Musical 'Rent' sweeps through the metro (pdf file)
The Broadway musical "Rent" opened to a sold out audience at the Civic Center on April 2.
"Rent," the musical tale of young people struggling to survive in New York City in a time of drugs and AIDS, was two and a half hours of pulsating music, performed live onstage by a band, and an unfolding love story amidst all of the chaos of living in poverty.
A favorite character was Angel, played by Justin Rodriguez. Angel was a cross-dressing gay man, and Rodriguez was so convincing as a woman that I didn't know until the second act that "she" was a "he."
The love story at the heart of "Rent" is about Roger and Mimi, played by Kevin Spencer and Krystal L. Washington, respectively.
They meet in the most innocent of ways - during a blackout in their building. Mimi comes to Roger's apartment to have her candle lit.
Their first meeting is followed by one of the most tender ballads of the production, "Light My Candle."
Roger and Mimi have their share of secrets that they keep from each other, which provides much of the plot.
There was plenty of comic relief despite some of the serious nature of the play.
The duet "Tango: Maureen," between Mark, played by David Oliver Cohen, and Joanne, Bridget Anne Mohammed, is a hilarious tune about Maureen, the ex of Mark and the current lover of Joanne.
Joanne is realizing that Maureen may not be entirely faithful.
Mark tells her "I told you so" before they launch into the song about their shared love for the same woman.
One of the most interesting and original aspects of this production was the scarcity of spoken dialogue.
Almost every word was a lyric in one of the songs, and that was how the characters communicated throughout the play.
It was a little difficult to follow the story at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was simple to understand what was going on.
I was forced to pay attention to every thing, so I couldn't zone out on the songs.
I enjoyed the production immensely and would highly recommend to those who missed its run in Oklahoma City to check out "Rent" on DVD.
Although the experience wouldn't be quite the same, it is a musical any theatre buff would not want to miss.
-Ashley Martin
Staff Writer