reviewvancouver: RENT

For the month of August Presentation House’s tiny stage is transformed into a run-down industrial loft in New York City’s infamous Lower East Side.

Rent is Jonathon Larson’s rock musical take on some of his own experiences in Greenwich Village – New York’s Bohémia. For the basic storyline he went to Giacomo Puccini’s grand opera, La Bohéme, set in the Latin Quarter of Paris and centres around the late nineteenth century’s own prejudices and illnesses faced by struggling artists.

Larson’s Rent is all about survival and follows the stormy relationships of three couples, one heterosexual, one lesbian and one homosexual. His pièce de théâtre was given mythical notoriety when the playwright died suddenly in his Greenwich Village apartment barely hours before the show’s premiere performance.

Director Ryan Mooney, who in his pre-show chat, appeared justifiably proud in announcing that this mounting is the first production by an all Canadian cast, has followed a Broadway tradition of casting unknown, eager hopefuls in the roles of struggling artists. Mooney, himself a self-confessed “Renthead” has opted for a much less dark version than most previous productions or the 2005 film version. Overall, the undertaking is successful mainly due to the quirky and charmingly nebbish performance of Anton Lipovetsky as Mark who steered the show through his central narrative role.

The biggest surprise of the night (at least to me) was Christine Quintana, whom I last saw co-directing the recent Delinquent Theatre presentation of Spring Awakening at the Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive. Ms Quintana takes on what is arguably the toughest role and is emphatically feline as the drug-addled exotic dancer Mimi Marquez. In the raunchy strip bar scene, her rendition of “Out Tonight” makes one of show’s forgettable songs – unforgettable.

Other performers worthy of special mention are Cesar Erba as Angel Dumott the flamboyant transsexual with a big heart and Nick Fontaine as Angel’s love interest (the unimaginatively named) Tom Collins. Their duet “Today for You” (I’ll be your lover) re-vitalized things on stage just when it was needed.

The mercurial Maureen (Jacqueline Breakwell) and her lesbian partner, the complicated and temperamental Joanne (Jenn Suratos) share the most dynamic and emotionally charged relationship. The pair really sizzle n’ fizzle with their passionate sparring in the second act song “Take Me or Leave Me.”

The shorter second act encompasses the whole year between Christmas Day and the following Christmas Eve and opens with the entire company coming together in “Seasons of Love”, one of show’s best songs.

Mimi Abraham and Tracey Lynn Chernaske’s deliberately austere set fits perfectly with the gloomy plight of Rent’s characters. The combined efforts of Christine Quintana, Jacqueline Breakwell and Rielle Braid taking on the additional responsibility of the production’s clothing proffered both imagination and flair.

Ryan Mooney generally does well with a largely novice cast. Though I felt that Angel’s death scene too surreal and didn’t fit with the play’s otherwise gritty realism.

While the on-stage performances by this energetic and exuberant cast ranged from adequate to excellent, the production side was beset by problems that have befallen much larger theatre groups with this particular work. Considering the venue size, the technical equipment was hardly satisfactory. The obtrusive face mikes provided sufficient volume, but lacked the relied upon fidelity. A pity – since so much of the narrative depends on the song’s complex lyrics.

Songs like Seasons of Love, Rent and La Vie Boheme are indeed memorable, whereas, some are just as easy to forget. If you among those, like the crowd on opening night, who enjoy musical theatre with attitude - check out Rent! You’ll certainly leave the theatre entertained.