miranda honored the 1996 smash in his own way as well, taking to Twitter to say a few kind words about the author of the musical, who died at the age of 35 right before Rent opened and never got to see its success. Larson posthumously won the Pulitzer for Drama after Rent came out, much like Miranda did with Hamilton only a few days back.

I think about an alternate timeline where Jonathan Larson is 56 years old, with many shows written & more on the way. Wish I could hear 'em. — Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) April 30, 2016

Rent, which was lauded for its openness and for casting people of color and having queer characters, opened in April 1996 on Broadway with a cast that went on to become legends in the business, including Taye Diggs, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Adam Pascal and Idina Menzel, who'd go on to also originate the role of Elphaba on Wicked and voice Elsa in Frozen, so she was the first person to ever sing "Let It Go" before it even hit YouTube.

Rent went on to be adapted on the big screen, with most of the original Broadway cast returning to reprise their roles as a group of Bohemian 20-something-year-olds during the AIDS/HIV scare of the 1980s.