RENT
Jonathan Larson is the Stephen Sondheim of the rock opera set and RENT is his crowning glory.
RENT is a rock musical with music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in Lower Manhattan's East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
It is also a somewhat autobiographical work, as Larson incorporated many elements of his life into his show, replacing the luscious splendour of Puccini's world with the coarseness and noise of modern New York.
It won the prestigious Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score in 1996.
Love and death are constant themes. The love presented here is liberating since it’s free of prejudice. Regardless of gender or health status, if two people love each other, no matter how outrageous some quarrels could get, they’d still find a way back to each other.
"Seasons of Love", which begins Act 2, became a successful pop song, often performed on its own.
This is an ambitious work as it is held dear in the hearts of many avid theatre goers. This production directed by Benjamin Maio Mackay (who also plays Roger Davis) is a high energy wonder that succeeds on almost all fronts.
Maio Mackay’s direction is precise and uses every centimetre of the set. He takes us to a world with which we are unfamiliar and creates believable characters that we can laugh and cry with. This is no mean feat when performing one of the major roles himself. Nothing has been missed.
Jesse Budel’s musical direction is spot on. His band is tight, still allowing the singers to ‘play’ with the music as their characters dictate.
Designer Matt Ralph gives us a clever multi-level scaffolding set that soars to the rafters of the iconic Queen’s Theatre. Mimi’s apartment is high up, causing us to hold our breath when she sits at the front dangling her legs. Movable tables are rearranged to create different areas on the floor level and the answering machines are placed in strategic places all over the set.
Ralph also designed the lighting, which possibly explains why it complements the set and action perfectly.
Nina Richards’ choreography is visually striking, ranging from gritty to graceful and flowing. She uses the capabilities of her actors to best advantage resulting in solid performances.
Lindsay Prodea as Mark, an aspiring filmmaker who narrates the show as he films the lives of his friends, once again gives us a faultless tenor voice and a compassionate character. His “What You Own” with Roger is memorable.
Benjamin Maio Mackay as Roger, a once successful, now struggling musician who discovered he had HIV/AIDS in a note his girlfriend left him before she took her own life gives us the raw edge required by rock opera. His “Your Eyes” is a highlight of Act 2.
Tate Simpson as Mimi, a strip club worker who struggles with her addiction to heroin, which has resulted in her contraction of HIV/AIDS, gives us a well-paced performance, beginning quietly and building to an emotional climax.
Sampson Wilkop as Tom, a gay computer genius, teacher, and anarchist recently expelled from MIT has possibly the best voice of the evening, making his “I’ll Cover You” unforgettable.
Raul-Xavier Garcia as Angel, a young drag queen and street percussionist begins the night quietly, but came into his own in act 2.
Cassandra Haines as a bisexual performance artist and Mark's ex‐girlfriend excels in her number “Over the Moon”.
Vaishnavi Rajaramanan (replacing Holly Hastings) as lesbian Ivy League educated lawyer and activist gives us an earnest performance and added some high soprano magic in “Seasons of Love”.
Nicholas Munday as Mark and Roger’s Landlord is the perfect yuppie who realises that his friends are more important than possessions money can buy.
The principals are complemented with a multi-talented ensemble comprising of Chloe Fusco, Liam Phillips, Wirra Benveniste, Ciara Fahy, Natasha Green, Jack Raft and Shalee Madelaine Vicencio.
My big reservation is the balance of band and singers. Understandably a rock musical is louder than an ordinary musical, however I was not able to clearly hear the lyrics of almost half the performance. This resulted in not being able to fully engage with the characters. Hopefully this will be corrected as the show runs.
There were also the odd strained top notes, possibly linked to opening night nerves.
RENT is effervescent, earthy and still current in today’s society and teaches us an important lesson - “In these dangerous times, where it seems that the world is ripping apart at the seams, we all can learn how to survive from those who stare death squarely in the face every day and [we] should reach out to each other and bond as a community, rather than hide from the terrors of life at the end of the millennium.”
Barry Hill
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