RENT: Review

Jess Devine ‘rents’ out a seat for one night only, to see Music Theatre Warwick’s raw and emotional production of RENT, a rock opera set in New York’s East Village in the 1980s.

Cast of MTW’s RENT, photo: Peter Marsh at ashmorevisuals

The opening night of Jonathan Larson’s RENT was a much-awaited day for our own Music Theatre Warwick. After years of pitching to the panel, the new production team behind the show finally won the Arts Centre slot to showcase the best of the musical theatre talent that Warwick has to offer. I for one have been excited for months and it did not disappoint.

For those unfamiliar with the show, RENT is loosely based on Puccini’s opera La bohème. It focuses on the lives of a group of impoverished artists in the lower east side of New York attempting to survive and thrive under the shadow of the HIV/ AIDS crisis. The play deals with some dark themes, which were handled delicately and with brutal honesty by the cast and crew. Moments of happiness and love do break through the gloom, though, to make this show the success it is.

Having seen a few different productions of RENT, my only issues with the show are down to the play itself. That being said, all of these grievances were miraculously solved, almost as if the cast and crew had known them. The use of narration and the succession of vignettes and short, sharp scenes have always felt a little jarring for me. However, the rawness of this production which focused on the emotional journeys of the characters, the chaos and the tragedy, communicated perfectly the tumultuous and turbulent times of New York during the period. So my initial reservations were unfounded and I was also delightfully surprised by the addition of the song ‘Contact’, typically cut because it can seem out of context with the rest of the scene.

One of the particular highlights of the show was the relationship between Collins and Angel, played by students Alex Millen and Jack Pusey, which grew from the beautiful rendition of “I’ll Cover You” to its heartbreaking reprise, culminating in Angel’s death. Both of these actors created a loving relationship that was both convincing and emotionally affecting. That is not to dismiss the rest of the cast, who were equally fantastic and a testament to the amazing talent Warwick has to offer. The rousing and energetic performance of ‘La Vie Bohème’ closed the first act brilliantly and left all of the audience eager for more.

Other performances of note were those of actors Kitty Murdoch and Lauren Clarke, who depicted wonderfully the volatile and ever changing relationship between Maureen and Joanne and whose version of ‘Take me or leave me’ was feisty and fun. It practically made me practically jump of my seat, wanting to join in. In fact all three female leads, including Hannah Price who played the drug addict and HIV sufferer Mimi, had amazing voices with wonderful tone, well-suited to the rock musical. Finally, the relationship between the male leads best friends Roger and Mark played by Josh Beckman and Alex Welsh was particularly touching, particularly in their climactic rendition of “What you own”. Having the band onstage worked particularly well to create the rock and roll vibe needed to pull off some of the challenging songs that the show demands and seeing the musicians perform also tied-in with the theme of music and art being the soul of life.

A wonderful production that was raw, emotional, beautiful and professional – if it wasn’t sold out I would definitely be going to see it again. It’s great that a Warwick society has managed to produce a sell-out show in such a short space of time that has delighted the audience and looked like such fun to be a part of!

RENT was a Music Theatre Warwick production at Warwick Arts Centre.