Rent is the blockbuster musical hit of the nineties, a modern version of the opera La Boheme, depicting a community of young artists struggling to celebrate life while battling the first wave of the AIDS epidemic during the late eighties. I can never watch this production without thinking fondly of its creator Jonathan Larson who died suddenly of aortic aneurysm just hours after his final dress rehearsal for Rent off Broadway at age 35. I was living in New York during the eighties and feel in some ways I have lived this show in real life, as the AIDS epidemic became a reality to America.
The current touring production with two ex-American Idol stars, Anwar F. Robinson and Heinz Winckler, in the lead roles does a great job of capturing the fever of the original New York production that created long lines of “Rent-heads’ - young people who followed the show and saw it hundreds of times. Anwar Robinson as Tom Collins does a great job and his soaring and rich vocals add a touch of maturity that this young cast needs to really capture the depth of emotion in Larson’s original intent. Jennifer Colby Talton as Mimi Rodriguez is a sexy presence and dynamite dancer, ditto for Kristen-Alexander Griffith's, transvestite Angel, although I felt that Mimi’s pole dancing version of “Take Me Out Tonight” could have been choreographed in a way to support her lovely singing voice a little more. Jed Resnick did a sparkling job as the character Mark Cohen, a Jewish filmmaker who most closely resembles the show’s creator Jonathan.
The present tour of Rent is a solid production with a really talented group of young people. I understand the need to keep the pace of a heavy show quick and easy so my only note to musical director Tim Weil and choreographer Marlies Yearby is to let the cast enjoy their applause a little more between each number, let the end of each song soar a few seconds longer, Jonathan would have wanted it that way since he never got to hear all that applause himself.
