THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
THE TRANSATLANTIC MAGAZINE
Book, music, and lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Tom Stoppard Theatre, St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4BG until May 29, 2027
The musical RENT opened Off-Broadway on January 26, 1996, and went on to win the Pulitzer and run for 12 years on Broadway, where it also won 4 Tonys. It subsequently captured audiences worldwide and really struck a nerve with young audiences at a time when musical theatre was seeking a new direction.
Tragically, its creator didn't live to enjoy this because he died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition the night before the first preview. He was only 35. The musical, which is heavily inspired by Puccini's La Boheme, gives that piece a hip, topical spin. It emerged in the shadow of the AIDS crisis (when there still wasn't a cure) so that here, our impoverished young bohemians, are not dying of tuberculosis but rather of HIV/AIDS.
Rodolfo becomes Roger (Travis Ross), a songwriter who has shut down emotionally after the suicide of his girlfriend. The painter Marcello is now Mark (Gaten Matarazzo), a video artist who shares a grim industrial loft with Roger. Mark has recently been thrown over by his lover Maureen (Lazy Violet), a performance artist, and the show's answer to Musetta, who has left him for Joanne (Danielle Fiamanya). And Puccini's frail Mimi is reincarnated as the tough sex kitten, Mimi Marquez (Alexa Lopez), who dances in an S&M club. There's also Collins (Billy Nevers), a computer-age philosopher, and his lover Angel, who is trans and a sculptor.
To mark its 30th anniversary, the acclaimed young director Luke Sheppard (Paddington: The Musical; & Juliet; Starlight Express) created this energetic concert staging at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, and it now blazes its way onto the West End stage at the newly named Tom Stoppard Theatre, formerly the Duke of York's.
The plot is a mash of lover's quarrels and reconciliations with a subplot about the boys' landlord, the smooth Benny (Joaquin Pedro Valdes), an ex-mate turned Yuppie, who padlocks their building while trying to evict a group of homeless people next door. The group's spiky relationship with street dwellers and their battles with slum landlords have a deep resonance with the current Gen Z crowd, who have obviously been drawn to this show afresh. This is testament to Sheppard's vision for the piece, and it seems to be working as the show has already extended its run.
The other key to its success is the music and Sheppard's stripped-back in-the-round staging (there's audience on stage) lends the piece a great rock club vibe. Larson's wonderfully eclectic rock score is infused with elements of salsa, Motown, bebop, reggae, Sondheim, and even a cod tango number, and Bill Sherman's orchestrations are totally invigorating. They're played here with great verve by a 6-piece band led by MD Katy Richardson.
Because the piece is (mostly) sung-through, however, there is little chance to catch a breath and little 'light 'n shade' to allow us to get closer to this large group of characters. Its busyness borders on frantic at times, and there are diminishing returns when every song ramps up to another climax.
Star of TV's Stranger Things, Matarazzo, gives us a Mark who is genial if nerdy as he prowls around with his video camera. Travis Ross and Alexa Lopez have real chemistry as the central couple, especially in the devastating 'Will I', but it's Jeevan Braich who brings the house down as the fantabulous but ultimately tragic Angel. Lazy Violet is another vocal powerhouse as Maureen with her deadly 'performance art' set piece. The iconic 'Seasons of Love' number is, of course, an ensemble highlight, but I've never understood why this big finale number is used to open the second act. It's like a slow puncture for the piece after that.
Overall, Sheppard has cleverly given this classic show a vibrant contemporary pulse but wisely decided to leave it in the '90s. After all, ansaphones and phone booths play a significant role in the plot. Gabriella Slade's costumes too do wonders to recreate the dishevelled, androgynous, and rather grungy look of the era. But the reason to go is this powerhouse vocal ensemble.
