This evening I had the pleasure of attending ‘Rent’ the musical at the Schonell Theatre.
I have to admit, having seen the original broadway cast in New York some years ago I was expecting to be disappointed with the local homegrown production.
Fortunately, I was proved wrong. This is a really good thing.
As I mentioned when I saw the movie of Rent, I believe that it is a show that should only be performed live. The cast of the local production pulled together a moving, enjoyable and entertaining interpretation of the award-winning musical.
What impressed me was that in spite of the the occasional hiccough such as – momentof being out of tune, losing voices mics failing, and occasionally an ocker accent – the strong voices, excellent characterisation, and combination of raw energy & emotion still rang out and engaged the audience. Even the senior citizens in the audience who I saw were looking a tad bemused at interval (I’m guessing they were perhaps not expecting explicit content and perhaps learnt a thing or two about the birds and the bees that they would have otherwise not have known) were moved with emotion by the end.
Composer Jonathan Larson’s chill-producing cords and lyrics being belted and caressed out by the company had me on the verge of tears even though I know the words and tunes backwards. From my third row seat I felt well and truly as though I were there in the alphabet city of New York back in the late 80s where the show is set.
Congratulations to the cast and crew for doing justice to a musical I would rate as one of my all time favourites.