"Rent" by Jonathan Larson.

Encore Performing Arts.

May Hall, Trent College, Long Eaton.

I've seen "Rent" performed several times in the past, but this production has several touches that set the production apart. To start with, there's a four minute countdown to the opening with the promotional video of the Pet Shop Boys "New York City Boy". Some of the other personal touches involve the staging of this musical, bringing a fresh feel to what is already an impactful piece of theatre.

Set in the East Village of New York City, "Rent" is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Rent” has become a pop cultural phenomenon. with songs that rock and a story that audiences of all ages can connect with.

Based loosely on Puccini's “La Boheme”, Jonathan Larson's Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble.

Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for financial gains, forgetting the bond with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. The way these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this musical.

Roger is played by Robert Stott-Marshall. Roger is a once successful, now struggling musician who discovered he had HIV/AIDS in a note his girlfriend left him before she took her own life. His main goal in life is to write one great song before he dies, but he has not been able to play his guitar in a year, fearing that he has lost his creative energy. He falls in love with Mimi but is too afraid to commit to her, knowing that she also is infected with HIV/AIDS. He is also the roommate and best friend of Mark.

Robert missed out on being in "Tick Tick Boom" for Encore last year, due to ill health, well on the performance I attended, so it's right that he should play Roger in this show. It goes without saying that this is the kind of musical where every actor has to have a good voice, and they have. Rob's voice is a mix between rock and blues, occasionally letting that guttural growl creep into his voice. I've seen some performances in the past where Roger, or the actor playing Roger can't actually play the guitar, and that's fine, but Rob can play, and that brings even more reality to the character. There's a lot of soul and emotion with Rob's voice, especially in "One Song Glory".

Mark is played by a Paolo Elias, an actor I've followed from his university acting days. Mark is an aspiring filmmaker who narrates the show as he films the lives of his friends. Mark never leaves home without a camera. He is Roger's best friend and caregiver, and he was once Maureen’s boyfriend (who left him for Joanne). Paolo is one of those actors who slips into a character as easy as we slip on a coat. 

Tom Collins is played by Joseph Straw, another actor I know from his university days of Musicality. Tom is a gay computer genius, teacher, and anarchist. In the opening scene he is mugged, reflecting the harsh reality of the world in which the characters live. He is brave enough to allow himself to fall in love with Angel, knowing that since both of them are infected with HIV/AIDS, their relationship will not have much of a future. Tom and Angel’s relationship is the heart of the show, as the genuine love and devotion they have for one another brings hope and inspiration to the entire group. They show the world how to truly live life and not be afraid.

Charlie Greene, yet another former Musicality star of the University of Nottingham, plays Angel, a young drag queen and street percussionist. Angel meets and falls in love with Collins. He has HIV/ AIDS. As a person, Angel is the most generous and selfless character in the show. Angel hands out money to the neighborhood while dressed in Santa drag. Though he has HIV/AIDS, he embraces life and lives it to its fullest. People are naturally drawn to him, and his smile lights up the room. He inspires everyone to live each day to the fullest.

Charlie and Joseph create a very believable chemistry with Tom and Angel, which makes the scenes in the second act emotive and heartfelt. When the two characters duet on "I'll Cover You" you really feel that connection, and Charlie's solo version of the same song in Act Two switches from joy to heartache.

Mimi Marquez is played by Evie Mace. Mimi Marquez works in a strip club and struggles with her addiction to heroin, which has resulted in her contraction of HIV/AIDS. She falls in love with Roger, who is unable to commit to a relationship with her. She is also Benny's ex‐girlfriend. She is extremely sexy, optimistic, and likeable but with dark secrets. Though Mimi has” lived a lot of life,” she still sees the world through the eyes of a young woman. She intends to make the most of every day, as she earnestly expresses in the song “No Day but Today.” Listen out as well for one of several gorgeous duets in this show; "Without You" is sung by Roger and Mimi.

Maureen Johnson is played by Meghan Borg. Maureen is a bisexual performing artist and Mark's ex‐girlfriend. She left Mark to be with her new girlfriend, Joanne. She is sexy, flirtatious, sassy, and funny, all bore out in the song "Tango Maureen". She is bold and speaks her mind, and she is not afraid to take on the establishment and fight for what she believes in. The University of Nottingham's Musicality is such a rich source for talent, and Meghan is yet another from that very talented stable of theatre people.

Joanne is played by Natalie Webster on Wednesday night. Joanne Jefferson is a gay Ivy League educated lawyer and activist. She struggles to not be jealous of Maureen’s flirtatious nature with others. One of my favourite musical theatre duets is "Take Me Or Leave Me" which was performed absolutely perfectly by Meghan and Natalie.

Jake Gelernter plays Benny Coffin III, to give him his full title. Benny used to be Mark and Roger’s roommate, but he married into a rich family involved with real estate, and he is now their landlord. He had been letting Roger and Mark live in the apartment for free, but he is now forcing them to pay rent or be evicted. Roger and Mark consider him a yuppie sell-out. He also had an affair with Mimi before she started to date Roger. While in the beginning he is caught up in the lifestyle of wealth and affluence, he ultimately realizes his friends are more important than what money can buy. 

Jake has done so much local theatre since his Musicality days that it's sometimes hard to keep track on his theatrical past. Whatever role Jake turns his talented hand to, he always gives 110%, and that is no different here. Not only is he a talented actor, but he's a lovely person away from the stage as well. That's probably another reason why he fits in so well at Encore, as the whole cast are an incredible bunch away from the spotlights and greasepaint.

The ensemble is, as you'd expect quite a large one. They consist of Steve Powell, Sascha Cornelius, Natalie Webster, Joe Butler, Matt Charlton, Laura Davey, Jordan Silver, Ewan Waddell, George Lamb, Charlotte Gerlenter, Emily Rose, Cat New, Alice Humphrys, Arden-Caspar Jennison, Rhodri Denton and Amy Parker. What a chorus this group create vocally, as well as playing several roles throughout.

Directed by Matt Powell, and I know that this has been a labour of love for Matt, and that love shows in this production. He is ably assisted in the directing stakes by Abi Stott-Marshall. I really enjoyed the different staging for this production, especially "Seasons Of Love" which started Act Two. Matt is also responsible for the set design as well as the video design, which was partly filmed live and projected onto the back of the stage, giving the production an additional layer. The videography is thanks to Megan Hill.

The Musical Director is A.J. Hill who, with the four piece band, created a real big sound. You don't realise just how many different genres of music make up this soundtrack. There's echoes of jazz, classical, blues, salsa and rock among this intricate soundtrack. The layered harmonies sounded so good, creating a wall of sound that Phil Spector would have been proud of.

The soundtrack is one of my favourites, including the gorgeous and harmonious “Seasons Of Love” as well as “I Should Tell You”, “One Song Glory”, “Cover You”, “Without You”, “Maureen’s Tango” and “Take Me Or Leave Me” being highlights, along with the rousing title song, “Rent”.

Sound is by Matt Haslam. Crystal clear sound, especially with the reverb on the guitar. A nice mix between vocals and the band and only a couple of missed mic cues, but this was opening night, so I can forgive this.

Lighting by David Price. This show is a mixture of, from an audience point of view, simplistic lighting, as in Angel's final scenes and certain scenes for Roger, which look spectacular, and big colourful scenes, like "La Vie Boheme". Both ends of the scale covered to great effect.

Adam Guest is the Producer for this smash hit show; a show that both Adam and Matt have history with.

"Rent" has been entered for the Derby Amateur Theatre Awards this July, and I personally think that Encore have every chance of replicating their 2022 win for "Frankenstein".

Each production Encore stage, they also raise money for relevant charities. This production is no different as they are collecting for a specific LGBTQ+ cause, so please give what you can afford, as every little helps give back to the community.

"Rent" is an intoxicating and hypnotic piece of theatre and is at May Hall in Long Eaton until Saturday 1 June.