Review: RENT at Lake City Playhouse in Coeur d’Alene
RENT delivers
By Sandra Hosking
COEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO—Jan. 13, 2012—Lake City Playhouse’s production of the provocative, award-winning musical RENT by Jonathan Larson was as anticipated as it was debated. But the drama outside was forgotten as the lights dimmed inside the intimate auditorium on opening night and the audience was transported to an industrial New York City loft in a seedy neighborhood during the early 1990s.
The story centers on filmmaker Mark (Todd Kehne) and his musician roommate, Roger (Robby French). The pair has no money, no food, and no way to pay the rent—and neither do their friends. Director Troy Nickerson has assembled an 18-member cast whose voices blend perfectly as they announce they’re not gonna pay rent.
The story is an American tragedy, and you get the sense that you’re watching lost souls who may not be here a year from now. Indeed, many of them have AIDS.
In “One Song Glory,” Roger, who also has the disease, tries to write one last great tune. It is a haunting prayer sung with pathos by French, whose voice throughout the show ranges from explosive power to nearly a whisper.
As the story’s narrator Mark, Kehne also demonstrates strong vocals. Their equally matched harmonies reflect the strength of the characters’ friendship.
It is the relationships and connections between the characters that set this production apart. The onstage chemistry between Roger and his new girlfriend, Mimi (Keyonna Knight), sparks. And the unlikely coupling of a teacher (Ben Sheff) and the drag queen Angel (Dustin L Sorrell) is the strongest relationship of all. While Sheff’s and Sorrell’s vocals are not as spot on as the other leads, their characterizations are. This makes a tragic event in Act II hard to bear and evokes tears from the audience.
Memorable moments include the ensemble’s “Seasons of Love” that asks how you measure a year, which features a gospel-like solo by Alyssa Jordan, as well as Kehne and Christina Coty, as Joanne, singing and dancing the “Tango: Maureen.” French’s farewell to his drug-addicted love, Mimi, is reminiscent of Marius’ goodbye to Eponine in Les Miserables.
Nadine Carr’s rendition of Maureen’s protest performance art, “Over the Moon,” is a comedic monologue, perfectly timed right down to the last triangle ting and moo. Following the protest, the ensemble celebrates life in a café with “La Vie Boheme,” a number that redefines the table dance.
RENT’s sad story is not without humor. “Christmas bells are ringing. Christmas bells are ringing … someplace else,” the chorus sings.
The pacing between the many scenes and timing is excellent, as is the use of the stage. The band, under Zachariah Baker’s music direction, is a part of the set and complements the voices well. Musicians include Jim Ryan on piano, Rob Peterson on bass, and percussionist David Kappus.
Jillian Wylie’s choreography displayed some artful touches, as in “Santa Fe,” a moseying song (sung by Sheff) in which the characters dream of a better life out west. Several female dancers move and bend along with the music like cattails in a breeze.
At times, however, the theatre’s sound system seemed to get in the way of the efforts of the performers, muddling some of their words.
The cast also includes Brendan Brady, Emily Cleveland, Haley Cohen, Alex Eddy, Robert Garcia (as antagonist Benjamin Coffin), Briane Green, Siri Hafso, Kelly Hauenstein, Scott Mackay, and Justin Roney.
The urban set, designed by the theatre’s Executive Artistic Director George Green, features a painted brick backdrop by artist Jamie Murphy, metal pole scaffolding, and clever wall storage for instruments and brightly colored folding chairs.
Overall, RENT lives up to the hype. Despite the pre-show protest of the its adult content by some members of the community in the form of letters to area newspapers, Nickerson and the Playhouse have proved that there even is art when depicting the dark underbelly of society, and problems do not go away of we ignore them.
Moo.
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RENT runs through Jan. 29 at Lake City Playhouse (www.lakecityplayhouse.org).
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Sandra Hosking, M.F.A., is a Spokane-area journalist and teacher. She is editor of InSight for Playwrights, national publication and Co-playwright-in-residence at Spokane Civic Theatre.
