Rent
Book, Music and Lyrics by
Jonathan Larson
Directed by John R. Leffert
A review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright ©
2012 Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
I have a confession to make: I
love Rent. I always have and always will. Jonathan Larson’s opus about a
group of friends fighting through inner demons, the AIDS epidemic and
heartbreak premiered on Broadway in 1996. Since then, there have been a movie
adaptation featuring original players, countless tours, and a revival; and now
the production rights have been released to the public and it has hit the local
theater circuit. Larson based the play's key issues on what he encountered
during his everyday life as a struggling playwright in New York City. Whether
it was toying with giving up artistic integrity for the sake of financial gain
or falling in love with a high risk of getting tremendously heart broken, the
themes addressed in Larson’s work are momentous and emotional. Tonight, I saw a
production at CenterStage and I had doubts. Artistic Director John R. Leffert
assured me and the rest of his audience that “we’re going to do it and we’re
going to do it very well.”
For starters, many elements of
this small-scale direct send-up to the Broadway production were pitch-perfect. Jordan
Price as Roger was the washed up, aloof, AIDS-inflicted punk rocker. His
rendition of “One Song Glory” could rival Adam Pascal’s Original Broadway Cast
recording. Price is strong during his emotionally fueled argument with the ever-flirtatious Mimi (Kate E. Reedy) during “Another Day.” Reedy and Price’s vocal
chemistry were superb throughout the production in “Light my Candle” and
“Without You.” As Maureen, Lauren McCombs was a fun combination of no
inhibition and heaps of exhibitionism. She completely owned “Over the Moon.”
Brian Bowles plays Mark, the musical’s narrator. As the play centers on Mark’s
nearly obsessive filming of a year in the life of his friends, Bowles provides
sweetness as he watches his friends suffer with illness and triumph in their
victories. Bowles meets his match with his ex-girlfriend’s current lover,
Joanne, played with sassy strength by Tymika Prince. In “Tango Maureen,”
Bowles’ and Prince’s voices blend as well as their comedic timing. Bowles
gained a few extra laughs when he delivered a line about Jewish Community
Centers directly to the audience; a smart comedic choice, indeed.
As this is a play which runs on
high octane energy, the mechanics of this beast of a show are only as a strong
as its weakest parts. This is a rock opera, and Rent incorporates a live
band on stage, a concept that has been repeated in other shows like Spring
Awakening and American Idiot. Perhaps it was the faulty sound system
within the theater itself, which kept cutting in and out at vital moments of
the production, or a conscious choice of pulling back on the musicians’ volume to provide clearer quality for the vocals. Regardless, I expected loud rock-and-roll music and received a muted collection of musicians.
As “Today for You” began, and
Darius Kenner-Williams appeared in his glorious Santa drag, I couldn’t help but
wonder if the music I heard was a recorded track. As this song has major dance
club elements, perhaps the pulsating beats and fast rhythm was too advanced for
a theater like CenterStage. While on the subject of Kenner-Williams, he had
some very big, sparkly shoes to fill. Wilson James Heredia won the Tony for his
portrayal as the innocent victim of AIDS. It is a character who keeps the
circle of friends together and breathes life into an otherwise dreary play.
Kenner-Williams fully grasped on to Angel’s flamboyant elements but lacked
chemistry with Tom Collins (played with beautiful vibrato by Alonzo Richmond).
Although his leaps and flips were impressive, it could not save “Today for You”
from nearly falling flat.
“Take Me or Leave Me” and “What
You Own” provided impressive singing for sure but lacked the powerful punch in
the gut. Maureen and Joanne are in the midst of yet another fight, and this
number lacked the pent-up aggression that such a couple would have. McCombs and
Prince are equally talented, but I wanted them to be yelling at each other.
That’s the point of belting in this song, after all. “What You Own” is perhaps
the most difficult song within the play. Mark is giving up job security for his
passion and Roger is gaining the courage to come home and find the woman he
loves. It is the turning point of the second act and, in this production, regrettably
forgettable.
All is not lost for this
production of Rent. This is a play that won many Tony awards and shaped
the contemporary world of musical theater. The cast truly shines in the most
popular number, “Seasons of Love,” a beautiful choral piece that starts the
second act. “La Vie Boheme” is a celebration of rebellion and life as the cast
dances and cheers their way to intermission. As I mentioned before, I had my
doubts about this production. I had total faith in CenterStage, as I have seen
past productions of Cabaret and Evita that were incredibly
moving. I knew that the company had talented resources to be taken advantage of; yet I was skeptical. I knew that I did not want to see a complete copy of the
Nederlander Theater production. As expected, Mark wears a striped scarf, Mimi
wears her shiny pants, and Angel wears her Santa Clause dress. Although it’s
important to incorporate such key identifiers within any production, it’s also
important to bring your own creativity to the production as well, and I think
CenterStage did their best.
Rent
July 12-29, 2012
JCC CenterStage
Linker Auditorium
3600 Dutchmans Lane
Louisville, KY 40205
502-238-2739
Kate,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your detailed review of the CenterStage production of Rent. Clearly you have a strong passion for this musical, as does the cast, crew, and musical ensemble performing the show. However, as the percussionist of this production, I would like to provide some clarity in terms of the musical aspects you discuss in your review.
Today for You is not in fact a recorded track, rather a sequenced track, and there is a difference between the two. This song is also played live on drums via a percussion instrument called a Yamaha DTX multi-12. This modern age electronic drum machine creates many different sounds which sound similar to the original cast production. For volume, the hardwood drum sticks are replaced with what are called Blastix, because they create a beautiful live theater sound during musical productions. I made a professional decision to use this style of stick to help reduce the loudness.
You also mention in your review “perhaps the pulsating beat and fast rhythm was too advanced.” This is by far not above our musical knowledge or capability to replicate, nor is it a faster tempo rhythmically compared to many of the other songs. RENT in particular requires great knowledge of electronic percussion and how it is produced.
If you would like to discuss how some of the beats are replicated, I will be more than glad to talk with you. As an experienced percussion performer, music instructor and technology major, there are many complex elements to making this production a sensation. Your love for RENT is greatly appreciated, as is mine in being a part of this historic, magical production.
Jyn Yates
And one more point to make as well since you seem to not understand sequencing vs. playing to a recording, the original score from the 1996 production actually played to a recorded track. However, we sequenced ourselves playing and then play live on top.
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