Rent

I had never seen this show before and with Sutton Arts performance of it I was fascinated.  The story, told over a year, was about a young group of people and how they coped with love and loss and how to carry on with life during the HIV / Aids crisis in New York’s East Village.

I’m going to start with the fantastic set.  The set builders did a great job showing different aspects of the squat, where two of the cast lived into a night club.  It gave the impression of how the people were living but determined to succeed.   Costumes were good, with most of them supplied by the cast themselves.  They had certainly researched the era.  The lighting, designed and operated by Going Dark Theatrical was effective on the set.  This was the second night of the run, and I just felt that the sound needed a better balance.  Sometimes the mics were down when the actors were speaking and sometimes the singing was very overpowering.  But saying that the production went down very well with the Sutton Arts audience and did not distract from the actor’s performances.

Speaking of the actors, Emily and Dexter put together a very strong cast.  Leading the cast were Dan McCloskey, the film maker, as Mark and Kit Oliver-Stevens as Roger the musician.  Two budding artists and friends in their own separate lives who shared the squat

and their friends.  They were well supported by Dean James (Tom Collins), and Andy Timmins as Benny.  The Ladies of the piece were played by Prakashini Bailey, Harriet Gordon and Janine Henderson.  A special mention must go out to Paul Atkins as Angel, so well-acted and performed.  The audience loved his portrayal of the character.

The ensemble for the company worked well and gelled well into the piece. Again, they acted and sang well together in some nice harmonies.

Emily and Dexter must be pleased with the outcome of this production and all the cast and crew involved.

Great ending to the season and I look forward to next season commencing in September.

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