The managers of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, in the midst of financial problems, wisely chose a sure-fire musical for this season, the 1993 Pulitzer and Tony award winner by Jonathan Larson, Rent.
Early fans of this crowd-pleaser were called Rent-Heads, and judging by the rapturous response to the Ashland production, Rent-Heads are still among us. At intermission I heard an excited couple telling friends, “It’s just like the original Broadway production!”
I didn’t see the Broadway show, but the acting in this one, as guided by director Tiffany Nichole Greene, is so impressive that I can’t imagine a better cast. Every actor can sing and dance like a star, and eventually they break your heart.
When Rent first opened in New York I was skeptical. Did the world really need a rock musical inspired by Puccini’s opera, La Bohème? Wasn’t the opera brilliant enough? Well, yes, but great works often inspire new creations that illuminate the important issues of our own time.
The show, set in the 1980s, faces the horrific curse of AIDS. In New York especially, the lethal disease was rapidly killing gays and drug users. Many of the musical’s characters are HIV positive, drug addicts or both. The stripper Mimi, played by the resplendent Daria Pilar Redus, is both, as is her moody boyfriend Roger, portrayed by Ian Ward. Roger is trying to write the most beautiful song in the world before he dies. Z Infante as the affable drag queen, Angel, is one of the most loved characters. The first act runs a bit long, but take a hanky for the second act. After all, it’s based on La Bohème.
