by Alan
R. Hall
January 21, 2009, Durham, NC: Rent
opened the new series “SunTrust Broadway Series” at Durham’s
latest theatrical venue, the Durham
Performing Arts Center
(DPAC). The Broadway Tour of this performance includes the two
men who opened the show on Broadway, Adam
Pascal
as Roger Davis and Anthony
Rapp
as his roommate, Mark Cohen. The two lead a powerhouse of a cast
through a two-and-a-half hour extravaganza of music, dance, and
theater, as this update of the opera La Bohème blasts off the stage and sears itself into your consciousness.
The word “raw” comes to mind when viewing the set
or anything else about this work. It is the early 1990s in New
York City, and AIDS and AZT are a part of the landscape. Fifteen
young artists are at work in Alphabet City, but drugs and AIDS
and hunger and poverty form the backdrop. Stage right, the band
is ensconced in a loft; stage left, a huge articulated metal
construct forms a tree, an alley, an array of Christmas lights,
and a visual image of the cacophony of the city. This is the
big city, in a set designed by Paul Clay; and alleys and bricks
are just about all these denizens will ever know.
Pascal and Rapp lead off with the title song in a high-powered
duet that sets the tone for the show. The relationships come
fast and thick; if you have an idea of them beforehand, you fare
better. First comes Benny, or Benjamin Coffin III (Jacques C.
Smith), who was once a roommate of Roger and Mark, but is now
their landlord. He has also dated a young woman named Mimi (Lexi
Lawson), who soon comes to meet Roger in a sweet duet titled “Light
My Candle.”
Mark, on the other hand, has been dating a performance artist
named Maureen (Nicolette Hart), who is now having a lesbian affair
with Joanne (Haneefah Wood), who is also acting as her manager.
Also a once-roommate of the guys is Tom Collins (Michael
McElroy),
who has just been adopted by and endeared to a young transvestite
named Angel (Justin Johnston).
These are the main characters; but a cast of seven more, including
Gwen Stewart, another original Broadway cast member, continue
to knock us dead with energy and power. Leads there may be, but Rent runs
far beyond its characters. Music, dance, theater, and language
all combine to blow the audience away, time after time.
After Mimi and Roger meet, she turns it all loose on the crowd
with a sexy “Take Me Out” that would have enervated
any other actress. Hot dance and stunning lyrics make
this a showstopper. The entire company follows in a quartet of
tunes that move the story along, starting with Mimi and Roger
in “Another Day” and lighting the streets with “Will
I?/On the Street” and closing with Collins’ pipe
dream of getting out, “Santa Fe.” Act I concludes
with the street performance of Maureen, “Over the Moon,” and
wraps up with “La Vie Bohème” as an Act I
zinger!
Director Michael Greif divides the play by showing us Christmas
in Act I, and by taking us through a year in the life in Act
II. “Seasons of Love” is a lovely ballad sung in
lineup by all 15 cast members, marking a stark contrast to the
raw power of Act I.
Mimi and Roger fight through the year (“Without You”),
as do Joanne and Maureen (“Take Me or Leave Me”).
Roger leaves, changes his mind, returns, and finally can write
the one song he’s been trying to write the whole show, “Your
Eyes.” It combines with the finale to leave us standing
and cheering.
Rent is not for the timid. There are far too many adult
themes, and the music is loud and mean. But this is a fantastic
show and a fitting opener for the DPAC’s new SunTrust Broadway
Series. The music is a stunning score, and every voice
is of outstanding caliber, high velocity, and beautifully controlled.
If you are looking for Broadway in the Triangle, I doubt you
will do any better anywhere than with Rent.
