Rent

Together for Theatre Productions were back on stage for their first musical production, following on from their concert last year. ‘Rent’ is a challenging musical for any society to produce, especially when it’s your first musical! Lewis Baron, as director, certainly rose to the challenge with this production of ‘Rent’. The set was good, with scaffolding-like staging used. There were newspaper articles plastered on the back wall. This was a good idea, but it would have been great to have them bigger, filling the back wall and making them readable from the audience, which would have made an impact, especially if the articles were about the AIDS pandemic. The band was situated upstage, behind the set. Other items of furniture were brought on and off by the cast and some stage crew, who were costumed similarly to the cast. These scene changes were happening as the action continued, which helped with the pace of the production, which on the whole was good. The use of the stage was good throughout, with different levels used. The staging for ‘Contact’ was imaginative and in-your-face, which was great for this production. For a directorial debut, Lewis has made a good impact, bringing together a great cast and creating a good production.

As musical director, Ben Evans-Clarke led the small band well. They sounded great throughout and were sympathetic to the cast. They were loud and rocky, as they should be for this production, but this did not impact the vocals of the cast.

Choreography was by Alisha Barnett. There were some good choreographic moments throughout the piece. The stylised movement of the ensemble during the opening sequence was good, the in your face movements during ‘Contact’ was inventive, and ‘La Vie Bohème’ was full of life. The tango for ‘Tango Maureen’ was well conceived, but could have been executed better.

The sound balance between band and cast was very good. Everything could be heard clearly. On the whole, the lighting design was good. There could have been more lighting used for when character were on the top level of the staging. There were moments where it felt like a rock concert due to the strong use of lighting and sound, which was perfect for this musical.

Edd Selby played Mark. Edd did well with this part and told Mark’s story well. Edd had a good vocal, and created believable relationships with the other characters. As the narrator, Edd was able to push the story along well.

Matt McGoldrick impressed as Roger. Matt had a great look and was vocally fantastic. His acting through song was very good, and he was able to put across Roger's sensitive side well in his scenes with Verity. Matt also played guitar for some of his songs as well, further making an authentic character.

Mimi was played by Verity McKay. This was a sensitive performance from Verity, as she brought the complexities of Mimi’s character to life. Verity has a nice vocal, and she built a believable on stage relationship with Matt.

As Maureen, Alicia Whittaker gave an uninhibited performance, which was full of life. Alicia had a captivating stage presence, a great vocal and was full of confidence in what she was doing. Alicia gave a standout performance.

Amy Harvey played Joanne. The relationship between Amy and Alicia was fantastic, and Amy was great playing the antithesis of Alicia’s character (they do say opposites attract!). Amy provided some great vocals throughout and was a joy to watch.

Oliver Ball took on the role of Collins. Oliver’s rendition of the reprise of ‘I’ll Cover You’ was well sung and well performed. He was able to display the emotion without it affecting his vocal. This was a good performance from Oliver.

As Angel, Toby Abbott seemed to be having the time of his life! This was a very entertaining performance from Toby. The vocals were good, and the dancing in those heels was very impressive! Toby developed a sweet relationship with Oliver on stage.

Paul Harvey took on the role of Benny. This was a good supporting role from Paul. He commanded the stage with an authoritative presence. The change in character towards the end of the musical was delivered well.

The ensemble impressed throughout. They all created individual characters for the additional roles in the production. The support they had for each other and the principals was apparent, which helped give the production heart. Dawn Lloyd was particularly funny as Mrs Cohen, with a great New York drawl!

Overall, this was a very good production, with some top-notch performances, a great band, and some inventive staging.

Thank you to Together for Theatre Productions for their kind invite. All the best for your next production, ‘A Taste of the West End’, next February.

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