Theatre Review: Rent

We're pleased to welcome our new writer StageDoor to the Pop Culture Beast family. He'll be doing a lot of Theatre coverage. Theatre is a part of Pop Culture that has been sorely missing from PCB so I'm really glad we are able to have someone with a lot of knowledge join the team to bring us some great coverage.

This is his first review for us. He was able to attend the opening night of Rent at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

His review is under the Rawr! Remember, those of you in the area, tickets for the show are available now by visiting ocpac.org. Rent runs now through October 25.

Without further ado, click the Rawr! for StageDoor's full review.


With the recessionary times the US is currently facing, the theater world, just like other businesses, have been heavily affected by the change in consumer’s conservative choices. Theater goers have become cautious with their money using popularity more than storyline to play the heavy factor in their decision process rather than the storyline and artistic value of the piece. However, one show in particular managed to stand ground against the somewhat poignant status quo our country is in and on top of the fundamental challenges that musical theater already faces such as critics and general public favor. Since its debut in 1996, the show RENT has managed to capture audiences of every generation, speaking in a tone that is constantly relevant in the trials and tribulations that are always a general aspect of any person’s everyday life.

Set in the 90’s culture of New York city’s rock bohemian artisan community in the East Village, RENT tells the story of a group of artists whose relationships intertwine and develop as they live and fight to maintain a roof over their heads and struggle to maintain normalcy. With love triangles, friendships, personal discovery and the AIDS epidemic as the threads; the cast of characters, albeit sometimes over righteous in their personas, pull the threads of this well woven story together which design an amazing and real experience about diversity and the complicated grunge lifestyle of these inhabitants in New York city.

RENT started its reunion tour almost a year ago and is making its way around the US and other parts of the globe. Three of the shows original Broadway cast members have joined the touring cast to reprise their career defining roles. Anthony Rapp, who originated one of the title lead roles, Mark Cohen, returns to the show with the verve and charisma that initially defined what the character over a decade ago. His performance still resounds with an enormous level of energy, youth and angst that he was applauded for in initial reviews. It seems that his time away from the show amplified his need and passion for recreating his character night after night which is apparent on stage with his amazing delivery choices and commitment. Anthony’s return to the musical has RENT-heads, the cult of die-hard fans, ecstatic. Almost anyone who has seen the show or even heard of RENT can attest to the fact Anthony has managed to single-handedly dominate the character Mark, making it impossible for any other actor to step in wear the staple stripe scarf.

The other lead, and counterpart to Rapp’s character, Roger Davis, is also being reprised by its original cast member and creator, Adam Pascal. It’s well known that it was the role of Roger in RENT that set his star up high among musical performers. The rock and roll voice required to fill Roger’s shoes resonated louder and full in his latest performance. Just like recognizing the sound of a pop star, Adam has once again stepped up to the plate of making Roger his and owning every challenge assigned the character. The only idiosyncrasy in his reprisal could be blamed on the natural toll of growing up, which means, like most rock stars, the sound of his voice comes out a bit rougher and strained during certain rock riffs in his songs. At those points in the show, his voice almost takes away the youthfulness of the character and breaks the viewer’s belief/connection to his portrayal. However, Adam commits each time and is an absolute sight to be seen.

The last original member to return to the show (and on a personal note probably my favorite defining piece for RENT) is Gwen Stewart. It is amazing to see this songstress take stage again to reprise her role among the ensemble. RENT itself is a strong ensemble piece and having Gwen join the touring company truly made it complete. Her versatility among playing Mrs. Jefferson and array of the other characters is inspiring and entertaining. If there is one item in the musical that has managed to become not only the indispensable staple of the show but a major performance piece/phenomenon, that would be the song, Seasons of Love. For anyone who has heard the piece, the climax of the song is owned and delivered by Gwen’s amazing falsetto and riff that only a marvelously talent such as Gwen could perform.

The touring company is astonishing in this performance and providing fulfillment moment after moment throughout the show. Many of the new cast members, such as Justin Johnston (Angel Schunard), Haneefah Wood (Joanne Jefferson), Nicolette Hart (Maureen Johnson), all of whom performed on the Broadway production of RENT, are bringing their amazing credited histories and talents to this production. Newcomers, such as Lexi Lawson (Mimi Marquez), are also bringing a fresh perspective to these iconic roles.

All in all, RENT is once again waking up theaters all over the US in a manner that is relevant and required for the times. With this multi-talented ensemble carrying the weight of a demanding show, we can only hope that audiences, both liberal and conservative, give RENT the opportunity to share its amazing message of change through unity and community through acceptance and friendship.

Tickets are now available for the remaining shows of Rent at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.