Initially, it felt strange to be heading out to the Lemmy on a Thursday rather than a Saturday night – this time I was not there for their deals on VKs. Instead I was lucky enough to have a sneak peek at what Shotgun Theatre have planned for us come January. Thus began my introduction to the world of ‘RENT’, the extremely popular 1990s production that revolutionised musical theatre and successfully combined it with contemporary pop culture. The result is a musical full of power, poignancy and impact, as it addresses contemporary concerns that strike a chord with many sectors of society.
Created as a rock/pop adaptation of Puccini’s Opera ‘La Boheme’, RENT tells the story of a year – or 525,600 minutes – in the life of a group of friends living the ‘bohemian’ life in New York’s East Village. Unheard, unvalued, and unrepresented, the story documents the lives of these friends as they struggle with issues such as homosexuality, HIV/AIDS, living below the breadline, lack of emotional and social stability, and the conflict between comfort and ideology.
Without giving too much away, the musical follows the narrator Mark, an aspiring film maker who sets about creating a documentary on life in the East Village, and his roommate Roger, a musician coming to terms with a tragic loss and dealing with being HIV positive. They live alongside Tom Collins and his drag queen lover Angel, both HIV positive, and Roger’s new girlfriend, addict Mimi Marquez, also in the grips of the disease. In addition, there’s Mark’s ex-girlfriend, Maureen and her new girlfriend, Joanne, an Ivy League trained lawyer. The group live on the edge of eviction from their homes by their former friend Benny, who has since married for money and become their landlord.
Going from Christmas day 1989 to the same day the following year, the show aims to address the temporary nature of life, especially amongst those who are less advantaged or suffering. This is reflected in a statement from the show’s original creator in 1995, the late Jonathon Larson:
“RENT is about a community celebrating life, in the face of death and AIDS, at the turn of the century.”
This celebration of life is something that the cast and its director, Caroline Lang, wanted to promote above all. The issue of AIDs is an underlying theme throughout the show’s narrative. The cruelty of the disease is reflected in the characters’ relationships with each another and their urgent desire to live ‘for the moment’, although their prospects are not very promising.
When I heard Shotgun were taking on such a diverse and complex production I was slightly sceptical, however, after witnessing their dedication and talent, I have no doubt that they are going to do this impressive show great justice, whilst raising awareness of extremely sensitive issues at the same time. The cast performed a fantastic rendition of the title song ‘RENT’, in which they displayed not only their vocal ability but also their versatility, pulling off slick choreography in a very small amount of space. They also performed arguably the most famous song from the show, ‘Seasons of Love’, as well as duets ‘I Should Tell You’ and ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ by some of the leading cast members.
I urge everyone, regardless of your opinion on musicals in general, to see this show, and if you are not already blown away by the talent of every single cast member, the poignant messages behind each song will leave you with strong thoughts about the power of love, heartbreak, and suffering.
Along with promotional performances by ‘RENT’s cast, I was impressed by pieces from the cast of ‘The Wild Party’, Shotgun’s Term 1 performance. Set in the roaring twenties, the show depicts a couple who throw a ‘Wild Party’ in order to try and rekindle the excitement and passion that their relationship had lost. Much the same as can be said for ‘RENT’, ‘The Wild Party’ is far from being your average musical, as it deals with the mature, complex issues of love, lust, jealousy and betrayal.
Also performing at the launch was the band of cast member Henry Adams, ‘Drive in Saturday’. The five piece band regularly gig around Exeter, and were a great way to end the evening. For more information, check them out on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DriveInSaturdayBand/timeline
‘RENT’ will be performed at the Exeter Phoenix from the 19th to the 22nd January – tickets will soon be available for purchase online at http://www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/
What’s more, grab your tickets quickly to see ‘The Wild Party’ at Roborough Studios on the 3rd, 4th & 5th December: http://www.exeterguild.org/ents/event/6293/