“Deeply emotionally invested in his role, Harry Targett delivered the musician/composer Roger with such connection that he became the conduit through which we entered the show. His was the soul of the production”
Kate Stratford
4 Stars
Venue; Joan Sutherland Theatre
Sydney Opera House
Dates: Until November 1st.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a composer in possession of a great opera has not truly achieved success until the work is used as source material years later by another composer. Thus one hundred years after Puccini’s La Bohème premiered in Turin, Jonathan Larson’s Rent debuted in New York. Thirty years later, does Rent still have something to offer?
Well, like its origin, yes it does. Beyond their narrative parallels, La Bohème and Rent share character archetypes, a central theme of bohemian life and poverty, and musical elements such as the use of recitative to depict dialogue. Both works feature a group of struggling artists facing love, loss, and illness in cold, uninhabitable apartments, with Rent directly referencing La Bohème’s events and dialogue within its modern setting. Rent certainly had gritty things to say about the AIDS epidemic, poverty and the cruelty of the American Dream (Act 2, What You Own). Thirty years on, the destructive effects of poverty, addiction and unaffordable housing in a rapacious world which worships billionaires remains tragically relevant.
What this production could have done with, however, was a bit of a refresh. It feels very much like the original production and whilst for sentimentalists that is a nostalgic (desirable?) trip, pushing the creative boundaries even more would have made for a punchier, more profound commentary on life in 2025. Especially for those of us appalled as we watch America at a distance. Shaun Rennie (director) surprisingly has opted for some very safe choices in staging and vision, leaving a sense of missed opportunities. Must the cast always line-up to sing “Seasons of Love”? After all, the first question we always ask with a revival or new work is “Why this play? Why now?”
Deeply emotionally invested in his role, Harry Targett delivered the musician/composer Roger with such connection that he became the conduit through which we entered the show. His was the soul of the production, a performance containing little gems of acting choices; tense muscles of indecision, the despair of longing, a voice cracking at Mimi’s near death. In the very niche career choice of protest-performance-artist Maureen, Calista Nelmes brought humour, authenticity and the house down. There were some powerful moments from the ensemble. Mark (Henry Rollo), an aspiring filmmaker, documents the lives of the city’s homeless and disenfranchised, often without their explicit consent, which brings him into conflict with those he is filming. Accused of profiting from misery by filming the poor and desperate, and despite Angel’s (Jesse Dutlow) compassion and humanity, Mark fails to make a real connection to community. Dutlow’s Angel was both a grounding and ethereal presence. Post the “candle scene” Kristin Paulse’s Mimi made an impressive entrance as an “adult dancer”. Paulse’s otherwise impressive range is hampered by a strident, nasal quality in the highest parts of her voice suggesting a struggle with register transitions. Or it could be that she, like a few others in the cast, have fallen foul of what I call the Disney-voice syndrome (or sacrificing the passaggio for belting).
The audience had a lovely time. And as a treat on the opening night, many of the original Australian cast made a guest appearance at curtain call. There were plenty of good feels and a strong sense of chosen family and memory lane.
Nostalgia abounds.
4 stars
Kate Stratford, Theatre Now
