Cards on the table, this is not going to be a wholly unbiased review for two reasons. Firstly, for much of my adult life, I rented a room in a shared house (in fact, I have just taken on a mortgage at the time that many of my peers are paying theirs off). While the similarities with Jonathan Larson’s iconic musical pretty much end there, I do know the tensions of living cheek by jowl with other people, most of whom I wouldn’t have chosen to (unlike Mark – the most familiar face in the cast, Gaten Matarazzo – and Roger, the excellent Travis Ross, full of emotion and anger when he sings). Secondly, and more germane to this review, I absolutely love this show. I have seen it many times, have played the soundtrack on repeat – the first act has, with one exception, an incredible lineup of songs – and was desperate to see this revival, to mark 30 years since Rent first hit Broadway.
This iteration – under the capable direction of Luke Sheppard and with a very talented cast of singers across the board – does not disappoint. Much of the drama in the show revolves around three couples at different stages in their lives – the aforementioned Roger and his drug damaged dalliance with dancer Mimi (Alexa Lopez), the feisty on again off again relationship between seemingly uptight lawyer Joanne (Danielle Fiamanya) and irritating attention seeker Maureen (Lazy Violet, doing her best musically and comedically to salvage the one number that doesn’t really work for me – Maureen’s protest, a silly distracting moment in the pacy first act) and smooth former teacher, Collins (Billy Nevers) and his guardian Angel (Jeevan Braich), literally saving him from the mean streets of New York (itself a character in this slice of Millennial Americana) in their opening meet-cute. Their friendships intersect with Matarazzo’s Mark, an observer for much of the action, narrating and videoing developments (which are cleverly projected onto big screens on stage and smaller TVs around the theatre), and the handsome Joaquin Pedro Valdes’ Benny, representing corporate America and therefore nominally at least the ‘villain’ of the piece. Matarazzo’s choice to anchor events as Mark is a bold one, not because he does not have musical theatre pedigree, but because Mark is less of a character in his own right (as is noted plaintively in the second act). Here, he makes what he can of the passive role, the ‘one to survive’, shaking off Stranger Things quite literally, as his booty rocks in multiple numbers, showing a deft comedic touch in the ‘Tango Maureen’ and an excellent voice in multiple numbers, notably the dance of defiance in defence of difference, ‘La Vie Boheme’, which brings the first act to a climactic end.
The second act is darker and angrier, befitting the times (while sadly some of the themes of Rent remain current, from poverty and homelessness to a shifting drug epidemic in Trump’s America, thankfully AIDS is less of a killer now). Confrontations abound, between lovers – the spiky ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ – between friends – Mark and Roger clash as the latter seeks to depart the scene, before reuniting for the satirical ‘What You Own’ – and within the group as a whole, as boundaries blur, notably between Roger, Mimi and Benny. There is also a societal commentary offered by the excellent supporting cast, with barely a moment on stage wasted as transitions between plotted numbers are covered with amusing voicemails and the plight of the homeless community, unrecognised by society at large and by the central characters at times. There are also some lovely dramatic transitions on stage, notably for Mimi, moving from her Cat Scratch Club number – ‘Out Tonight’ – literally into Roger’s living room, which makes perfect sense of the opening line of ‘Another Day’. Props are used sparingly but well – from Angel’s makeshift drums to the glowing red lights of ‘Contact’ (done far better here than I have seen in previous versions) as well as for the sad denouement to Angel’s story.
And, then there is the blending of more traditional musical with an almost concert staging – the cast are onstage together for much of the action, sitting in front of audience members seated there as well, microphones are handed out for key numbers and aspects of the action are presented almost as ‘turns’, from Angel’s dramatic entrance to the group’s life – ‘Today 4 U’ – to some of the group numbers, the titular number from the first act and ‘Seasons of Love’ in the second (we even get to hear the backstage beginners call as the cast walk onto the stage in dribs and drabs, Matarazzo bringing up the rear). This worked, mostly, in the show’s favour, not least because it allowed the cast to inject further dynamism into an already rocking score (kudos to Katy Richardson and her talented band), notably for the first big number, Rent’. However, it also meant key characters in the story were effectively almost doubled up in scenes they otherwise would not have been in – for instance, during the counselling meeting Angel and Collins go to (the haunting ‘Life Support’) – which made less sense for Rent the story (it was almost as if we were supposed to believe we were watching actors playing actors who were in a concert production of Rent at times).
The cast also enthusiastically applauded certain numbers and moments on stage. While the collective musical talents of the cast absolutely deserved this, there was also no need for it – the audience was handling such matters on its own, giving several extended rounds of applause (notably for Billy Nevers quietly touching reprise of ‘I’ll cover you’, beautifully lit and alone on stage with Angel’s crumpled belongings as tragedy touches the group directly) and a well deserved standing ovation at the end. You could see all around the visceral reactions to what was happening on stage – people were crying, my pal Rachel – who had never seen the show – gasped at a few key moments, while one man in front of me danced and punched the air so often he might as well have received a credit in the programme. As for me, I was never going to be disappointed, for the reasons noted above. And, while you can’t own this show – apologies to Jonathan Larson for twisting his own exceptional lyrics – you can rent it for a while, as the show has already been extended into the middle of next year. I already have a ticket to go back and see it, sitting on the stage, to get a different view of the action. Join me – it will be one of the best Christmas presents you can give yourself.
It runs until 29 May. Tickets: here.
Review: David Brown Photos: Pamela Raith