Rent
Information
- Date
- 3rd November 2016
- Society
- Brentwood Operatic Society Youth Theatrical Group
- Venue
- Brentwood Theatre
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Gaynor Wilson, assisted by James Wilson
- Musical Director
- Andy Prideaux
- Choreographer
- Katie Lawrence
It is almost 6 years since I saw my first BOSSY show and it is remarkable to see how the youngsters that were in that first show have blossomed and developed their performing skills. Tackling Rent was a brave decision. I know that this show is extremely popular with the younger audiences but it is relenting doom and gloom for those of us who prefer their musicals a bit more light and fluffy! I have not seen the show before but I had been warned that it didn’t have much in the way of comedy moments so I was a bit wary of what I might see.
Despite the content the cast, on both nights, produced some outstanding performances and they clearly relished being in the production. Due to an abundance of strong female performers, BOSSY usually has two casts for the leading lady’s roles, which is why I like to see both casts performing. The males are in shorter supply and they did all performances. That alone is a difficult situation to be in, because it is inevitable that each actor plays their role slightly differently and, for the males, this makes the performances slightly different. So, full credit to all of them for a well-paced performance on both nights.
On the first night, the female leads were played by Lydia Abbotts (Mimi) Jodie Tarrant (Joanne Jefferson) and Ellie Rickenbach (Maureen Johnson). On the second night, the same parts were played by Francesca Green (Mimi) Ellie Lovelace (Joanne) and Maisie Threadgold-Smith (Maureen). All six girls produced strong performances and each brought a slightly different appeal to the character. Francesca’s Mimi was more vulnerable but Lydia’s performance highlighted the sexiness of the part. Jodie’s version of Joanne was strong and forceful, whereas Ellie Lovelace’s version was more thoughtful and caring. Ellie Rickenbach’s Maureen was completely wacky and brought out the kookiness that I think the author wanted from the part. Maisie’s version of Maureen was strong and independent.
Joe Folley played Mark, the rather down-trodden film maker, well, with an apologetic attitude that perfectly fitted the character. Dan Pugh played the angst-ridden Roger extremely well, quite a different character from the last time I saw him perform, but very well portrayed. Sam Leader played Tom Collins, his performance throughout was excellent, particularly in the death scene. Rob Hill played Angel, an extremely difficult part to play for any young man, he made a very believable female, bringing the empathy of the character to life beautifully.
There are lot more named parts and space prevents me from mentioning all of them in this large cast. Michael Percival played Benjamin Coffin III very creditably and Tomi Bello’s cameo as Alexi Darling was excellent. The rest all performed well, tying the production together and making sense of a very complicated storyline.
The singing, from everyone, was simply outstanding, there were some excellent harmonies and the sound overall was well balanced. The costumes were modern day so there isn’t a great deal to be commented on, but I did like Angel’s costumes particularly.
The standing set was very well designed and used to provide different aspects to the show. The band, who were hidden away across two areas of the stage, performed well and supported the singers, allowing us to hear the songs to their best.
Overall another outstanding production from BOSSY, unfortunately they are losing a lot of their senior performers who are off to Uni, College etc. So, the cycle starts over!
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