RENT: Seasons of Love for Shire

Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes..

How do you measure a year in the life?

Shire Music Theatre (NSW) presents Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning rock musical Rent from Friday November 30 2012.

Based on Puccini's 'La Boheme', Rent tells the story of one year in the life of friends living the Bohemian life in modern day East Village, New York City, 1989-1990. Among the group are the narrator, nerdy love-struck flmmaker Mark Cohen (Daniel O'Connell); the object of Mark's affection, his former girlfriend, Maureen Johnson (Kerstyn Walsh); Maureen's Harvard-educated public interest lawyer and lesbian lover Joanne Jefferson (Chiz Watson); Mark's roommate, HIV-positive musician and former junkie, Roger Davis (Christopher Malliate); Roger's new girlfriend, the HIV-positive drug addicted S&M dancer, Mimi Marquez (Claire Duffy); their former roommate, HIV-positive computer genius Tom Collins (Johnathon Acosta); Collins' HIV-positive drag queen street musician/lover Angel (Samuel Larielle); and Benjamin Coffn III (Kyle Sapsford), a former member of the group who married for money and has since become their landlord and the opposite of everything they stand for. Rent shows how much changes or doesn't change in the 525,600 minutes that make up a year & shares the intimate details of this group of friends during the change of an era.

We recently sat down for a chat with SMT Cast member Chiz Watson, who plays Joanne, asking:

What do you think draws people into the story of Rent?

I think that people are drawn to Rent because it's a story about life, reality and hardship as well as friendship, love and getting through the tough times. I think people are able to identify with Rent even though their circumstances might not be exactly the same, as the universal themes in the story, speak to people. We are reminded to live each day as if it is our last and to love and give as much as we can for as long as we are here on this earth.

Why did you want to be a part of the show?

I have wanted to be a part of Rent since I started performing. I saw the original Sydney production in 1999 when I was 17 and had never seen anything like it before. I went back a second time and remember how haunted I was when Roger sang 'One Song Glory'. I fell in love with Rent then and it has continued to be one of my favourites. It was around this time that I started performing in community theatre productions. I travelled to NY in 2010 and was lucky enough to see the one man show Without You performed by Broadway's original Roger, Anthony Rapp, at the New York Music Theatre Festival. His production took us on his personal journey through Rent rehearsals, the death of Jonathan Larson and his own personal struggles at the time. He used some music from Rent as well as his own music and I have never been so touched in any theatrical performance in my life. This reminded me how poignant the story of Rent is as well as the circumstances surrounding the staging of Rent and Jonathan Larson's death. I believe these circumstances make the show all the more powerful and humbling to those who engage with it.

Has the storyline been hard to portray?

Rentis particularly challenging as it is sung through, which means the actors really need to be able to communicate what they are feeling through song. This can be a diffcult task, however I feel we have a strong cast who have risen to the challenge in a short period of time to create the story along with the characters' underlying intentions.

Why do you think Rent is a timeless piece?

I think that apart from the themes that translate across time, the music is fantastic. People seem to hold Rent in a special place in their hearts and it's not the kind of piece that is exclusive. Many people enjoy Rent, even those who are not avid theatregoers and I think that speaks to the piece's accessibility.

What do you love about your character?

I really enjoy portraying Joanne and love that she is a strong woman, career driven and independent but when it comes to love she still has flaws and problems just like everyone else.

Do you have a favourite part of the show?

I have always loved 'One Song Glory' since seeing the original Australian production but I also love the scene 'Goodbye Love', which is highly emotionally charged and brings to a head the emotional lives of two best friends.

Rent - by Johnathon Larson

Sutherland Memorial School of Arts, 25 East Parade, Sutherland

Fri 30th November 8pm, Sat 1st December 8pm, Sun 2nd December 2pm Thur 6th December 8pm, Fri 7th December 8pm, Sat 8th December 2pm & 8pm, Sun 9th December 2pm

Opening Night (Friday 30th) is a Gala Fundraiser for ACON with $5 from every ticket sold going to the charity. With World Aids day on December 1st Shire Music Theatre is proud to support ACON – Learn more at www.acon.org.au

Bookings: www.shiremusictheatre.org.au or call 0458 642 553