RENT ONLINE - REVIEW.

This blog was originally made with the purpose of reviewing shows after too many years of seeing shows whenever I could without penning down the memories in a presentable format. And yet, only one has ever been written for it - perhaps it was because live theatre was closed so soon into the year, though I had already managed a few shows in the year of 2020 prior. Perhaps it is because I find a struggle to be difficult. No matter the reasoning however, I find myself here on my laptop where only hours earlier, I was fortunate enough to have watched the Gala Night and the stream itself for ‘RENT’ at Hope Mill Theatre.

An electric show. The very source material and the show poster itself suggests this atmosphere in a fiery and blatant manner, a bright stampede making you listen in, look up. The show poster featuring the featured ensemble cast member Bethany Terry, the electricity is in more than just the sparks on the image, but in the way it captures the casting that is at the heart of this show, They explained in the Gala Night zoom as to the way it felt to see themselves seen on the poster, to be cast as they were, and the way their face shone in that moment of explaining summed up so much of this show. So much of what makes this casting one that had the theatre community in gasps of delight upon announcement. In the midst of everything, that day of casting was sheer bliss for theatre.

So, the show itself was sheer electricity, but what drew me to it in the first place? I have to confess that I have never been someone who truly got into RENT prior to this show, but when all the pieces of it were announced, I knew then that those magic combinations live would be my true introduction to the show. As a fan of the venue and their prior high quality productions, I knew they could grasp the needed style and power of it in an intimate venue, especially after conquering another somewhat similar show in their stunning ‘Spring Awakening’. Then elements of the creative team who had also been part of that for ‘& Juliet’, which still perseveres as my favourite musical since the first Manchester preview. The cast announcement then cemented the need to see it further- though there was the anxiety of COVID throwing a spanner in the works as I would have to travel back to my home of Greater Manchester from my current location away at university.

RENT was going to be my first time back in a theatre since the lockdown began. It was shut-down however soon into the run, only able to complete five shows before the new lockdown in the UK came into place. I was admittedly upset at the fact I would not be able to see the show; hurting further for those who had been involved in the show, whether cast, creative or other. Theatre has been shamefully treated during these times, all those involved in all the elements hurt by this. This was another blow not needed.

But Hope Mill once more proved itself as extraordinary, and Rent Online was lucky enough to be filmed and able to go ahead. So, we circle back to electricity. Because really, that’s what the show was. I was unsure as to how I would personally enjoy the score, but this production of it took me in its grasp and took me on a heart-wrenching journey of fire and virve. The set captured that idea of ‘modern bohemia’ in a sense, emphasised further by the connectivity of the cast sat around the stage throughout nearly all the show, even when not on stage. All the same, despite the knowledge of their situation, sung with such a raw wanting, one could find a home within it- it was their home, the home of the characters, and they drew us into their hearts, stories, and lives. It comes at a time, as beautifully put in the zoom Q&A, in which we find ourselves without contact, lost in new virtual worlds and spaces alone, and our lack of connectivity in person made us ache for it through the wonder of theatre even more so. And...in a way, part of that wanting is because even though our circumstances are both so overlapping and yet so different to the time and crisis of AIDS and the surrounding context of the show then, we still see one of the core messages of RENT that seeps through even in a digital format. It’s name-dropped so evidently in the song that opens the second act. Love. RENT is a story about so much, but fundamentally, it is the love and the importance of that which shines through.

We are introduced into the world of RENT via the literal lens of Mark Cohen, as played by Blake Patrick Anderson. A name I had heard of as through Be More Chill in London, though I never caught the production. Really then, as with a good few of the cast, I knew not what to expect, though I never doubted talent. What we received was a masterful portrayal of the character struggling at the centre of our show. Often witness to the woes of his friends and those around him, yet never just an observer as he goes through his own deep and real journey. Their voice hits raw levels of demand and struggle in the opening song, this only continues to shine throughout. The whole cast had intense vocals throughout, never lacking in their rising wonder.

I was fortunate enough to have caught Jocasta Almgill twice in ‘& Juliet’, which led me to a delight at seeing that she was cast in this production. Though, as mentioned, I was unclear on much of RENT, I was soon caught up in her portrayal of Joanne. A comedic powerhouse that provides uplifting emotion in & Juliet, the character of Joanne was a shift deeply interesting to witness. There was a subtle humour, sharper and sublime in RENT, that was given a well-carried burden of stirring weight in the relationships and moments undergone by Joanne. I mention her in line with the performance of Millie O’Connell as Maureen, as the two stood against one another in a blaze of tension and love with a wound always threatening to break underneath. O’Connell was all brilliance in their way of crafting Maureen, giving a cocky and proud edge of humour without ever going over-the-top that always lit up the stage as they veered into an unsettling damage under the surface that Maureen had.

I first remember catching Maiya Quansah-Breed as Catherine Parr during the SIX UK Tour, and as her once more in the West End, I was able to consider a beautiful growth in her performances, though the first was already so nuanced and fantastic. But to me, it was as Mimi Marquez that she truly lit the stage on fire in a greater light. As someone 19 myself, hearing the words that Mimi was that age made her performance hit in a harder way, and made there an early grief present in the teasing desperation of the character. And it was in the pairing of her Mimi to the Roger Davis so phenomenally portrayed by Tom Francis that gave a whole new layer to both their characters. He was able to weave such an intricate complexity to his character, this tender yet screaming agitation of fear and muse rolled up in close shots. Despite the two characters often skirting a dance of flirtation or trouble with the other, something heavyweight and genuine was captured amongst that, which made their scenes together the highlights of the production.

Angel. As said in the show, a fitting name. Alex-Thomas Smith managed to craft a performance of so many interweaving levels that made the untimely end of their character all the more poignant as we saw all the potential they had. Painted across their face beneath the proud and confident exterior always seemed to be an underlying youth and vulnerability that touched the heart even further. In the as-mentioned Zoom, there was a mention on how casting had a focus on making this RENT for the younger generations, and that their casting reflected that. It did, and it was in the likes of the Angel performance (and so many within), this was affirmed as an incredibly right and important choice. In a show like RENT, where one of my criticisms of it is the sometimes muddled journey and story of it, the chemistry and way actors play against one another is crucial. Through the casting of Dom Hartley-Harris as the character of Tom Collins, we were not failed in this element. Harris held his own as Collins, bringing a levity in his hopes, and a grief in his loss, taking us on a profound yet intimate journey through his grounding of the character.

Ahmed Hamad himself mentioned, of his character Benjamin Coffin, that it was easy to root him as the villain of the story. But in the humane portrayal Hamad presents, and the collective nature of RENT that keeps the actors on stage throughout, by sitting on the side, the character was fleshed deeper out than perhaps normally performed as. This inclusive aspect was mentioned earlier, and was something I tried to look out for in the streaming. But even without this answer beforehand, the level of acting was skilful enough to show the change.

At the centre of it all, flourishing their way into many songs and scenes with a kick, was the quartet who made up the Featured Ensemble. Composed of Isaac Hesketh, Kayla Carter, Allie Daniel, and Bethany Terry, they brought the city of New York to life in a delightful fashion. Whether working together to create the Christmas Bells that provided a darkened yet humorous perspective on the situation they were living, or giving it their all in solo moments of comedy throughout the Voicemail sequences, or fearsome power in their soaring voices in Seasons Of Love, they were all four injecting a bright light and immense skill into this production.

With choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, it was flirtatious, fiery, and full of a rage that left you overwhelmed with a life and angry vivacity. Yet even throughout this spectacle, it created intimate moments of love and tenderness that were all the more beautiful and memorable in our current state. Through the digital screens we were at least able to witness this beauty. There were moments in which hands came so close as they brushed the air in dancing, that were even more noticeable to the eye as we were reminded of our own frequent experiences of that distance in closeness nowadays. All the choreography complemented the rough warmth of the costumes by David Woodhead that captured the hearts of the characters so well- the Wednesday Wardrobe posts by the Hope Mill Twitter are certainly worth a read. On top of all these ingredients and more was of course the breathtaking direction of Luke Sheppard that wove this story into a small and touching venue, utilising the talents of the actors to create the RENT I now love. RENT has a deeper emotional core in the suffering of the characters and their societal backdrop that forms much of their journeys, but Sheppard allows the characters and their personal journeys to be the root of this show, letting the fizz, the beauty, the heartache, and wonder of these characters to make us further reflect on the rest. The band, led in Musical Direction by Katy Richardson, only elevated this further with excellent talent.

Streamed by 'THE UMBRELLA ROOMS', I am so very thankful I was able to experience this production in one way or another. It was a needed night.