Honest Living: A Rent Review
Center Stage Theatre’s production of RENT, directed by Liz Muller, captures the timelessness of the original production, reminding us of all the things that truly matter in a world that seems set on actively contributing to the tear in the fabric of humanity. The story, set in New York City’s East Village in the late 80s to early 90s, tackles themes that still resonate today. Themes of love, life, hopelessness, and collective loneliness permeate the production, while characters with vibrant dreams and relatable gripes battle mental and emotional turbulence, as well as addiction and illness.
Christmas Eve brings anything but holiday cheer, and a group of struggling artists band together in their quest for a new lease on life. A dollar short and a dream deferred, Roger (Harry Rosenay), Mark (Jacob Marcus), Tom Collins (Nolan Young), Joanne (Alyssa Grasso), Angel (Jacob Ebert), Mimi (Megan Loaicano), and Maureen (Macie Cox) are all connected by their circumstances. They’re all holding on by a thread, courtesy of that large tear in the fabric of humanity, where life costs and none of them know how they’re going to pay. Meanwhile, Benny (Nick Gugliotti), who went from roommate to slumlord, lords his power over those he once considered friends.
Roger is a musician who wants to write one song before he goes, while cautiously connecting with Mimi, a dancer and a drug addict with whom he has more in common than he initially realizes. Mark is documenting real life while evading real connection, after having his heart broken by Maureen, who flaunts her unstable new relationship with Joanne in front of him. Tom Collins finds love in an alley with an Angel. Joanne grapples with her permanence in Maureens life, while Angel grapples with her impermanence in life, and Mimi just wants a night out.
Rosenay embodies the frailty of a life on layaway. His will-they-won’t-they with commitment highlights the mortality he faces, while Loaicano flaunts her remaining moments, flailing in the uncertainty that cause the friction in Roger and Mimi’s connection. Marcus does a fantastic job characterizing a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants nature that only slightly masks the disconnect he feels from everyone around him. Young’s understanding of the courage it requires to take on a love that is sure to end in heartbreak is evident in the way the maturity in his dealings with Angel play against the light-heartedness he depicts with Roger and Mark.
Ebert is a life force, both for Angel and as a connector of the cast members as the heart of the ensemble—as is Loaicano, whose vocal offerings, paired with an emotionally rending depiction of a life on the edge of the end, helps to tie the bow on this gift of a production. Cox beautifully leads the Seasons of Love number, warranting an inspired response from the audience.
The set, pronounced by scaffolding that looks as flimsy as the composition of the characters’ lives, adds to the disheveled energy of the story. The live band stationed on the scaffolding is an ingenious choice, adding to a concert feel throughout the production. John Skufca’s choreography is bold and daring, playing up the edge that the plot requires and emboldening the characters to dance on the edge of their stories.
The lighting design of Liz Muller, John Skufca, and Justin Zenchuk adds a moody element to the show, coupled with C.E. Simon, Liz Muller, and Melanie Byron’s projections, which sometimes hilariously contribute to the scenes. Even the fashion, assembled by the costume team of Lindsey Campbell, Sandra Fernandes, and Ella Urban serves as an ode to the time of this production’s conception while simultaneously representing style choices of our present day, emphasizing the cyclicality of our reality.
The entire cast and crew work seamlessly to deliver a beautiful rendition of a classic, bringing audiences into the fold with pockets of immersive surprises.
British poet, Warsan Shire, wrote, “you can’t make homes out of human beings,” but this production asks, what else do you make a home out of when the buildings we put our things in and the money we put our trust in are just as temporary, but less warm. This iteration of the classic story by Jonathan Larson proves these themes to be just as resonant today as it was when it first debuted, reminding us that history is only the past if we collectively make better of our future.
Catch RENT at Center Stage Theatre in Shelton, Connecticut through July 28th. For tickets, visit www.centerstageshelton.org/