At my first ever showing of RENT, I was thoroughly impressed with the singing and dancing the MUSKET performers presented on opening night November 22 at the Power Center for the Performing Arts. As I sat down to take my seat, I noticed there wasn’t any specific stage designs or set-up, just platforms where cast members could climb up and down to sing at an elevated level. The simplistic stage design made me and other audience members intently focus on the music and lyrics throughout the entirety of the show. The one noticeable feature of the stage was Mark and Roger’s (played by Sam Yabrow and Ryan Vasquez) sofa, a raggedy representation of the late 1980s/early 1990s New York City lifestyle they lived in the heart of the city. I thought the decision to keep the stage so minimalist really fared well for the overall production.
As a tale of living through AIDs and poverty and temporary homelessness, RENT’s most touching scene was that for the funeral of Angel (played by Alex Miller) where the crossdesser’s friends told stories about him bringing them together through love. Indeed, the musical’s signature piece “Seasons of Love” captured the essence of that spirit, and the cast members performed it in the most simplistically beautiful way possible, lined up shoulder to shoulder facing the audience.
Seeing the play from a more mature perspective I picked up on themes that my adolescent self had no preconceived notion to pick up on. My favorite song when the play first came out was “Tango Maureen” because I liked the tango melody that oozes through the song. Little did I know it was a tale about how ex-lover Marc and current lover Joanne believe Maureen uses and abuses them and makes them “tango” around her.
Freshman Chani Wereley starred in her role as lost Mimi, where her solo number clad in lingerie and another scene where she shoots up heroin were performed with killer execution. Additionally, ensemble member Kevin Lee provides comic relief to the grim story line, at one point in which he rocks a cow costume. I could go on and on about the hidden laughter and special moments throughout the show, but you really need to see it yourself to appreciate the hard work the cast has put in to this production.
If you haven’t seen it yet, there’s still a performance tonight at 8 p.m. and a matinee show at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Don’t miss out on a fun-filled, musically engaging study break—RENT!
