Hooray for hip, hip Broadway show
Sandi Digras On The Town
It's party time. The big Tony award-winning Broadway show Rent has come to OTtawa, a city, according to producer David Mirvish, "that is hip and cosmopolitan."
The pre-show hype has been awesome, leading to a sellout crowd on opening night. Everyone from young Rentheads to the over-30 set were willing to challenge their eardrums and pre-conceived notions getting into today;s version of a cross between Tommy and West Side Story.
Many of the young audience plan to see the show more than once. It has a theme that seems to touch them deeply.
There was one thing that everyone agreed on- the music, dancing and enrgy were infecious, leaving us all breathless.
FLollowing the electrifing performance, a select group of us were invited by Mirvish to adjourn to the new trendy Empire Grill in the Byward Market (our version of SoHo) to continue the party atmosphere.
Rubbing shoulders with the young cast members, including Saskia Garel who played Mimi, blond hearthrob Chad Richardson (mark), Karen LeBlanc (Joanne) and Jai Rodriguez (Angel), decidedly not dressed as a transvestite.
The mode of dress for the young was based on the theory "Less is more."
At these events its typical for the cast members to huddle together with the guests anxious to get autographs, and in the cast of the sons and daughters to quiz the actors on what is like to act in such a "neat play."
To say the least, there was no shortage of topics of conversations at the party.
Rent is one of those plays that kept everyone talking, about kids, drugs and what it must be like for the other side of life on the street.
I definitely recomment you see it, and if you are open-minded bring your teenagers.
It will be on stage at the NAC until Aug. 22.