April 20, 2024
It was Christmas Eve in Manhattan's East Village. Musician Roger David and filmmaker Mark Cohen were living together in an old apartment owned by their former roommate Benny Coffin. Roger met a flirtatious club dancer Mimi, who was also a drug addict. Mark's ex, performance artist Maureen, was now hooking up with a lesbian lawyer Joanne. Their professor friend Tom Collins was mugged and nursed back to health by a drag queen Angel.
This rock musical by Jonathan Larson debuted on Broadway in November 1996, on the 100th anniversary of Puccini's "La Boheme" on which it was based. It ran for the next 12 years up to September 2008, making it one of the longest-running shows on the Great White Way. It won 4 Tony Awards, for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Book of a Musical for Larson, and Best Actor in a Featured Role for Wilson Jermaine Heredia (as Angel).
In Manila, "Rent" was first staged in1999 by New Voice Company at the Music Museum, directed by Bobby Garcia. It starred Calvin Millado as Roger, JM Rodriguez as Mark, Michael de Mesa as Tom Collins, Ricci Chan as Angel, Ampy Sietereales as Mimi and Monique Wilson as Maureen. Bituin Escalante was the female soloist in "Seasons of Love." This was named by Gibbs Cadiz as one of the 32 landmark stage productions in Philippine theater history.
"Rent" had been staged by 9 Works Theatrical back in February 2010, also at the RCBC Theater, with Robbie Guevara as director. That version starred Gian Magdangal as Roger and Fredison Lo as Mark. It was so successful that it was restaged it two more times, in December 2010 and February to March 2011. 13 years later, 9 Works (now celebrating its 15th anniversary) brings the iconic show back to RCBC Theater, again with Guevara at the helm.
This current version of Rent featured a young cast, most of whom I had never seen performing live on stage before. Since I did not catch Reb Atadero nor Lance Reblando in the Saturday matinee show I watched, Markki Stroem (who played Benny) is already the best-known veteran of the cast I saw. Jasmine Fitzgerald, whom I've seen in "Passion" before as the glamorous Clara, channeled Idina Menzel here as brazen Maureen.
As Roger, Anthony Rosaldo possessed the look and vocals of a rock band frontman and romantic leading man to Molly Langley's vulnerable Mimi. Their voices, the raspy and the kittenish, blended very well in their duet numbers "Light My Candle" and "Without You". As Mark, Ian Pangilinan was quirky and funny as he held the camera that documented their ordeals as poor struggling artists in the big city grappling with the dreaded HIV.
Garrett Bolden's Tom Collins was strong and dignified, with "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" as his vocal highlight. Angel has always been the most scene-stealing role, and Adrian Lindayag rose to that challenge with his cute drag ensembles while twirling around, one-hand cartwheels and jumping onto tables, all the way to her breath-taking, death-defying final scene stunt, which you really have got to see to believe.
Mio Infante's set was huge and sturdy, three storeys up, so audiences have to look up (or slouch down) to see scenes set up there. The lighting design of Shakira Villa-Symes was especially frenetic in that mesmerizing strobe light show for the song "Contact." The live band does not overpower the singing. There were a number of mic issues, which is understandably difficult to manage perfectly with fifteen actors moving all around, plus a live band.
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RENT is showing from April 19 to June 1, 2024 at the RCBC Plaza Makati. For tickets, head on to Ticket2Me HERE.
The cast I watched: Anthony Rosaldo as Roger, Ian Pangilinan as Mark, Garrett Bolden as Tom Collins, Markki Stroem as Benny, Adrian Lindayag as Angel, Molly Langley as Mimi, Jasmine Fitzgerald as Maureen, Mica Fajardo as Joanne, Guji Lorenzana as Mr. Jefferson, Chesko Rodriguez as Steve, Jordan Andrews as Gordon, Vyen Villanueva as Paul, Misha Fabian as Ally, Kai Banson as Alexi Darling and Abi Sulit as Pam (the awesome "Seasons of Love" female soloist).
The alternate cast members are: Reb Atadero as Mark, Lance Reblando as Angel, Thea Astley as Mimi, Justine Pena as Maureen, Fay Castro as Joanne, Antonio Valdez as Steve.
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