No Day But Today!

When this piece opened just over 20 years ago, it was stirring a revolution in the theatre world - no one had ever heard anything like it before! Winning 4 Tonys, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and becoming a cultural phenomenon, inspiring countless other artists - one being Lin Manuel-Miranda, ironic as it could be considered as the Hamilton of the 1990s. I am talking, of course, about Jonathan Larson's Rent, which is currently on a UK tour, following the show's 20th anniversary, and I managed to catch over the weekend at the Liverpool Empire (which I hadn't been to in a while, it was lovely to be back).

Set in New York's Bohemian East Village during the course of a year, the show is based off Puccini's La Boheme, and follows the lives of a group of struggling artists, as they juggle with life, love, poverty and the AIDS epidemic (which in those days, was pretty much a death sentence).

Larson's world is gritty and dirty, and this is exactly what director Bruce Guthrie and his creative team have given us, and it's fabulous! In the programme, Guthrie explained that he went to NYC several times to meet Larson's friends (Larson tragically died the night before Rent's first preview) and it shows. For the first time seeing the show (from the Concert Tour a few years ago or the filmed last Broadway performance), I really felt I saw the Bohemian East Village Larson was writing about, and it subsequently hit harder. The set, made up of bits of scaffolding fire escapes and cheap neon lights, had a sort-of Nirvana grunge feel to it - almost as if you could see the grime and dirt from the streets.

To one thing I loved, to another that down right confused me. I'm not sure why/what happened, but we had a bit of actor-swapping going on with Collins and Maureen, and I have to admit, it took a while to get into the groove of the 2nd half because I kept thinking, "Hang on a minute...!", especially with Maureen, who I shall talk about first.
We started off with Lucie Jones (last seen in Curve's Legally Blonde) and then switched with Christina Moderstou (u/s). Modestou blew the house down vocally with Take Me Or Leave Me, but I felt she was a bit lacking on the acting side, especially coming after Jones, who, in a way, was Maureen! Her Over The Moon protest was completely over the top, it was simply insane. If it is Jones you have on, you're in for a real treat!

For Collins, it took me a bit longer to realise it was a different person, partly because the actors were so similar! Joshua Dever (u/s - and I hope I've got the right person, I'm so sorry if I haven't) had a voice that was like melted chocolate and Kevin Yates' (u/s) I'll Cover You (Reprise) was filled with so much grief it ripped the audience to shreds.

What united both Collins' was that they both had an adorable chemistry with Angel (here played by Jordan Laviniere (u/s)), who I have to mention, can dance in heels a LOT better than I can! The final understudy was Jenny O'Leary, here covering the role of Joanne, and who had some serious vocal chops on her! Plus, her Tango Maureen alongside Billy Cullum's Mark was brought some much needed comedy to what is quite a heavy piece.

For the cast, there is one final person I have to mention, and that is Phillipa Stefani, who played the ill-fated S+M dancer Mimi. It is a very different interpretation to what I seen before, but it works so well, particularly with this production. Her voice was soulful in Out Tonight, nearly tore me up in Without You and, in her acting, she made the character completely her own. I particularly loved, during Light My Candle, shared with Ross Hunter's smoky voiced Rodger, she was constantly shaking due to her "illing" - it's a small

touch, but something that I've never seen before. Good on you Ms Stefani, keep it up =)

Rent has finished in Liverpool, but starts its run in Woking tonight: followed by Leicester, Cardiff, Cheltenham, York, Poole, Coventry, Nottingham and finally Tunbridge Wells, so if you're near any of these, it is well worth a watch, as this Rent is as heart-wrenching as you remember it. If you haven't seen it before, I must warn you it is quite heavy going; hec, it wasn't my first time seeing the show and it took some time to soak in; perhaps bring some tissues too.

Despite clearly not trying to re-invent it for the present day, as many productions try and do, Guthrie doesn't attempt to - this is clearly Larson's world - and I think he's realised that, in a way, you do not need to with Rent. It may be 20 years since Larson's times, but there is always a piece of the story that someone can relate to (or maybe a few). And, perhaps, in these difficult times, there truly is No Day But Today. It is strangely timely in its 20th Anniversary....