Renting Fame: Broadway's most celebrated musical pit-stops in Ottawa
Joshya Ostroff
Ottawa Sun
The century is winding down. Socialism, a theory based upon compassion, has failed miserably. It's selfish cousin, capitalism, is ruling the global roost. Teformers and Republicas want to cut arts funding while Harris, Chretian and the US Congress are bust throttling social programs. Buzzwords like worfare, AIDS and heroin chic are ominously commonplace.
In other word, for the havenots in 90's North America, its getting harder and harder to pay the rent.
That is the underlying message of the most celebrated musical this decade,Rent-starting a month-long run at the National Arts Center this Thursday as a part of Festival Canada '98.
But the creator of Rent, the late Jonathan Larson, did not want to simply inform the audience of how tough life in the 90's can be. He also wanted to impart a stranger message of positivity which would help people get though these tough times
"The message (Rent) puts out is that its a very short life and you never know whats going to happen, good or bad," says Chad Richardson-a rock 'n' roller who plays the musicals narrator Mark-during a telephone interview from Toronto where Rent is wrapping up a 35-week run.
"The main thing to do is to treat people as well and take advantage of every minute you have here. The big slogan of Rent is: No day but today. Its sounds kinda chntzy and stuff, but there's actually a whole lot behind that."
There certianly was for Larson, who died at 35 of an aortic aneurysm mere hours after Rent's final dress rehersal at the off=Broadway New York Theatre Workshop in January 1996.
His sudden death meant that Larson never reaped the bounty of his seven-year labor of love.
Rent relocated to Broadway a few months after Larson's death. Witin the year, Rent had earned a Pulitzer for drama, four Tony awards (including best musical,best book of a musical and best score of a musical), six Drama Desk Awards, best musicaby the New York Drama Critics Circle and the Outer Critics Circle and three Obie Awards (phew!).
Rent now has the distinction of being the most homored musical since 1976's A Chorus Line.
Featuring a cast of largely unknow singers with little acting background, Rent is a far cry from the usual big budget Broadway shows likePhantom of the Opera andMiss Saigon
"Its hugely different from those shows," says Richardson. "First of all it takes place in our time, which those shows don't. And the people on stage are people you could see walking on the street. I don't think your going to see the phantom walking down the street anytime soon."
RENT-a loose adaption of Puccinni's >i>la Boheme which revolves around a group of young, artistic residents of New Yourks east Village- is one of the first Broadway muscials to address this decades hot topics: AIDS, homosexuality, safe sex, suicide, heroin, and poverty.
"When you leave the show, you realize that what you jsut saw could be happening,"Richardson pauses and corrects himself,"that it is happening all over the world right now. People are dying of AIDS everywhere."
The musical centers around the lives of Mark, the narrator and underground film maker, his HIV-positive musican roomate Roger and their circle of friends. Various love triangles ensue with there friends including the AIDS-afflicted Tom COllins,the transvestite street drummer Angel, Mimi the heroin addicted dancer and lesbian lovers, Maureen and Joanne.
What makes this production unique-its frank portrayal of homosexuality, drug abuse and AIDS- is also what has raised the most controversy with the traditional theatre-going crowds
"It has a slightly younger skewer,"says the ever-diplomatic Toronto producer, David Mirvish. "It is not universally loved...but we have had extraordinarly passionate reactions.
"When we're very young, there's hope. But mixed in with that hope is vulnerability. These are people (the musical's characters) who want to stay true to their beliefs and accomplish something. That is what the people on the outsideidentify with"
The people Mirvish is talking about includes the so caled "Rent-heads"-young epople wou see the musical repeatedly and who camp outside the theatre daily to get cheap tickets
One of the many innovations of this piece is the avalibility of $20 seats. Rent's focus on the lives of the underclass led the original producers in New York to reserve the first two rows for the inexpensive tickets, avalible only on the day of the performance-a practice that has continued wit hthe touring production.
"The Toronto fans have just be astounding. Last night, I got to work and there was a bouquet of a dozen roses. It was from a girl who had seen the show the night before," says Richardson.
"She didnt leave her number or anything, she wasnt trying to get in touch with me, she just left a note saying she had come for her birthday and how much the show meant to her. How much our performance had given her."
Richardson believes the response is a result of Rent's currency.
"its been a long time since anything like Rent has come along. It's been a long time since there's been a show thats spoken to the generation, so to speak," he says.
"People often compare Rent to Hair. I think they do it because its a show about the time they are living in."
But Mirvish makes it clear that Rent doesn't just spark passion amongst the young. "We aslo have ardent supporters among the 50-, 60-, 70-year olds. Its not age but attitude," he says.
The musical itself is relatively simple, a slice of life piece about starving artists dealing with their diseases, addictions and poverty.
"The show is extremely minimalistic. There's no laser or big pyrotechnics or anything. It's as simple as a show could be. There'e one set that never changes, the actor, and thats it. Yet it still works on Broadway. The show carries itself on the story," says Richardson.
But it also relies on the singing, dancing and acting talents of the cast. When assembling a production of this stature, the safe bet would be to go with the established members of the musical theatre community. People who have cut there claws on Cats or stormed the barricades in Les Miserables.
But Rent is a production about rish taking, and the casting process help tight ot that philosophy.
The auditions were comprised of a 10-month long Canada-wide open casting call (meaning expericane was not necessary) that saw more than 6,000 people try out. The casting directos were looking for "young, street-savvy performers from all cultural background with raw talent and rock 'n' roll voices."
And thats what they got
Richardson was a rock singer/songwriter from Newfoundland with two CD's under his belt (most recently The Legend of Brud) when he auditioned for the Toronto production of Rent
"I have never done anything like musical theatre before," responds Richardson, adding he didnt have any acting or dancing experiance either.
They did the same thing for the Broadway company. They had people in the show who had never acted before so (Michael Grief, the original director who also directed the Canadian touring cast) was used to dealing with that.
"I think he may have chosen me because he saw something there I probably didnt see. And during the rehearsal process he kinda pulle it out."
Mirvish is also effusive with his praise of Grif;s directing style. He does however, admit:"I get very nervous when i see a young compan."
But at teh same time, he allowed Grief to work with the youngest cast ever i na Mirvish production.
"They suprised themselves. It is the ability of this particular director to recognize the (hidden) talent these people have. He sometimes took people that maybe wouldnt get it. But they did, they would be great."
The inexperiance of the actors also adds to the gritty and youthful sincerity of the production.
But can a streetwise musical about AIDS in Manhattan translate to the conservative bureaucratic bastion that is Ottawa?
Mirvish, of course, is convinced RENT can play anywhere. He cites critics who said it wouldnt work outside Manhattan, but the enormous success in Toronto resulted in an extension
But not it's time for the production to move on. After nearly eight months in Toronto, Rent will be in Ottawa for a month before travelling to Vancouver for 3 months.
"Its been a fun time here," says Richardson of his stay in Toronto. "But there are kids here whod see n the show a hundred times. We're really looking forward to bringing (Rent) to new people."