When asked about his plans for the future, Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent, answered with a quiet confidence, "I'm going to change the face of musical theatre."
Many would say he did. While the concept of the "rock opera" had already begun to take hold and gain popularity, Larson put forth a no-holds-barred version of in-your-face realism with Rent. Rent portrayed life as he knew it - the hardscrabble existence of young artists who lived and loved in the face of AIDS, drugs, homosexuality, alienation from their parents, and utter poverty.
Are this bohemian lifestyle and its repercussions a product of rebellious choices? Perhaps, but in this and all future worlds, youthful rebellion and angst is here to stay. Proof? The show is becoming dated in many ways - no one uses answering machines anymore - and yet, young patrons, older patrons with a touch of "bohemia" still in their veins, and lovers of excellent music continue to flock to Rent.
Brett Aiken and Summer Masuda as Roger and Mimi
At the Mesa Encore Theatre's opening night performance at the Mesa Arts Center, it was clear that this was an audience thirsting for the defiance and exuberance of Rent. When Nearly Naked Theatre put on its excellent production of Rent a few months ago, the hip and edgy crowd was predictably enthusiastic. But here - on Mesa's quiet, spotless Main Street, with the buildings almost all darkened by early evening - the Nesbitt-Elliott Playhouse felt like a throbbing, pulsating oasis of reality and raw honesty, finally unleashed and long overdue.
New York-based director Phillip Fazio, who directed previous Mesa Encore Theatre productions of The Last Five Years and Cabaret, provides meticulous direction here. The stationary set, made from scaffolding and decorated with street signs and license plates, is cleverly used. A five-member band, led by music director Debra Jo Davey, is present in the back left corner, and provides flawless, heart-pumping instrumentation. Larson's gorgeous music easily fills, even joyously overspills, the small but very comfortable theatre, whose slope guarantees an excellent view from any seat.
The crowd responded with explosive support throughout, but the company's energy was highest in the exhilarating first act. The vocals in ensemble numbers are virtually perfect. Upbeat songs like the opening "Rent" and "La Vie Boheme" are lively and passionate, while "Support Group" is wistful and reflective. Some challenging solo numbers were a vocal stretch - the demanding music can be difficult for young voices, and a voice teacher's admonition from my youth ran through my mind at one point: "Don't try to be a hero."
Highlight performances include Damon Bolling, previously seen in the Nearly Naked production as Collins, and Lucas Coatney as Angel. While not as ethereal as other incarnations of Angel, Coatney is larger than life and exudes an appealing down-to-earth warmth. The duet "I'll Cover You" between Bolling and Coatney (both Equity actors donating their time to participate in this production) is radiant and joyous, making the loss of Angel's strong positive force in the second act very deeply felt.
Roger and Mark are competently played by Brett Aiken and Edgar Torrens respectively. Aiken's voice is clear and resonant. His extensive vocal training is as evident as his minimal training on the guitar - his grimaces of frustration after each attempt to play are well warranted. Torrens, for some reason slightly reminiscent of Jon Lovitz with his shock of yellow hair, is a personable commentator and observer. His Mark spends the entire show filming a video, which is played at the end - but, unfortunately, is obscured from much of the audience's sight by the cast standing in front of it.
Summer Masuda's exotic dancer, Mimi, is appropriately fetching. Her slender form also helps her to appear suitably waifish in the second act, when Mimi is wracked by disease and hard living. Her physical electricity in "Out Tonight" evoked so many catcalls and cheers from the crowd that one could almost overlook the clear overstraining on the vocals.
Meanwhile, Jenn Jackson's Joanne is vocally perfect, and her girlfriend Maureen, played here by a high-strung, nervously edgy Cassie Davis, isn't far behind. Her "Over the Moon" is the five-minute hilarious opera that it is intended to be. And speaking of hilarious, this is probably one of the few productions of Rent where it is truly too bad that "Mark's Mom" doesn't have a larger role in the show. Shelley Trujillo is a scene stealer in her several pop-ups as Mark's mother, leaving messages on his answering machine that are doomed never to be returned.
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"Rent" runs through November 22 at the Mesa Arts Center
Rent offers something to people on both ends of the spectrum - those with a thirst for realism and those who long for escapism. How many of us (especially in squeaky-clean Mesa) live the kind of lives depicted in Rent? We go to school or day jobs, pay rent, go home and do it all over again. It provides us with an escape from suburban life - we can join young artists living on the edge of society, and indulge ourselves in the romance of that existence. We can smile at that moment in time when, as young adults, we have the opportunity to live a wilder lifestyle, knowing that its inherent impracticality renders it a fleeting phase that very few of us can, or would want to, hold onto for an entire lifetime.
At the same time, the show also offers an unapologetic look at certain realities of young life that musical theatre never addressed in such a blunt fashion. While the young protagonists may cling to the ideals of artistry and communal life, at the same time the wolf is always just outside the door. AIDS runs rampant in the community Larson depicts, and there is nothing picturesque or poetic about the details of its devastating assault. It is a part of real life, a terrible tragic part, but, like any terror that afflicts a population, it does bring out some of the most beautiful aspects of the human spirit - namely, the ability to find strength in the face of the unthinkable through constant acts of love, kindness and faith. If true reality were always whitewashed in art, how would we be able to appreciate the astonishing capacity of human endurance?
For this reason, Mesa Encore Theatre is to be applauded for making this production - the inaugural community theatre production of Rent in Mesa - a reality.
Comments
WHAT!?!?!?
WERE YOU WATCHING THE SAME SHOW I WAS WATCHING???
i was at this same performance, & apparently, we had 2 very different experiences. "flawlessly played"?? you HAVE to be joking. i am a musician & i have played numbers from this show before, and i have seen it 2 other times locally as well as on broadway and the national tour. this was the WORST piece of theater that i have probably ever seen. the lack of direction and connection to ANY part of this script is APPALLING! the band was dreadful! the piano player bailed on ANY part of the score that was too complex, the tempos were ALL over the place & overall TOO SLOW. the performances (mostly due to the inappropriate casting) were dreadful. Mini couldnt keep a rhythem or show an emotion if her life depended on it, Benny looked like a drug dealer & Mark was an overweight, horribly cast, emotion-less disaster. did the director or lighting designer even read this script? the direction was so BAD, i feel so sorry for this cast.
and furthermore, i would like to add that i am not a seasoned critic or anything, and i am not too involved in theater anymore as a performer or crew member....but i do go see A LOT of theater and i still have a lot of friends who work on the productions i see. i knew some of the cast members and i feel bad having to be so hard on the show. but ANYONE with ANY common sense should be able to see that this show was directionless garbage. there was no emotional connection between any of the couples. the acting was terrible and as an audience, i dont see how you could feel ANY emotion for the characters. but who is this lady reviewing this? WHO ARE YOU? A LAWYER WHOS TAKEN VOICE LESSONS? WHO LETS YOU REVIEW THEATER? YOU CLEARLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GOOD THEATER IS IF YOU COULDNT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE MUSIC PROBLEMS IN THIS SHOW OR THE EXTREMELY BAD DIRECTION. AND THE SET MADE IT LOOK LIKE WE WERE IN A JUNK YARD....NOT THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. GET A CLUE LADY! Trash and rusty metal pieces = junk!
Hey rentfan .... your blind , deaf , DUMB . Thats all
and so sorry you couldnt feel the emotion power and chemistry in my cast and in myself .. well try harder next time , FART ... So is it like dark bitter town i have no life so im going try to bring everyone down to my depressed souless level in your world ... ? Ill try and hit gym today k ... HA
and furthermore, i would like to add that i am not a seasoned critic or anything, and i am not too involved in theater anymore as a performer or crew member....but i do go see A LOT of theater and i still have a lot of friends who work on the productions i see. i knew some of the cast members and i feel bad having to be so hard on the show. but ANYONE with ANY common sense should be able to see that this show was directionless garbage. there was no emotional connection between any of the couples. the acting was terrible and as an audience, i dont see how you could feel ANY emotion for the characters. but who is this lady reviewing this? WHO ARE YOU? A LAWYER WHOS TAKEN VOICE LESSONS? WHO LETS YOU REVIEW THEATER? YOU CLEARLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GOOD THEATER IS IF YOU COULDNT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE MUSIC PROBLEMS IN THIS SHOW OR THE EXTREMELY BAD DIRECTION. AND THE SET MADE IT LOOK LIKE WE WERE IN A JUNK YARD....NOT THE STREETS OF NEW YORK. GET A CLUE LADY! Trash and rusty metal pieces = junk!
You know, "Rentfan," everybody has opinions, right? And it's easy to sit behind your anonymity and rant like a jerk .
Theatre is alive. Maybe alive and well. But I'm not so sure about that. I think it's great that there are some media that post reviews. If reviews were more like yours and if they were like yours and had credibility (which you don't), it would be a serious hit to theatre.
And you know what annoys me the most about you? How angry you are and ugly and personal you are in your attacks.
Vive theatre!
rentfan, feel bad you "have to" be so hard on a show with people in the cast you're claiming are your friends? who says you have to? i'm glad you're not a so-called "friend" of mine!
I've made it a point in life not to take opinions from those who cannot capitalize the first words of their sentences, use repeated exclamation points in order to emphasize their vocal strain, cannot spell the word 'rhythm' nor remember the character's names correctly from their supposedly FAVORITE!!!! Showwweewe!!!!!! (It's Mimi not Mini) And as for feeling sorry for the cast; it looked like they were having a lot of fun together so stop trolling about on message boards, forget about all those rejections and lonely nights and start auditioning already. We'd all love to see you up there one night, in fact, I'd be there with bells on.
Rentfan – reality check! Mesa community theater isn’t Broadway and no one is saying it is. These people took time out of their busy lives to make some theater and I didn't hear the sellout crowd complaining during the standing ovation! Why would you grade a community theater show against Broadway quality, picking on people's body types etc.? That's just stupid and mean. I think it's great that someone with writing skills (and you could stand to get some) gives community theaters a break and a chance to shine. They work really hard for no $ and they deserve some positive attention. And, if you really do know people in the show you must have some issues with them. Jealous much? Hate seeing people enjoying their experience? Who knows? Who cares?
Wonderful writing Maile , thank you much for all of your words .
Mark Cohen
The music was often off rhythm with the actors and didn’t sound like any recording I’ve ever heard of the show or any performance I’ve ever seen. I can understand the need for theater advocacy. Every theater needs some support and the effort put into any production needs recognition. But to overlook these and numerous other problems that are NOT subjective is essentially to lie to her readership. I was there, Ms. Hernandez. There was nothing perfect, meticulous or flawless about it.
Art is subjective. One man’s art is another’s pornography. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. So while I agree with ‘rentfan’ 100%, that this production of Larson’s OPUS MAGNUM was hugely flawed, with abysmal direction, appalling lighting, terrible music, dreadful costumes and so much more going wrong than going right, I will also agree that Ms. Hernandez has every right to enjoy it. More disturbing however, is that her credibility as a critic is totally undermined by what is clearly her agenda as a theater advocate. Being at the same performance as she was, I do not know, regardless of whether she “enjoyed” the show or not, how she could use words like “perfect,” “meticulous” and “flawless” to describe what was definitely a very poorly executed production. Actors often stood in extremely poor lighting and several scenes happened in the dark by what was obviously a technical mistake. Sound was all over the place as far as when actors could be heard and or not heard.
Oh Hell NO. Was she paid to write this? Worst production I have ever seen. Just ever.
WOW! That's more feedback than I've ever had (and maybe more than I'll ever get, haha!).
Okay, so. This isn't about me. I opened the door to talk about this show, and was there ever talk! People love and have strong feelings about RENT!
That's why I think it's a great thing that they were doing it in Mesa.
Actors are always learning. Directors, musicians, writers . . . are all always learning.
I appreciate all the comments. Whether I learn from them or not - well, stay tuned, I guess, if you're invested. If not, then that's okay too - thanks for stopping by.
Methinks we have a troll in our midst. Rentfan does remind me of a certain someone who was badmouthing the production from the get-go; I wouldn't be surprised if it is the same person. And they obviously either didn't see the production or already came with an axe to grind. This production of Rent was splendidly directed, had great vocals, clever lighting, a FANTASTIC band, fun choreography, and a simple yet effectively evocative and versatile set. (Get a clue - they are living in a *dive* - it shouldn't look overdone.)
And even more kudos to Mesa Encore Theatre to be able to mount such a huge production on a community theater budget with non-professional actors. Sure, it's not the most polished Rent, but who wants that? This production was gritty and real, yet full of life, love, and realism.
I heartily recommend seeing it to everyone!
And remember, don't feed the trolls. ;-)
I am sad to say that "rentfan" is obviously not. I went to watch RENT this weekend as it is one of my favorite musicals. Nothing you said in any of the three rants was true about the show I saw. For community theatre "AKA all volunteer", it was absolutely amazing. The crowds reaction during and after in the lobby greeting the actors can attest to that. I am sad that someone so disgruntled for some reason has the ability to freely post hateful words towards "friends" in a show that they worked hard for free in. It truly does sound to me like 1. either you hate your friends, 2. you hate local theatre, or 3. you auditioned, but did not make the cut. On any of the aforementioned items, GROW UP! Stop polluting the comments with your trash!
Rentfan obviously needs some love and caring in his/her life--- a very sad and tragic human being. As an appreciative and loyal patron of MET, I can only hope that those associated with this powerful, moving, and superb production of RENT did not take any of those vicious comments to heart. What makes rentfan's words completely without merit is the fact that not one mention was made of even one person or moment worthy of praise. Even the worst production has something to be appreciated and that is praise-worthy. A piece written with comments that are 100% cruel, vindictive and degrading only proves a hidden agenda of some sort, or a need to lash out from a sick need to hurt others. This is not the intent or purpose of this forum, and I'm sad that this sorry piece-of-work called rentfan (what a joke) chose to use it for his/her own poison. You should try journaling. It doesn't hurt other people.
Dude, chill your bones. Your rant on the instrumentation was laughable. For someone who has trouble seeing and spelling words and forming sentences that are right in front of his face, you sure do have a critical ear. Why don't you sit and read your post outloud to yourself and leave another review on how stupid and horrible your writing sounds. Get a life, douche!
Ouch dude ...
I don't usually comment on these sorts of things. I write a column for "The Birmingham News" in Hoover, Alabama. Generally, I get to see a lot of shows on opening night or ahead of schedule. I've seen our local theatre company put on 'Rent' at least twice. I've seen it performed in New York at it's original venue. And recently, while visiting family in Chandler, AZ, I caught Mesa Encore Theatre's version. I have to admit, the production lacked the budget and set design that I've seen elsewhere. The venue was hardly conducive to an ostentatious experience. But I have to admit, I felt a real sympathy for the characters. The actors (with small exception) were honest and emotional. I left feeling more attached to the production that I had at other venues. Lead Edgar Torrens was a particular delight. This crew doesn't pander to the audience but invites us along to experience the understated depth of human experience for ourselves. Well done Mesa Encore Theatre!
Todd Molenberg ? ... Either way . Really , who are you ? Gimmy a brake . Save the space for someone who has something real to say .
I get something different out of this powerful show every time I see it. Last weekend was no exception. I disagree that the show was poorly executed. If anything stood out as a weakness, it was some of the solo voices, as the above article does point out several times. I also agree with the article that some energy was lost in the second act. However, overall the strengths of the show outweighed the weaknesses by far. The acting and directing were inventive and original. For example, I really liked Benny. It was a different interpretation, and I thought it worked and he was very funny. As for the instrumentation, not only did I not see anything wrong with the band, I thought the band sounded excellent. That was my first observation at intermission.
If this renders me less sophisticated than rentfan below, I suppose I will have to live with that. I believe I can.
I was at opening night of MET's Rent. I guess the immediate and enthusiastic standing ovation was just for politeness? Sorry, I don't buy it. CindyC and Rentfan either weren't there or were blinded by their preconceived biases to honestly witness good art. Congrats, MET - you have a real winner!
Just so I’m clear; everyone who likes this production is “right” and everyone who doesn’t like it is “wrong?” Excellent. Glad you all sound as ridiculous as you say ‘rentfan’ does. I’m allowed to not like this production. You’re all allowed to like it. My comment was on the shockingly biased & inaccurate review Ms. Hernandez gave this production. In the first 15 minutes I saw the lights stay on when the power was supposed to go out, I saw two phone calls happen in the dark and at LEAST twice (but probably more) the actors were singing long before their microphones we turned on. Ms. Hernandez’s words were “perfect” & “flawless.” A standing ovation can be given to a flawed show. I’ve seen that A LOT in Arizona. I stood up because I didn’t want to seem like a “b”. And maybe it was cowardly but it was also “polite.” I’m woman enough to admit that, but no one here seems able to admit that this show was far far far from “flawless.” I’m allowed to voice my opinion on this (continued)
forum because it has been given to anyone, not just people who liked the show. I paid my $27.50 and I’m allowed to wonder why actors stood in the dark and why I hated the costumes (Angel’s especially) and how come the music sounded terrible to me. I say it was bad. You say it was good. But Ms. Hernandez said it was perfect. And you stand by that because it’s what you want to hear.
To CC- I was fortunate to have been invited to see Rent last night. The technical difficulties that you ranted about have all been solved, including: light and sound cues, Angel's costumes, band and singer monitoring, sound effects- basically, I saw and heard a flawless show--- in terms of technical issues. I could mention that maybe some performances were strong, and some were stronger, but you only seemed interested in the technical aspects of the production. Well, MET and the MAC have fixed them all, and I would bet that they were fixed by last Saturday! I believe that Ms. Hernandez had the intelligence to look past technical issues of an opening night to appreciate the actual performance of the actors and musicians, and the vision of a brilliant director. Have a nice day.
Just a cursory check, but nobody here (besides the reviewer) said the show was flawless. The show obviously had technical glitches on opening night. (most of which were worked out after that night) If you had such a hard time getting past them to be able to enjoy the show, maybe you should come see it again? Most other people were evidently able to get past the flaws, unless you truly think it was a mass ovation with enthusiastic applause just to be polite.
Also, nobody ever said you weren't allowed to do anything. Go for it, have an opinion, knock yourself out. But it's silly to claim victim-hood of not being 'allowed' to express yourself, when you obviously are and are just being disagreed with and find yourself in the minority.
To CC- I was fortunate to have been invited to see Rent last night. The technical difficulties that you ranted about have all been solved, including: light and sound cues, Angel's costumes, band and singer monitoring, sound effects- basically, I saw and heard a flawless show--- in terms of technical issues. I could mention that maybe some performances were strong, and some were stronger, but you only seemed interested in the technical aspects of the production. Well, MET and the MAC have fixed them all, and I would bet that they were fixed by last Saturday! I believe that Ms. Hernandez had the intelligence to look past technical issues of an opening night to appreciate the actual performance of the actors and musicians, and the vision of a brilliant director. Have a nice day.
To CC- I was fortunate to have been invited to see Rent last night. The technical difficulties that you ranted about have all been solved, including: light and sound cues, Angel's costumes, band and singer monitoring, sound effects- basically, I saw and heard a flawless show--- in terms of technical issues. I could mention that maybe some performances were strong, and some were stronger, but you only seemed interested in the technical aspects of the production. Well, MET and the MAC have fixed them all, and I would bet that they were fixed by last Saturday! I believe that Ms. Hernandez had the intelligence to look past technical issues of an opening night to appreciate the actual performance of the actors and musicians, and the vision of a brilliant director. Have a nice day.
Rentfan obviously needs some love and caring in his/her life--- a very sad and tragic human being. As an appreciative and loyal patron of MET, I can only hope that those associated with this powerful, moving, and superb production of RENT did not take any of those vicious comments to heart. What makes rentfan's words completely without merit is the fact that not one mention was made of even one person or moment worthy of praise. Even the worst production has something to be appreciated and that is praise-worthy. A piece written with comments that are 100% cruel, vindictive and degrading only proves a hidden agenda of some sort, or a need to lash out from a sick need to hurt others. This is not the intent or purpose of this forum, and I'm sad that this sorry piece-of-work called rentfan (what a joke) chose to use it for his/her own poison. You should try journaling. It doesn't hurt other people.
I ended up seeing this production twice during the run. Including these two times, I've seen various productions of this show over a dozen times. While it was not on the same level as a Broadway show, it was done well for a small community theatre. One thing that surprised me was that the show was not the same. I'm not talking the energy, but the actual music. The keyboard player was the same woman but I swear she played different things. She wasn't on beat with the band and left the actors with no accompaniment. Doesn't she have the music in front of her? They should have hired a new musician. I wasn't a fan of Cassie Davis as Maureen, but the rest of the cast was good. I thought the ensemble was great as a whole and the lighting, set and costumes were really good. Especially when you consider that they are a small budget, volunteer run group. Good job to the Rent cast and crew! Don't let reviews and comments bring you down. For every negative opinion, there's at least one fan!
Looks like Cindy C was your worst enemy, Maile. I guess you were too kind to the show. I wasn't there, and I hated RENT at Gammage, thought it was self-conscious and puerile, though I couldn't hear the singing because of those horrible microphones that emit strident and still incomprehensible sound.
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