The latest local production of the groundbreaking musical Rent finds its feet even through a bumpy start.
Venue: Artscape Arena - Artscape Theatre Centre
Time: 19:30
Rent is one of the musicals that has changed my life. However the musical ‘Wicked” is my favourite currently .I always get excited for any production of Rent that is done in South Africa.
Because A, I’m a ‘Renthead’ (a superfans of Rent) and B, I love musicals especially when they intersect with social issues.
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Rent tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and who are trying to create a life in New York City's East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The creator Jonathan Larson tragically died before the opening night in 1996. However, his music lives on and the musical has become a theatre staple.
Rent is The Stephan Fourie Theatre Company first and the most successful production. The set design is very accurate and although Rent is being shown in one of the smaller Artscape venues it’s still an emotional production. The cast includes there some of South Africa’s young rising theatre stars.
The cast consists of Dean De Klerk (Mark Cohen), Neil Van Bergen (Roger Davis), Arlin Bantam (Tom Collins), Matthew Kriel (Benny Coffin III), Anzio September (Angel Schunard), Nadine Suliaman (Mimi Marquez), Emily Adair (Maureen Johnson) and Namisa Mdlalose (Joanne Jefferson).
The stars of the show are De Klerk, Bantam, September and Mdlalose. The chemistry between Bantam and September is positively electrifying. Out of all the couples in the musical they are the ones that make you believe in their romance.
De Klerk as Mark Cohen also brought a vibrancy to the character. He is one of the few actors who has a perfect American accent and his portrayal of Mark is everything you want from the character.
Mdlalose is a vocal powerhouse and brings real gravitas to Joanne.
These four performers have a bright future ahead of them and watching and I will definitely be watching them to see what they do next. On the flipside the rest of the cast is serviceable. Suliaman gives enough to be an OK Mimi and Adair as Mimi is fine. However, both lack the amount of sex appeal needed for both characters. Adair especially is very forgettable. It’s not that she’s bad however when playing Idina Menzel one needs to be believable in the role. Kriel also doesn’t leave much of an impression and he is a quarter-tone to a semi-tone flat for most of his signing.
The biggest let down though is Neil Van Bergen as Roger Davis. Roger is supposed to be this 90s rock front man who is a troubled soul and has a voice comprised of both grit and soul. Van Bergen never truly inhabits the character and his presence more that of Idols SA singer that gets kicked out after group rounds.
Look, I can forgive a lot when it comes to stage productions. Things happen and performers are thought to roll with it and keep going like nothing happened. However, being severely off pitch is not OK.
Roger has some of the biggest singing parts in the show and Van Bergen’s inability to hold a tune also throws off his fellow actors. Specifically, his duet with Mimi during the song I Should Tell You. He sang an incorrect voice part throwing Suliaman off. The organiser have told me the an understudy for Roger has been brought in and hopefully he will do a better job than Van Bergen.
Overall, Rent will always be my second favourite musical and the story of the oddball group of artists is still relevant in the 21th Century. If you are a fellow Renthead then watching the show is a must. And for those who just enjoy Season of Love maybe it’s time you get to know the rest of Jonathan Larson’s beautiful music.