RENT, now playing at the Sydney Opera House.
Right, RENT is a boon because it’s about all the things you love: gays, a trans person (formerly a “transvestite” or “cross dresser”), drug addicts, artists, strippers, lesbians and singing! It’s set in the 90s and tells the story of some gross youths living/squatting in a chic building, which is owned by Tim-o-matic.
Recently, I spoke to Jesse L. Martin, who is dope and plays Tom Collins in both the original Broadway version of RENT and the film adaptation (also starring Idina Menzel from Glee and ‘Frozen 2’, Rosario Dawson from Daredevil the tv show, and Taye Diggs who I absolutely adore in the film adaptation of ‘Chicago’, which also stars legendary Christine Baranski as Mary Sunshine and Queen Latifah’s enormous boobs.)
Jesse and I got to talking about how the show has aged since it first came out in the 90s. And he describes it as almost a fantasy for new audiences – because the AIDs pandemic is, ya know, under control and being gay or trans isn’t as bad as being a drug addict any more. Although, perhaps thats because we’re all one-in-the-same now. And, expanding on that a little, I think in terms of how stories are told now, it’s weird seeing shows that don’t have the internet or smart phones as a plot device or feature.
Jesse goes on to say, in particular, it feels like a fantasy because, for example, “back then, it was a death sentence to have sex. [HIV/AID] was a world-wide panic, and we didn’t know anything about it.” Which does actually feel rather ‘fantastical’… considering how open we are about sex now.
And I think what you’ll notice as you’re watching it is that the themes are still relevant because they’re timeless. Themes like, justice and equality and love. But the world is a different place now than 25 years ago, and how we deal with those themes, and our relationship with them, has changed.
I asked Jesse is he thrilled that the show is still being performed around the world, and he gave the exact answer I was expecting, which is something totally unexpected. He said, “I’m even more thrilled with how young people see it, whether they’re on stage or in the audience. I’m thrilled at how they react to that material.
And I think that music lives, no matter what. So that part of it is timeless – I think it’s the blood of it, the spine and the heart. And how the body forms around it is always kinda interesting.”
So now, let me tell you why the show is Sydney is great. I don’t want to ruin it, so I’ll be purposefully brief/vague.
The first thing you’ll notice is how industrial the set is. And that’s kinda dope.
It’s minimal but used in a way that absolutely enhances the storytelling and the characters and the songs. The moon is… surprisingly atmospheric for what it is, which is not dissimilar from a giant ball lamp.
The singing is so gorgeous. It’s so satisfying to hear beautiful voices live.
And you know what, the actors are running around AND acting AND sometimes dancing and just when you think someone’s going to run out of breath, they don’t. And it’s like, “yeah, get that vibrato. Good from you, man-in-cravat!”
Also, I don’t know why, but I was expecting at least one person to be kinda shit. You know in movie musicals how they cast a few singers and then a few actors who can’t actually sing but they’re famous so they get a free pass (Russell in Les Miserable, Amanda Byrnes in Hairspray, basically everyone in Cats)? Not here. All persons on stage are extremely talented.
I have to give a special shout to Henry’s whistling. Can’t say why I was so thrilled about someone whistling, but it’s impressive. Even the older gentleman next to me was like, “oh, he’s whistling.” Perhaps because we’re conditioned to think only men from the early 1900s can whistle.
The lighting design feels really important. Like, as important as the band, which you probably wouldn’t expect. Something about a warm bulb feels very RENT-ish, ya know? Like, it’s very emblematic of a ragtag group of drugs addicts and sexually-fluid squatters.
What else… I love that social distancing means there’s a seat between you and the stranger next to you. That felt like it’s how we should sit in theaters, but also, navigating the communal armrest is very ‘theater’. Here’s a hot tip though: the bar is closed during intermission to prevent clustering, so it’s better to buy a bottle at the beginning.
In summary (and I’m not just saying this because I know the producer), it was a really, really great experience and I do recommend going. But if you’re thinking, “theater tickets are a luxury that I can ill afford,” then start rehearsing, “Oh, I heard it was great – I was meaning to see it!”
On my gosh – it’s so good. Book tickets now.
RENT closes on 29 January. See it or be square.