After closing its twelve-year run at the Nederlander Theater three years ago to become the ninth longest-running show in Broadway history, RENT is back!
The original show previously spawned three touring productions, a filmed live version, and a feature film, begging the question: is yet another production viable?
Its central characters – Roger, Mark, Mimi, Tom Collins, Angel, and Maureen struggle with daily poverty, love and loss, life and death. Meanwhile, they cling to friendships as they pursue their art and a life on their own terms.
Director Michael Greif returns to retool the production, with Tim Weil [music supervisor] and Angela Wendt [costume designer] also on hand to repeat their original assignments. The new show is now staged at the 499-seat theater in the sub-basement of New Word Stages.
The set is much grander, with a maze of steel girders, stairs, and movable platforms that are as high as they are wide. This gives Larry Keigwin (choreographer) interesting space to work with, but it also inevitably confines certain scenes to specific areas simply because they’re there. While the new set suits some scenes, it distracts in others; in some instances, blocking blocks the audience’s view [of things being referenced].
Kevin Adams’s lighting design improves on the original, and the set lends itself—in most instances—to the stunning digital projections designed by Peter Nigrini. It works well for “Over the Moon,” and more specifically during “What You Own”—with projections starting with just a few screens and then expanding to wash over the entire set by the time the song modulates.
Beyond the changes to the new set, lighting, and effects, Rent is still Rent, with all the characters, songs, and themes that have made it so beloved.
Unlike many new openings, however, the cast had an unusual challenge to overcome: they had to reinvent memorable characters created by not one previous production, but several; on stage, in film, and in a staged live production on film.
This cast rose to the occasion and held their own, and even brought new elements to some of the characters.
For example, Maureen (Analeigh Ashford) is funnier and slightly more unbalanced than the original. At the same time, (MJ Rodriguez) was more drag-queen Vogue—as opposed to the innocent-cool [transgender] character portrayed in the feature film —as he lit up the stage with combustible energy. Mark [Adam Chanler-Beyer] is more vibrant than any before him, and though he stayed true to the original role of Tom Collins, Nicholas Christopher stood out with a smooth, elegant voice and a low-key performance.
The overall cast size is about the same as previous ones, and the ensemble cast—despite a few spoken lines that weren’t clear — delivered strong performances. They received a standing ovation for the effort.
Although the tent-city swatters of Alphabet City, in real life, have long since been pushed out and replaced by trendy bistros and high-priced apartments, Rent gives us stories, questions, and core messages that remain vibrant and touching, hopefully for a whole new generation of followers.
“There’s only us; there’s only this; forget regret, or life is yours to miss.”
So don’t miss RENT! It helps to watch the film, as it lays out the storyline better than the play, but if you know the storyline, the play is terrific.
A Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, and Allan S. Gordon presentation of a two-act musical with book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. Direction by Michael Greif; Choreography by Larry Keigwin; Music direction by Will Van Dyke.
Tickets $69.50 – $101.50
Mark Cohen – Adam Chanler-Berat
Roger Davis – Matt Shingledecker
Tom Collins – Nicholas Christopher
Benjamin Coffin III – Ephraim Sykes
Joanne Jefferson – Corbin Reid
Angel Dumott Schunard – MJ Rodriguez
Mimi Marquez – Arianda Fernandez
Maureen Johnson – Annaleigh Ashford
For more information and tickets
New World Stages
340 West 50th Street Between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York NY 10019
(646) 871-1730
Buy the soundtrack (download) HERE $16.99
Buy I’ll Cover You, the love duet between Angel and Tom $.99
Buy the Movie on DVD HERE $16.49 (Blu-ray)
Buy the filmed live on Broadway HERE $15.19 (Blu-ray)
