Rent is a piece of American musical history, a gift left behind by creator Jonathan Larson, and the Arden Theatre Company has re-tooled it for Philadelphia. The Arden is an brilliant regional theater known for its consistent quality, and once again they have delivered. This production of Rent features an excellent cast, semi-immersive staging, and impressive effects.
Directed by Terrence Nolan and Steve Pacek, two of the best directors in the region, the Arden’s staging is creative. It’s presented in a thrust stage layout, with couch seating on the three sides of the stage. The couches have you feeling immersed in the 90s New York City apartment setting. Being up close also invites the performers to occasionally interact with the audience. Even further back in the audience you get close to the action, with the number “What You Own” being sung by Mark and Roger from the bleacher seating. With the immersion of the entire space, the stakes feel raised for the struggle of that time and place. They also feature video in groundbreaking ways. The character Mark is a filmmaker and is always filming his surroundings in every production of Rent. At the end of the show, a video projection is shown of the character’s finished film, a montage of his friend group, which is generally pre-recorded. In this production, under the vision of video designer Jorge Cousineau, Mark’s camera isn’t just a prop, he’s actually filming throughout the entire performance. In the climactic film, we see projected highlights from that specific performance, complete with shots of our fellow audience members in the background. The unique touch of live editing the film every show enhances the communal experience that the audience feels in the space with the characters and performers.
The cast of this production of Rent is exquisite. Rajeer Alford as Collins lights up the room with his charisma, and his emotional “I’ll Cover You (Reprise)” delivers some of the most powerful vocals it’s ever been performed with. Leigha Kato as Mimi brought a true warmth to the character that’s makes you empathetic toward her through her journey. Matthew Edward Kemp plays Mark as he films throughout the show, all while keeping the show steady as the closest thing to a narrator. Imani Moss played an excellent Joanne, with palpable empathy and booming vocals during “Take Me or Leave Me”. Gilbert D. Sanchez as Angel was the heart of the show, with a beautiful sincerity to his performance from the love story with Collins to the character’s tragic death. Rounded out by a deep ensemble playing a deep range of characters, the Arden assembled a wonderful cast to tell this story.
The Arden always seems to deliver amazing productions, and Rent is no exception. The run already seems to be incredibly successful, with many performances already sold out even after they extended to June 29th. For our performance, only couch seating was available, which I’d highly recommend (both for immersion and for comfort). It’s great to see Larson’s powerful work be given justice by the Arden’s production and rewarded with popular support. If you’re in the Philadelphia area, be sure to catch this cathartic night of theater.