WPCNR FRONT ROW LOGE. Theatrical Review by John F. Bailey. August 22, 2010:
A tropical storm pounded the roof of the Westchester Broadway Theatre Sunday evening, but it was no match for the storm of emotions, energy, and passion blasted at the audience like WABC MUSICRADIO last night by the young and “into it” cast of the Theatre’s Rent revival last night.
There are no trendy restaurants on the Avenue B of Rent. What we have is Roger (above), played with haunting, twisted anxiety by Mark Ayesh who deliver anguish like scratched glass (that’s a compliment) trying to write One Song Glory before he dies. His pal, the filmmaker, Mark, played by Andy Kelso, sets the scene for us,with a series of phone calls in song, we learn the mogul who owns the hideous building they live in wants the Rent, one year’s worth.
The company belts into the title-song, with the chorus, “How we gonna pay last year’s rent,” and during the opening title song you have to listen carefully as each of the characters’ problems, (Collins, Benny, Maureen, Mark, Joanne) are explained – it is bittersweet funny— laments and bravado echo against the black brick wall– the wall of the tomb where their living bodies are living in the despair their choices have made. But it’s fun!
Rent, the Best Musical of 1996 Tony Award winner musical/operatta retelling of La Boheme, book, music and lyrics by White Plains High School graduate Jonathan Larson portrays the vivid, colorful, and not so vivid and downright painful world of the creative artists and the down and out of the East Village of the 1960s.
This operetta (every word is sung) drops Mr.and Mrs. Westchester into the world of struggling songwriters, filmmakers, entertainers, and their pals, junkies, pimps, prostitutes and street dealers – sort of a Guys and Dolls of the 90s with a hard edge, and yes their struggle against the establishment. However this is also the story about the toll street life, the night life, the life of poor choices takes in the rough streets of any times.
Ayesh comes into his own with what I felt was the best sung song of the hour and a half first act, One Song Glory, picking away, Roger the former rock star, now dying a little each day, sings,
O
ne song to leave behind
Find one song
One last refrain
Glory
From the pretty boy front Man
Who wasted opportunity
One song
He had the world at his feet
Glory
It is the story of the show, how our own choices when they turn out wrong hurt us forever, but they should not be reasons for society to reject an individual. Each of the tortured people you meet in Rent has a sad sad story to tell but there but for the grace of God go you or I.
Mimi the prostitute, played with power, passion and range with body by Steena Hernandez asks Roger for shelter from the cold. They also do I Should Tell You at the stunning close of the first act, Hernandez steals the show with Ayesh on their duet Light My Candle when she seeks shelter from the cold from Roger who is feeling sorry for himself and throws her out. It is the beginnings of that ill-fated romance. Another gay couple Angel (Justin Senense) and Collins(are another romantic thread and they combine on a sensitive I’ll Cover You
Hernandez at a building party on Christmas Eve, the first act takes over the stage with a sensational Out Tonight,
Let’s go out tonight
I have to go out tonight
You wanna play?
Let’s run away
We won’t be back before it’s Christmas day
Take me out tonight (meow)
When I get a wink from the doorman
Do you know how lucky you’ll be?
That you’re on line with the feline of Avenue B
Maureen, (Sara Ruzicka) another pop singer down on her luck due to a habit, who stole Mark’s girlfriend Joanne is the topic of Tango Maureen as Mark points out to Joanne how Maureen manipulates people:
‘At least I’ll have tangoed at all’
The Tango Maureen
Gotta dance till your diva is through
You pretend to believe her
Cause in the end — you can’t leave her
But the end it will come
Still you have to play dumb
Till you’re glum and you bum
And turn blue
Throughout the first act, the nitty gritty of the East Village (where a Westchester boy like me never went in the 60s) is played out in vignettes of attempted muggings, proprietary power struggles, and the point of these cameos of conflict is to put across this is what people have to do to survive. They should not be looked down on for it, not pitied, but perhaps helped – what a concept! You could easily update it to the day laborer situation today, or foreclosed homeowners.
The first act concludes with a dinner party where Maureen performs a hilarious spoof of the singer Janis Joplin in her spotlight performance, Over the Moon, and all the misfits of Avenue B confront their landlord
The Second Act opens with the famous song Seasons of Love
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear.
525,600 minutes – how do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
The Second Act finds the various lovers despite their flaws and failures come to their respective fates which win the audience over. WPCNR was unable to stay for Act II due to a commitment, but then I cannot tell you how it ends anyway.
Rent is spectacle. Its pace breathless. It’s loud, rocky(some really great signature rock and roll backbeats), sensitive, outrageous and comes at you with raw emotions that really get into your heart, but it is not maudlin or sentimental in any way. Here is a show that confronts you, setting the tone for many of the very unique musicals of today: Next to Normal and Rock of Ages, come to mind. It is not subtle, but like the street life it seeks to portray is in your face, just like the show is.
The choreography (and Direction) by Patricia Wilcox was inventive with singers and choristers leaping and jumping everywhere – by far the most energetic show WBT has staged in some time.
The sound system needs some adjustment because at times the words were hard to discern they were sung so fast and there was distortion. In fact the show comes at you so rapid fire your head spins trying to concentrate. But, this will probably be adjusted.
Jonathan Larson wrote the book, music and lyrics for Rent over eight years, and ironically died just before the show opened Larson also wrote Superbia and tick, tick…BOOM! And songs for Sesame Street.
Rent though, is his One Play Glory.
RENT only plays WBT for one month through September 25, so I suggest you call the box office 914-592-2222, and pick your dates or go to www.broadwaytheatre.com
