UK Theatre Network

Rent

The Customs House, South Shields, Tyne & Wear

From first impressions, a musical that deals with issues including poverty, homelessness, jealousy, betrayal, drug addiction and the AIDS epidemic, doesn’t sound like a whole lot of fun.

‘Rent’ is, more or less, a modern-day take on Puccini’s famous opera La Boheme. Its storyline is rooted in the realities that were the ‘rent riots’ which were the culmination of spiralling rent increases in Alphabet City, New York, during the 1980s.

The plot follows the lives of seven friends, Mark (Jordan Branthwaite), Roger (Jonathan Bell), Mimi (Jade Thirlwall), Collins (James Alexander Hall), Angel (Andrew McKay), Joanne (Amber Glover) and Maureen (Alice Brown), beginning on one Christmas Eve and ending the next.

Despite the fact that director Gareth Hunter has assembled a cast consisting of considerable vocal and acting talent, Jonathan Larson’s script provides slim pickings for them. There is virtually no dialogue, which hampers the actors with characterisation and makes it harder for the audience to follow the plot and place each character into context. The ‘issues’ tackled seem to come straight from a ‘shopping list’, too.

However, the energy and enthusiasm emanating from the stage somehow allowed this reviewer to overcome these shortcomings and almost enjoy the show.

ION Productions have an enviable reputation for producing shows of the highest quality and there is no doubt that Gareth Hunter is a theatrical impresario, but unfortunately, in my opinion, ‘Rent’ is by no means a representation of their finest work.

However, there were yowls of approval from the audience on opening night and, as far as I could tell, only one yelp of dissent. Judging from the standing ovation, ‘Rent’ must be pleasing the majority.

Steve Burbridge.

‘Rent’ runs at The Customs House, South Shields until Saturday 13^th June 2009.