Download Rent - NODA Review

CYGNET PLAYERS
“’RENT”
23 September 2010
Putney Arts Theatre
Stephen Macvicar
Thank you very much for inviting me to Cygnet Players production of Jonathan Larson’s
excellent contemporary musical ‘Rent’ recently at Putney Arts Theatre.
Synopsis
Rent is loosely based on the Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's La bohème, an opera
that focuses on the experiences of bohemian artists living in Paris at the end of the
nineteenth century. Larson places his play in New York City a century later than
Puccini's work. It opens on Christmas Eve and chronicles the characters' lives over the
course of one year. The fast-paced production moves through a collection of vignettes
that are united by a rent strike against the landlord of the run-down tenement where
some of the characters live. During the course of the play, the characters protest the
landlord's plans to evict them and face other obstacles that are more difficult to fight,
including drug addiction, AIDS, and troubled relationships. The characters do not
overcome all their problems, but those that do overcome provide themselves with a
sustaining sense of community and the will to endure.
I remember when I first saw ‘Rent’ at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London and after
about twenty minutes I wondered exactly what I had come to see. Subjects such as
terminal illness, broken relationships, homelessness and poverty were on the menu but
after my early reservations (as I had with Les Miserables), I grew over time to love this
superb piece of musical theatre.
Although I know the many talents that Cygnet Players have and have access to, I was
still slightly concerned about how they would be able to tackle this monster of a show.
Probably more vocally than production wise because it is a real challenge. I have to
say I was very impressed. This Paul Taylor-Mills production was in your face from
minute one and retained energy and attack throughout. This energy and passion is
something I don’t see enough in other amateur productions and I was delighted to
witness it. In his programme notes, Paul refers to drive and commitment from his
company and this was evident in spades. It is the type of show that gets in your blood
and it can’t be produced half-heartedly. Increasingly this type of show is the genre that
modern performers are looking to undertake and hopefully your audiences will become
more contemporary along with you. From what I saw, probably something to do with
the general age of the cast, the audience was largely youthful and hugely enthusiastic.
Putney Arts Theatre was transformed to the bohemia of lower east side New York. A
concoction of stairs, walkways and balconies was a perfect backdrop for the tenements
and offered other playing areas for scenes set elsewhere. Chairs, tables and various
other pieces of furniture and props were brought on an off to depict the apartments,
street scenes and the café etc.
On matters of a technical nature, the Lighting plot was impressive with a vast array of
colours and moods to suit each scene. The Sound was generally fine but I did struggle
to understand the words that were coming from the performer’s mouths. I’m lucky that I
know the score pretty well but I wasn’t sure whether the performers weren’t projecting
properly (behind US accents) or whether the sound balance with the band was not
quick right. Stage Management and the accompanying crew were very professional.
Costumes were good too but I did miss not seeing the proper Tom Collins coat.
The talented band under Musical Director Nick Shaikh was loud but this is a show that
demands the music to be loud. The ensemble singing was excellent with ‘Seasons of
Love’, ‘La Vie Boheme’ and the title song ‘Rent’ amongst the favourites. Solo singing
too was great and I shall mention the main principals later on but I just thought that I
would pay tribute to the support members of the cast who all had their own individual
lines and characters and performed them to a high standard – especially the young
lady with her vocal gymnastics during ‘Seasons of Love’. I enjoyed the choreography
from Jodie-Lee Wilde which had the necessary contemporary essence. As I mentioned
earlier the energy and attack came from the production numbers and whilst these were
suitably lively and upbeat when it was required to be there was also some subtle light
and shade at more tender moments.
Congratulations to the Production Team and the society in general for creating a
fabulous production. Onwards and upwards for this forward thinking and very well run
society as the future looks very bright indeed.
Some familiar faces in the cast were augmented by some less familiar to me and all
contributed to the overall standard. Some of the parts are fairly small so I have only
written a few notes on the main principals who featured significantly, in programme
order;
Roger – Philip Doyle – Roger is a great part for Philip giving him the opportunity to
tackle with his excellent voice some big rock ballads none better then ‘Glory’. His
tortured soul was there for all to see but there were some lighter moments of quality
especially during ‘Light My Candle’.
Benny – Jaco Botha – For me the success of capturing Benny is answering the
question – do I want to punch this guy in the face? And whilst I’m sure Jaco is a lovely
bloke I did actually want to give him a slap.
Mark – Matthew Schouten – I enjoyed Matt’s performance. I thought he captured the
awkward and self-deprecating nature of his character expertly and possesses a voice I
will look forward to hearing again
Tom Collins – James Armstrong – I could easily see that James has stage presence
and talent but Tom Collins is a big part to fill and from purely a personal prospective, I
didn’t think James quite got there
Angel – Arron Johnson – This is a dream role for many people but not everyone. Arron
fitted this character like a glove and excelled in his rendition of ‘Today for You’
Joanne – Amy Skillman – Good, strong vocals were in evidence from Amy and the
scenes with Maureen where the fur flied were memorable – particularly ‘Take Me or
Leave Me’
Maureen – Kate Chesworth – Kate was electric as the feisty and domineering
Maureen. ‘Over the Moon’ certainly captured the audiences attention.
Mimi – Natalie Douglas – There were some very strong performances in this show but
none better that Natalie who was absolutely fantastic as the hugely vulnerable but
sometimes diva, Mimi. Vocally Natalie was top notch and her rendition of ‘Out Tonight’
in that all in one outfit was something else
The souvenir programme was excellent and contained lots of society information as
well as quality photos and biogs of the cast.
Once again thank you for inviting me to Putney Arts Theatre and best wishes for your
2011 productions.
I look forward to seeing you again in the not too distant future.
Kindest Regards
Stephen Macvicar
NODA Rep
London Area 3
[email protected]