RENT
Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves, and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical.
NODA North West
Author: Jake Powell
D&S Productions returned to the Brindley with their production of ‘Rent’, performed in the studio space and directed by Donna Dale. The static set was impressive in the small space and used well by the cast, providing different levels for the cast to use. What was really apparent in the production was how believable the relationships between each of the characters were. Donna must take credit for this for assembling a cast that immersed themselves into their character. Nothing seemed forced – it was all real. There were some imaginative ideas throughout, including having the ensemble on stage throughout and Angel’s death. The mugging of Collins appeared to be very pedestrian – it didn’t have the impact that it needed. The final scene between Roger and Mimi was beautifully played, but was hard to see due to it being played downstage on the floor. It was clear how much the company cared about each other and the care they took in the telling of this story, which was lovely to see.
The musical director was Craig Price, who led a small band (Ian Sherwood, Kev Bates, Ben Knowles and Jack Corlett) very well. The band had a great rock feel to them, but were also sympathetic to the piece, especially during the quieter moments of the production.
Donna Dale choreographed ‘Rent’, along with John Sprung-Murphy. There were some great choreographic moments during the production, including ‘La Vie Bohème’ and ‘Tango: Maureen’.
Lighting and sound were generally good throughout the production. There were moments where the stage was a little dark. Sound effects were used well throughout and cued on time. The sound balance between the band and cast was good. The band were loud, which is just what is needed for a rock opera like ‘Rent’. However, there were times where it impacted the cast, with the volume of the band being louder than the volume of the cast.
Jack Parry took on the role of Mark. Jack was great in this role. He has a great vocal and an excellent stage presence. As the narrator, Jack moved the story along nicely, and had an excellent rapport with all the other characters.
Roger was played by Elliott Tutt. Elliott’s vocals were great and the relationships between the other characters were believable, especially with Sara as Mimi. Elliott’s acting through song was very good.
Sara Haynes played Mimi. This was a great performance and you really felt for Mimi and what she was going through, which is a credit to Sara’s performance. ‘Light My Candle’ was excellently performed by both Sara and Elliott.
Francesca Forbes was excellent as Maureen. Francesca really embodied the character, and did a great job with her musical numbers. ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ was a particular highlight.
Jen Ellison played Joanne. Jen proved to be the perfect foil for Francesca, playing the fairly serious Joanne. Jen had an excellent relationship with Francesca, and provided good vocals too.
Tom Collins was played by Kriss James. Kriss’s vocals were outstanding throughout. The reprise of ‘I’ll Cover You’ was beautifully heartfelt. Kriss had an excellent relationship with Mark, which was very believable.
Mark Wilson took on the role of Angel. Mark did very well with this iconic part. He had some good vocals and brought out the emotion during Angel’s death. The energetic ‘Today 4 U’ was very well performed.
Antony Holden did well as Benny. He had a good, authoritative presence, which is exactly what is required for the role, which mellowed towards the end of the musical.
The ensemble was kept busy throughout. They were very much like a Greek Chorus, always on stage and watching the story unfold. Each member of the ensemble was engaged throughout, each having their time in the spotlight.
Overall, this was a great production. The vocals throughout were strong, the staging was great, and the performances from everyone were believable.
Thank you to D&S Productions for their warm welcome and kind hospitality. All the best for your next production.
North West End
Directed and Choreographed by Donna Dale, Assistant Director Charlotte Allmand, Assistant Choreographer John Sprung-Murphy and Musical Director Craig Price have produced the latest D&S Production of ‘Rent’.
Set in the East Village of New York City, ‘Rent’ is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, ‘Rent’ has become a pop culture phenomenon. ‘Rent’ follows a year in the life of a group of penniless young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
Johnathon Larson’s 1996 rock musical focus is around the interconnected lives of three couples: Roger (Elliott Tutt) and Mimi (Sara Haynes), Maureen (Francesca Forbes) and Joanne (Jen Ellison), and Collins (Kriss James) and Angel (Mark Wilson). At the heart of the musical is an exploration of identity within LGBTQ + Community, encompassing conversations on drug addiction, financial pressure, and grief within the context of the AIDS crisis at the end of the 20th century. Mark (Jack Parry) is an aspiring filmmaker who narrates the show as he films the lives of his friends.
The production team have done an amazing job on the set design, lighting, costume, also the live band enhances the performance, all put together they have created the perfect staging for this production.
Excellent casting of Mark as Parry delivered a sterling performance with his strong vocals, acting and dance skills. The strongest coupling was that of Tutt and Haynes as they gave the audience such authenticity of the characters displaying the courage, vulnerability and truthfulness of Roger and Mimi. The harmonies and vocals of this pair were outstanding and their rendition of ‘Without You’ was magnificent.
James and Wilson gave a heart-warming delivery of Collins and Angel, with a rollercoaster of emotions within the script. Huge credit to Wilson as the role of Angel is iconic and pinnacle to the plot of ‘Rent’ and can be a challenging role for any accomplished actor, however he delivered a faultless performance with his fabulous interpretation. Wilson’s rendition of ‘I’ll Cover You’ captured the character of Angel in all his/her kindness, affection, and hope on every occasion he/she appeared on stage.
Ellison’s and Forbes rendition of ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ was superb as this is an extremely challenging number to sing, in spite of that they certainly did the song justice in every aspect for which I applaud them.
It is clear that every cast member has put their heart and soul into the performance, ‘Rent’ isn’t the easiest repertoire with its demanding vocal range and can be a train crash at times to the untrained. D&S Production Team and cast have created a first-class performance of ‘Rent’ with one of the most impressive harmonies I have witnessed when the whole cast sang ‘Rent’, ‘Santa Fe’, ‘La Vie Boheme’, ‘Contact’ and of course the infamous ‘Seasons of Love’. They have also managed to create a tremendous interpretation of Angel’s passing as I have experienced many failings from other staging’s on the delivery of this specific scene.
Well done to all involved, personal highlight of the evening was Elliott Tutt who I believe has recently swapped the backstage for performing again after graduating from Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) in 2018. This young man’s vocal were phenomenal – he reminded me of a Jean Valjean, he must never go backstage again as he has a talent that should be showcased and celebrated.
The show runs until Saturday the 13th of May 2023, I would highly recommend that you try and get a ticket before it is completely sold out as this is a marvellous execution of ‘Rent’ in all its glory.
Reviewer: Katie Leicester
