New York's gay/artistic community is devastated by AIDS and gentrification. They all find love anyway.
People who should see this show:
People who love Rent. You know you will anyway, no matter if it's good or bad.
And it's both. Ryan Mooney has directed a low-budget version that's fairly true to what we're all familiar with. It's interesting to see the show in a smaller venue, and the band isn't bad. Some effects (Maureen's entrance, for example) are compromised, but otherwise the direction is fine, although it tends to fall apart toward the end ("What You Own" was a badly carried-out pseudo-original version).
Most of the cast is terrific, and the ensemble vocal work is very good.
The problem is the leads. Craig Decarlo has a fine voice, but he seems to think he's on the movie soundtrack rather than in a small theatre. That is, he has memorized every nuance of the original Roger's performance without adding in anything of his own, and he's just not acting. At all. Christine Quintana as Mimi was worse. Much worse. When she first came out and I heard her croak out "Light my Candle", I thought "clearly she's not a singer" -- her one good note was so overpowering her mic couldn't pick it up -- "Well, she'll be a terrific actor, then." By the time it became clear that her acting was only slightly more inspired than DeCarlo's, I decided "her dancing must be phenomenal -- Mimi should be a good dancer. That's why they cast her." Wrong again. "Out Tonight," Mimi's big dance number, was embarrassing to watch. She clearly did not feel comfortable on stage, making the audience feel uncomfortable as well. By the second act, watching the two of them on stage was making me cringe.
Which is a pity, because the ensemble was generally great. Question: why not cast the "Seasons of Love" soloist as Mimi? She was excellent, both as a singer and an actor.
Don't see this if you've never seen Rent before or aren't a fan; you won't enjoy it. If you're hardcore, you've already got tickets. If you're undecided, you might as well go. Plays Until August 30.
Some Highlights:
Jaqueline Breakwall's Maureen: inspired. Well sung, well acted, a joy to watch. "Take me or Leave me" with Jenn Suratos was fantastic
Cesar Erba's Angel: beautiful voice and touching performance
Anton Lipovetsky's Mark: engaging and earnest, with excellent comic timing
Nick Fontaine's Tom Collins: wonderful voice
Cathy Wilmot's solo: Amazing, and her work in small ensemble parts showed she could act as well
Rielle Braid's Alexi Darling: funny, oddly realistic, and a great voice
