The final week of the 20th Anniversary UK tour of Jonathan Larson’s legendary musical, RENT, is taking place at the Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells this week, so clear your schedule and make time to go and see this wonderfully staged, beautifully performed, breathtakingly fantastic, theatrical masterpiece.
Using every inch of space available on the vast Assembly Hall Theatre stage, the huge gantry set, that represents some run-down loft apartments in the Bohemian Alphabet City in New York’s East Village, makes quite an imposing sight. Add in the cast of quirky characters that manage to survive in this area, and you get a palpable feeling of the “artist” community in1980’s New York.
Jonathan Larson, who tragically died the night before his masterpiece opened Off-Broadway in 1996, based a lot of the tale on his own experiences of living the bohemian life in New York in the 1980’s, under the terrifying shadow of HIV and AIDS. Although healthy himself, many of his friends had HIV, had very little money and, using what money they had, were addicted to drugs – and it is these issues which echo throughout the piece.
Billy Cullum, as filmmaker Mark Cohen, narrates the show and he does it very well. Although a lot of the story is told in song, his words are clear and can be heard well throughout the packed theatre despite the loud rock music score that, at times, makes the whole theatre shake.
His roommate is Roger, a rock singer, played by Ross Hunter. Ross’s previous stage credits include Jesus Christ Superstar and We Will Rock You and it is very easy to hear why he was chosen for those shows, and for RENT. He has, quite simply, one of the finest rock voices around.
Ryan O’Gorman, who plays their ex-roommate Tom Collins, takes on one of the most dramatic parts in the piece which he plays with every ounce of emotion that he can muster – as does Philippa Stefani who plays one of the other majorly dramatic roles, that of Roger’s love interest, Mimi Marquez.
Replacing an unwell Lucie Jones, Christina Modestou takes on the role of performance artist and protester Maureen – and, with superb comic timing and a tremendous singing voice, really makes the part her own. Together with Shanay Holmes as Joanne they play squabbling girlfriends. Their relationship is a tempestuous affair, played out with skill and sensitivity, with both women running the gamut of emotions.
Other members of this extremely talented cast, Javar La’Trail Parker, Katie Bradley, Joshua Dever, Kevin Yates, Bobbie Little, Jordan Laviniere, Harrison Clark, Raffaella Covino and Oliver Bingham all perform well and show just exactly how well an ensemble piece can be played. Special mention also needs to go to Jenny O’Leary who, during one of the show’s most well known numbers, Seasons of Love, delivers a simply spectacular show-stopping solo performance.
The final character in the show is Angel Schunard, a young New York drag queen played by the amazing Layton Williams. Whether he is dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, or she is showing off her incredible dance moves in a bikini and fur coat combo, Layton works the role like he was born to do it. So very sexy and sassy yet, ultimately, heart-wrenchingly dramatic, Layton really deserves top billing.
Although firmly fixed in time and place, RENT also has a very topical quality owing to it’s powerful themes of love and friendship, and of a community that comes together in the face of adversity, so very poignant in these difficult times.
***** Five Stars
