There are approximately five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred productions of Rent happening
at any one time. How to make yours stand
out?
Pindar Theatre Productions may not do anything radical with
the source material, instead sticking to a straightforward interpretation
similar to the film and original musical, but their production stands out for
its incredibly talented cast whose West End standard singing will (quite
literally) blow you away.
Jonathan Larson’s pop-rock musical (originally performed in
1996 and based on Puccini’s La Boheme),
is a celebration of friendship, love and “la vie boheme”, set in mid-1990s New
York, and tragically follows a group of twentysomethings whose lives are
directly and indirectly affected by aids – whether through drug abuse or
homosexual relationships. It is equal
parts joyous and heartbreaking, fun yet poignant, and the cast revel in each
change of pace: from the lively choreography of “La Vie Boheme”, to the rock
ballad “Without You” and gospel hit “Seasons Of Love”.
The central friendship is between filmmaker Mark (in a
lighthearted performance from Charlie Royce) and guitarist Roger (John
Sandberg). Sandberg, all red-eyed and
punky bleached hair, encapsulates the rock aesthetic of the show, with a raw, rasping
vocal. His rendition of “One Song, Glory”
is especially touching, though even he cannot make the climactic number “Your Eyes”
any less cheesy. Elsewhere, Michael
Quinn and William Whelton have great chemistry as Tom Collins and Angel
respectively, though Whelton’s flamboyant characterisation could be pushed
further. Jodie Steele plays an animated
Maureen – her crowd-pleasing duet “Take Me For What I Am” with Ambra Caserotti’s
Joanne was suitably fiery. Jodie Steele
is certainly an energetic Mimi, particularly in the slutty “Out Tonight” (in
which the singing suffers a little as a result), but “Without You” in the
second act is beautifully sung with some impressive riffs. Individually the singers excel, but as a
chorus the sound is sublime, including some wonderful cameos from the
supporting cast.
Rent is a big
musical and therefore should be performed on a big stage. Sadly, the Tabard Theatre is simply too
cramped for both director and choreographer Adam Scown’s vision and the musical
score. The small set certainly mimics
the loft apartment the characters live in, but any attempt at intimacy is
undermined by the sheer volume of the amplified singing performed mere metres
from the audience. As a result, there
were balancing issues between the band and the cast, amidst other sound and
technical issues, which simply reinforce the limitations of the venue (though presumably these will be ironed out).
The show’s flaws do not, however, detract from the high
quality of the performances. This is a
cast who deserve to be performing on a West End stage – please somebody give it
to them.
4/5
Watch: Rent is performed at the Tabard Theatre from the 7th-31st August.
Any excuse to watch the film again....
