RENT presented by The Carnegie through Aug. 26. I attended the opening Sunday performance. Please note that INTO THE WOODS is being done in rotation with RENT and GEORGE REMUS, a New Musical.
When it comes to RENT, theatre-goers tend to fall into one of three categories: Those that love RENT, those who don’t care for RENT, and those who haven’t seen RENT. Well, have I got good news for at least two-thirds of you: the Carnegie’s production is excellent.
Vocally, the production soars with strong leads and a very solid ensemble. Jackson Reagin as Roger & Ranease Brown as Mimi rock out their roles and have great chemistry together. In fact, all the character relationships among the leads are well-defined and spot on. I was also impressed by the character work of the actors who are crossing into their second repertory roles.
Where recent productions have failed for me is in establishing the tone of the time period. Not so with this production. Great care was taken to visually reflect the time with well thought out costume and prop choices, but also in portraying the uncertainty and fear of an epidemic which, 25+ years ago, was a painful death sentence.
Overall, an intimate and rocking production that will satisfy new and existing fans (and possible convert a few).
<insert obligatory lyrics quote here> 😉
My rating: 4.75 out of 5.
Click here for more information on the production.
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 
I know what group I fall under- the ones that love Rent- I actually fell in love with the musical by songs alone. That is 10 years ago in September. My 1st time seeing the musical unfold was by the Final Broadway Cast Film—-my family owns it. It wasn’t until September 2017 that I saw the musical in person. Just one of the musicals that makes me an emotional wreck
Rent is a meaningful musical to me- love the message and a musical I relate to. While Rent focuses on HIV/AIDS, I still understand their struggle due to my Epilepsy- that is how I relate to characters (some of the emotions are similar)
LikeLike