When Jonathan Larson began working on an update of the opera La Boheme in the 1980s, he could not have forseen what a phenomenon it would become. Sadly, he was never able to appreciate the masterpiece he had created. He died suddenly aged just 35 on the afternoon of Rent’s first off-Bropadway preview performance. Posthumously it would go on to become a Broadway phenomenon, picking up numerous Tony awards and the Pulitzer Prize among many honours.
Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre is perhaps the ideal space to stage Rent. It’s converted cotton mill setting perfect for the run down apartment block setting which Rent’s alumni inhabit. The action focuses on a disparate array of people. Struggling songwriter Roger who has HIV, aspiring film maker Mark, erotic dancer Mimi, drag queen Angel, avant garde cabaret artist Maureen... the list goes on. They are drawn together in a commune struggling to keep away the property developers who want the squatters evicted to build a new cyber space arts project. So begins a tale of love, longing, loss and hope for a better tomorrow.
Although never producing any hits as such, the main theme ‘Seasons Of Love’ has become a bone fide theatre classic. Jonathan Larson’s rock score is rich in colour – employing rap, gospel, tango and techno. His dialogue is sometimes a little clunky but the tunes certainly make up for that.
Given the limitations of such a small performance space, director Luke Shepherd (of & Juliet fame) has worked wonders along with set and costume designer David Woodhead. The ambience is just shabby enough to suggest the run down nature of the modest environment inhabited by the Renters. Luke Bayer brings a powerful voice to Roger, particularly effective in ‘One Song Glory’. Tom Francis’ Mark still has camp shades of his former role in Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, but manages to win us over with an energetic performance and fine dancing. Maiya Quansah Breed has just the right amount of desperation as Mimi, searching for love and a way out of her twilight prison. Millie O’Connell and Jocasta Almgill are on the nail as eccentric Maureen and lawyer Joanne, complete opposites but attracting each other. Their duet argument ‘Take Me Or Leave Me’ is a highlight of the score. Alex Thomas-Smith as saintly drag queen Angel and Dom Hartley-Harris as Collins offer another relationship perspective. Hartley-Harris’ ‘I’ll Cover You’ at Angel’s funeral is heart wrenching. A special mention too for Michael Ahomka-Lindsay in his first professional role as Benjamin Coffin III, nicely done and a name to watch out for in the future. The seven piece band, by the way, play the hell out of Larson’s score and are worth the entry price alone.
The show was streamed online last year when a Covid lockdown put paid to the 2020 production after just one performance, the piece seems to have grown since that time. Shepherd’s direction able to flesh out the piece with less restrictions, creating a deeper bond between the characters. As much as I enjoyed the online version, this re-mount has raised Hope Mill’s Rent to the next level. Rent remains a vital piece of musical theatre and the Hope Mill cast do its impressive legacy proud.
Rob Cope for Doctor Theatre
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