Theater Review: RENT

by John Garcia of of John Garcia's The Column

Can a theater critic profess publicly that he is a proud and loud RENT head? I couldn't find any ruling on that in my "theater critic" handbook. So to hell with it! I am such a person! Since 1996 I have been a card carrying member of the RENT head community.

June 1996 I sat in the Nederlander Theater sobbing in my seat after the curtain came down on RENT. The week before, I watched on TV the original cast perform on the Tony Awards telecast and later that evening accept the award for Best Musical.

There I was watching the entire original cast right before my eyes. Their performances, the music, the story - it all hit me in never ending waves of powerful emotion that no musical had ever did. It spoke to so many aspects of my life, both in theater and out.

Many have said that (including myself) to really feel every emotion, every lyric, every ounce of subtext lying underneath - you had to see it with the original cast. Why?

They started together in the off-Broadway production at the New York Theater workshop. The entire company stayed intact when it transferred to Broadway. But more so because they all worked day and night with the creator/composer of this pop/rock opera: Jonathan Larsen.

His talents, love, advice, suggestions, ideas, and music were poured into each original cast member. He composed to fit their voices and talents into his fabric of music. But then in January 1996 after the final dress rehearsal of the off-Broadway production, their lives were all changed forever.

Larsen left the theater that night on a major high. He saw his final dress rehearsal and was giddy with excitement to see his vision come to life before an audience. He had just done a profile interview with a writer from The New York Times. He was on cloud nine. But late into the night Jonathan died suddenly of an aneurysm that had never been diagnosed.

It was devastating to the company, but they still went on because that was what he would have wanted.

So watching the original cast you could honestly feel from your seat their love, loss, compassion, and heartache pouring out every song, every lyric, every emotion. It had this aura around them that cannot be explained. You definitely could sense something remarkably special occurring between this original cast and the material.

Since then over the years I have seen various touring companies of RENT. All of them great with superb casts. I even went back to New York and saw it again on Broadway in 2005 (completely different cast). But in all honesty, none of them had that personal, unexplained power connecting them to the piece like the original. Don't get me wrong, they were all great. It's just that with the original cast, it was something so unprecedented and personal that made the production so magical and powerful.

But now something very rare & unique has occurred. Two of the original stars are headlining the national Broadway tour! And to add another level of excitement, those two happen to be the two male principals of the show, TONY Award nominee Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp.

When these two powerhouse talents took the Dallas Music Hall stage Tuesday night-amidst ear splitting thunderous applause and screams- for the first time in over 10 years, I immediately felt and saw that unexplained "aura" and extraordinary emotion return in RENT that has been missing in prior productions.

What makes it more remarkable is how much more emotionally Pascal & Rapp are now connected to the material. Both actors keep their performances crisp, dynamic, and commanding. Their work is soaked with deep rooted subtext, all resulting in a pair of jaw dropping, phenomenal performances. Their chemistry is so undeniably strong and rich, it leaves you dazed. They now connect internally on stage in new, bold, and exciting emotional colors than when I first saw them in 1996. Their character arcs and conflicts are much more raw, naked, intense, and brutally honest.

For example, take the entire scene of music and book after the memorial service and into "What you own". The way Pascal & Rapp react and attack each other emotionally is gut wrenching. It's totally a different approach than what they did in `96. It is much rawer and has this "punch in the stomach" emotion that wasn't there before.

I conducted an interview with Rapp & Pascal on Wednesday, and during the break I stated to Mr. Pascal that how he can hit those massively high tenor rock notes eight shows a week is simply amazing. He told me that back when they were doing it in '96, they were not "trained" singers (he comes from a background of headlining rock band & rock music). So they did not know how to keep their vocal instruments safe & controlled. Since then he said he does, on a daily basis.

Let me tell you, it shows on stage in ways that will leave you dumbstruck. Both leading men have much stronger vocals than what they had in '96! In particular Pascal.

His voice is a tour de force instrument that is remarkable and magnificent to hear. He possesses a rock tenor voice that can belt like there's no tomorrow. The notes are clean, clear and the vibrato is muscular and in control.

Now, it is even more powerful and brilliant than it was in '96. He sustains notes longer & richer in several numbers than when he did back in New York. In fact, in some solos he even goes up another major step. Pascal absolutely sounds sensational here!

But as a bonus, there is yet a third original Broadway cast member on this tour. The fabulous Gwen Stewart! She originated the roles of "Mrs. Jefferson & the bag lady". She also happens to be the soloist with the monumental vocal chops in "Seasons of Love". If you have the original cast recording-and you hear that female voice belt it to the heavens on that song-that's Ms. Stewart! Now she's here live and on tour! She brought the house down Tuesday night when she did her solo within that famous song.

Even though the movie has not come out yet, keep your eye on the lovely actress playing "Alexi Darling/Roger's mom"-that's Yuka Takara. She is a major focus on the upcoming release of Every Little Step. That's the documentary of A Chorus Line. Takara auditioned for the role of "Connie".

Peppering the stage with memorable, smashing performances include Michael McElroy (Tom Collins); Jacques C. Smith (Benjamin Coffin III); Haneefah Wood (Joanne); and Justin Johnston (Angel). If you saw the live film version of the final performance of RENT on Broadway, that was Johnston who you saw portray "Angel".

Nicolette Hart as "Maureen" easily earns the loudest and best laughs within the production. Especially when she does her solo performance piece "Over the Moon". But after that I felt she needed to tone down the comic stage business and over the top facial expressions. At times it caused distraction and pulled focus away from the soloist.

You know how much of an American Idol fanatic I am, so my jaw hit the floor when I read in the bios that Lexi Lawson was part of AI's current season's auditions. She did not accept the trip to Hollywood for AI, but decided instead to do the RENT tour, where she portrays "Mimi". Vocally she sounds spectacular, like in her first big solo "Tonight". It's a full bodied soprano voice that melts easily into rock or pop. Her chemistry with Pascal oozes erotic heat. It was in her acting choices and tools that I felt where the problems occurred. She seemed not to peel much deeper into the heart & soul that lies beneath Mimi's existence of fast drugs and unfocused life. She didn't connect internally with the subtext. Such as in "Without You"; "I should Tell you"; and "Goodbye love". She needs to penetrate much deeper into the characterization and subtext. Once she breaks though that barrier, it will become a much fuller performance.

If there was a problem with this RENT, it had to deal with the comedy. This is a dramatic piece with comic moments. Some of the performers seem to stretch the comedy bits out longer than they needed to be. It became a little clownish and over the top, which is not RENT at all. The comedy just escaped naturally within the book & score. But here it looked like some of the actors kept milking the laughs, where honestly it does not have its purpose here in this production.

Nonetheless, that is a minor issue and a personal quibble of mine when I saw it Tuesday night.

Having said that, there are some tiny changes & tweaks within the score (both musically and vocally) and the book that I did admire immensely. For example, take the memorial service. That was a very touching new way in which the company created that scene.

Overall, this production of RENT is splendorous!

Anthony Rapp & Adam Pascal both are extraordinary in this production, and have truly developed prodigious performances that you just cannot miss out on.

If you've never seen RENT, this is the time! You'll never get an opportunity like this again. To see the two leading stars who originated their roles from the very beginning and have that personal, private, and public connection to Jonathan Larsen-when will you ever have that chance again? Most likely never.

I caught the luck that day in New York in '96 to see the original cast. Luck came back around a second time Tuesday night to soak it all in again with Pascal & Rapp.

Now the luck has come to you. This is the production of RENT that you will want to see.

GRADE: A+

RENT, presented by Dallas Summer Musicals, runs through May 10. Purchase tickets online or by calling 214-631-ARTS.