Award-winning Rent wows crowd at ASU's Gammage Auditorium

RENT Review of Opening Night
by Virginia B. Fleishans

By slamming into the issues AIDS and homosexuality, the rock-opera Rent converted a whole generation into show-biz-junkies in 1996. Young people loved it in spite of the overwhelming confusion and near-chaos happening on stage. And, if audience reaction to last night’s opening performance at Gammage, is any indicator, they still do.

When Anthony Rapp took the stage as Mark Cohen, he was greeted by booming applause more like a rock concert than a touring show. The cult-like audience anticipated favorite numbers (“Today 4 U”, “Tango: Maureen”) with the same deafening reaction after the first opening note.

The musical is loosely based in the opera La Bohème. It follows penniless young people in the East Village of New York City in 1990 as they deal with life: love, death, friendship, identity, drugs, AIDS, jealousy, and … rent. The music loudly conveys emotion and depth of feeling well suited to each situation.

Unfortunately, the tempos seemed to be rushed on all but a couple of numbers (“Seasons of Love” and “I‘ll Cover You Reprise”) making it extremely difficult to understand the words. Without subtitles (as in opera), it’s hard to know what’s going on when you can’t figure out what they’re saying.

As a cross-section of the general population, Rent’s characters react to the challenges and tragedies of life at the end of the millennium. When I first saw Rent several years ago, it was hard to follow.

I expected the second time around to clear up my confusion. Unfortunately, I was too distracted by the fast pace and messy set-design and confused by garbled lyrics delivered at the speed of sound. I came away feeling that it was almost a great evening
 
My most memorable character had to be Angel Schunard, a flamboyant transvestite drummer, who falls in love with the stalwart Tom Collins. Her open and generous was refreshing in contrast to the dismal negativity of the rest of the cast.

I was looking forward to her drumming/dancing/enticing Christmas Eve dance number in the warehouse apartment. It was good--but I didn’t find Justin Johnston’s rendition quite as hot as the one I saw a few years ago.

The play evoked warm feelings of support and kinship necessary to living in community with others. Despite the depressing subject matter, it left me feeling encouraged and uplifted about the human condition.

At two-plus hours, it makes for a full evening of entertainment. Just be sure that you read the book, rent the movie, or see the stage play more than once if you want to understand the ins and outs of the story line.

Rent runs at ASU Gammage through March 22, 2009 starring Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

Adam Pascal has an album you can listen to called "Blinding Light". It's available at his website or on Itunes.

Anthony Rapp has a book published entitled: "Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and The Musical."