Review: RENT at Diversionary Theatre

There are some shows that feel untouchable, which is why it takes a certain amount of courage or lunacy to approach a beloved musical and decide to reinvent it. Co-directors Sherri Eden Barber and Coleman Ray Clark do exactly that, taking some big swings with Diversionary Theatre's production of RENT, though where it falls on the scale is up to you.

Written by Jonathan Larson and based loosely on the 1896 opera “La Bohème”, RENT follows a year in the life of a diverse group of friends in 1990s New York City's East Village. Aspiring filmmaker Mark (Jonathan Sangster) lives with his roommate Roger (Gio Coppola), an aspiring musician, while squatting in a rundown building owned by their former friend Benny (David McBean). Neighbor Mimi (Maya Sofia Enciso) lives upstairs, while Mark's ex-girlfriend, performance artist Maureen (Michael Amira Temple) has moved on to her new girlfriend Joanne (Nio Russell), a highly educated lawyer. Meanwhile, Collins (Andre Heimos) is on his way to celebrate with Mark and Roger when he is robbed, but quickly rescued by the lovely Angel (Allen Lucky Weaver) while Faith Carrion and Adelaida Martinez play an assortment of characters throughout the show.

The show is not locked to the stage but instead ventures throughout the Diversionary footprint, with scenes taking place in various locations.  The audience also has the option to move if they want, with an optional 16-minute immersive interlude that brings them into key moments, or they can watch it from the comfort of their theatre seat.

The ensemble is small but talented, with most performers taking on multiple roles as needed.

Sangster has a great voice, and his Mark is funny, rebellious, supportive, and ultimately vulnerable. He also spends most of the show carrying an old-school camera mounted on a gimbal while wearing a jacket and scarf, so this performance doubles as a workout.

Coppola also delivers strong vocals, and his Roger feels less like an angst-ridden rock star and more like a guy who desperately wants everyone to leave him alone so he can process several life-altering emotional blows in peace. The balance he finds between Roger's anger, grief, and softer side makes the character more relatable. Sangster and Coppola share an easy chemistry throughout, and their second-act conflict lands effectively before leading into a powerful "What You Own."

Enciso is a terrific Mimi, playful, sincere, and tragic, particularly in the show's final moments. She and Coppola have an engaging rapport from their first interactions, and you can immediately understand why Mimi intrigues Roger enough to venture outside his apartment and back into the world.

Heimos is a charming Collins with a sense of mischief and openness to the magic he finds in Weaver's Angel, making his second-act journey all the more heartbreaking. Weaver is expressive throughout, and I happened to be sitting directly across from them during "La Vie Bohème," making the playful interactions with both Angel and Sangster's Mark especially fun.

Russell is a powerhouse vocalist and an incredibly strong performer as the confident but also exasperated Joanne. Temple brings bravado, confidence, and anarchist swagger to Maureen, and the chemistry between Temple and Russell makes the couple truly work. Their "Take Me or Leave Me" is fantastic.

McBean is a worthy villain as the pretentious Benny, while also proving lovable in other roles. Carrion and Martinez do a tremendous amount of work throughout the production, each getting moments to shine, but their second-act "Voicemail #6" was particularly fun and clever, and had the audience cheering.

Nigel Semaj's choreography makes the most of the production's multiple locations while feeling familiar to RENT fans with just enough edge to keep things fresh. Music director Jerrica Stone leads an excellent band featuring Adam Snyder on guitar, Sean Collins on bass, Chris Potente on drums, and associate music director Kyle Adam Blair on keyboard.

Claire Peterson's costumes offer playful re-imaginings of the looks audiences expect. Mark doesn't wear the infamous striped sweater, but stripes follow him throughout the production, appearing on scarves and sweaters (and on Brooke Dalton’s sweater, who is the camera operator when Mark isn’t). Angel's Christmas look swaps traditional white accents for black, Mimi's "Out Tonight" costume abandons the signature blue while incorporating glow-in-the-dark elements, and Maureen’s protest outfit is colorful and does not shy away from making statements.

What truly distinguishes this production, however, is the direction. The choices on how and where to present the scenes, as well as the overall tone, look to bring new facets to this piece.

Barber and Clark strip away some of the musical theatre slickness and replace it with something messier and more emotionally raw. Often, the show has sung moments that feel acting-forward rather than singing-forward. Songs that audiences know by heart land differently because of it. "I'll Cover You (Reprise)," in particular, turns from a beautifully stand-and-deliver hymn to say goodbye into an emotionally raw moment of grief, set off by the direction, lighting, and performance.

Additionally, they layer technology throughout the show, using Mark's camera footage as an active storytelling device rather than something reserved for the finale. Technology has transformed everyone’s lives since this piece was created, and here it becomes a tool for multi-layered storytelling, allowing memory, emotion, and present reality to coexist.  Though the production occasionally cuts to video more often than feels necessary.

Adding the technology is not a simple endeavor; it adds an enormous amount of complexity. The directors must compose shots and sightlines, and scenes for both the audience and the camera. Actors have to continually calibrate performances between the stage and close-up video. Lighting designer Annelise Schultz-Salazar accounts for not only performers and scenery but also the glow and presence of the screens themselves. Projection designer Nicholas Hussong and scenic designer Mathys Herbert create a world that is fluid enough to transform constantly while still grounding each location.

Kudos to sound designer Kevin Anthenill and associate sound designer Evan Eason for balancing so much - there is singing, the live band, indoor and outdoor environments, microphones, and even the "Without You" duet performed from separate locations while remaining perfectly synchronized.  Also, shoutouts to stage manager Shannon Humiston and the entire crew for keeping this ambitious machine running.

There were a few technical hiccups during the performance I attended (a reality of any live show), and everything was worked through seamlessly to the audience's cheers. 

The show takes big swings, and while not every choice landed for me, I would much rather watch artists take risks than play it safe.

If you are a RENT purist, then 1) I'm surprised you made it this far into the review, and 2) this production may not be for you. 

But it's exactly this kind of creative reimagining that reminds us art is a living thing, and Diversionary's RENT is alive and well.

How To Get Tickets

RENT is playing at Diversionary Theatre through June 28th. For information on dates and showtimes, go to diversionary.org 

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