by Laurie Smith Anderson
The Advocate Online
April 15, 1999

The four elderly women sitting in front of me during "Rent" were clearly puzzled.

"What’s it all about?" one asked when the touring Broadway production broke for intermission.

Laughing, the man across the aisle leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. "They haven’t paid the rent. They’re going to get kicked out. The black guy’s the landlord, I think. They’re all gay, and they’ve all got AIDS. That’s it in a nutshell." (Well, sort of ... Actually, a couple of the characters are straight and at least one appears to be disease-free.)

"Oh," the woman replied. Shortly after, she and her three friends packed up their purses and left.

Now playing through the weekend at the Saenger Theatre as part of its Broadway series, "Rent" could be described as a brash, rock musical version of Tony Kushner’s "Angels in America," though it’s on a smaller scale and less intense.

As it is written, the show is a little disjointed, and the multitude of characters is difficult to identify initially. The language and subject matter may be offensive to some patrons. But those who stuck it out for the second act — and the great majority attending Tuesday’s opening night performance did stay — were rewarded with greater understanding and compassion in the second act.

Inspired by Puccini’s "La Boheme," Jonathan Larson’s "Rent" tracks the lives of a community of artists who have in common their bohemian natures, as well as their mundane, everyday struggles such as paying the rent. The script deals plainly with themes such as illegal drug use, heterosexuality, homosexuality and AIDS. It also acts as a vehicle for Larson’s social commentary on America’s values as we approach the next millennium.

"Rent" won numerous theatrical awards when it opened on Broadway in 1996, including the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Even those who would find fault with the play would have to commend this cast for its talented, full-steam ahead performance. Pure energy pulsates from the company from beginning to end as its members belt out numbers, dance across the stage and put everything they have into the passions of their characters.

A real highlight of the show was a hilarious, satirical look at performance art in the number, "Over the Moon," by Cristina Fadale, who plays Maureen.

Julia Santana displayed a sweet, crooning voice to suggest the vulnerability just beneath Mimi’s tough exterior. Christian Mena, as Roger, had incredible power and vocal range in his numbers, the best of which was "One Song Glory." And the company at large was fine; "Seasons of Love," perhaps the best-known song of the show, was a rich, memorable number.

In the end, the hard-working cast and crew won the approval of their audience as most rose to their feet to grant a standing ovation Tuesday night.