Rent

The considerable talents and professional expertise of Paul Watson as Director and Designer of this impressive production are inherent to its success. Rent is a marvellous musical, loosely based on La Boheme, but it is quite difficult to stage successfully; though not for Watson, who has now completed his third, very different (but equally successful), version of the show.

The arrowhead stage gives a sense of extra dimension and Watson’s blocking creates a sense of 3D filmic deep focus. It’s cleverly married to panelled shutters at the windows of the top floor apartment, which also double as screens for live action film – the efffect of the filmed sequences as background to live action is so effective that you get lost in the vision and become undecided about which is which. So we have stills, live video feed from Mark’s camera (subjective) and film. The film projection is never used gratuitously, only to inform time and place and sometimes convey what is substextual; a brilliant example is the footage of Roger’s dead girlfriend April. For the first time in any production we understand the depth of his feeling and why he is so afraid to love Mimi – she resembles so closely what he has already lost, and he can’t go through that again. It’s a device, but an inspired choice and it works brilliantly.

But whatever Watson’s designing skills are, coupled with the terrific lighting by Brad Alcock (low key with shafts of light…which some of the actors failed to find – the trick is to move till you feel light and heat on your face), the strength of the show is in the director’s understanding of text and character and the performances he pushes his cast to achieve. Some, though not all, are experienced, but even they concede they have dug really deep to find and give more than they believed they had. The result is a beautifully crafted production that rings with truth in every note and every line.

Douglas Costello is excellent as Roger. There’s an exquisite struggle between resignation and restlessness in his character and he is totally convincing. His powerful rock voice is shown to advantage throughout, but there are also soft, and deliciously moving, moments in songs like ‘Another Day’, where he leans his body weight against Mimi in a breathtaking and moving  act of surrender. He is totally focussed throughout, even when he is only in the background; it’s a compelling performance. Gina Mets makes Mimi a doubly tragic character, because the actress herself is so beautiful physically, and there’s a danger that we might not accept such a presence as a drug addicted AIDS sufferer. However, Mets is so intense, so compellingly tragic, so totally screwed up, that her beauty actually works FOR the role and not against it. “I Should Tell You”, that wonderful confessional duet between Mimi and Roger, has never been more poignant, or carried so much truth.

Jess Barlow is a star, as any of us who have seen her before already know. Charismatic, and with a powerful voice, she made “Over the Moon” both a comic and vocal treat, and we could totally understand why both Joanne and Mark loved her. Watson, rather than having Joanne and Mark as adversaries, plays them empathetically as two people who each loves the same woman….it adds yet another dimension to the relationship, especially with Barlow’s kittenish seductiveness when needed.  She has that magical ability to be completely “in the moment” and make each line sound as though it is the first time she has said it; a gift for any actress. Matt Skinner is a revelation as Mark, whose closest relationship is with his camera. Mark is usually played as an outsider, an observer and recorder of life. In this production he’s a warm but shy introvert, on the edge of living but not quite able to take the last step. It’s a lovely performance.

Jaye Thomas Nelson is strong as Angel, and very effective in the death scene, but for me he was a little too much male drag queen and not enough genderless Angel. I willingly concede though that my (albeit mild) disappointment comes from seeing the quintessesntial Angel just a year ago in Watson’s last outing with the show. There’s no disputing his talent, however. Denise Devlin is a knock-out as Joanne. She is one of the more experienced of the cast and it shows. Her “Take Me or Leave Me” duet is a battle royale between two divas. The tango duet with Mark is quite marvellous, with the bonus of all sexual combinations in the couples dancing, while Venessa Paech’s choreography is excellent throughout and adds another dimension to the production.

I would hesitate to call Joshua McGuane as Collins a casting weakness, but the truth is he’s just too young (at 20) to be convincing in the role, and his voice is still developing. Nevertheless he is charming as Collins and a few more years and productions under his belt will make him an exciting prospect in any role in the future. Adam Stafford gives a nicely rounded three dimensional portrayal of Benny, making him more of an opportunist than a ratbag. Brad Treloar has assembled a fine band, but the volume levels need to be turned down half a notch so that the singers can be heard. This is not a show where the band should swamp the lyrics. The ensemble were uniformly terrific throughout.

If this is to be Watson’s swansong with Rent, then it’s a fitting one. It doesn’t surpass his extraordinary production last year, but nor does it suffer from comparisons. It is quite simply excellent musical theatre, and anyone who sees it will not be disappointed.

Coral Drouyn

More reading and details - Coral's preview of Rent