BWW Reviews: RENT at Florida Southern College in Lakeland

I have a love-hate relationship with the iconic Jonathan Larson musical, RENT. I must admit that I love many of its songs, with "Will I?" "Santa Fe" and "I Will Cover You (Reprise)" being top of the heap. But it also irritates me with its overdone seriousness, forced emotions and strained lyrics. For instance, in the catchy "La Vie Boheme" there's a line that just makes my teeth ache--"To Sontag, to Sondheim, to anything taboo..." As much as I love Stephen Sondheim, he may be a lot of things, but "taboo" is not one of them. He comes from the Rodgers-Hammerstein tradition, and though he is a musical theatre genius who broke new ground for middlebrows, he is not taboo. He is, if anything, mainstream. But as the lead character Mark sings, "Is anyone out of the mainstream? Is anyone in the mainstream?"

RENT frustrates many of us as much as it fascinates. It won the Pulitzer, the Tony, every imaginable award, but it seems didactic and heavily dated. It actually was slightly dated when it first hit Broadway eighteen years ago. Aimed at the Gen X crowd, it's a period piece, much like Hair in the 1960's. AIDS, homelessness, and drugs are all still urgent problems, but fortunately or unfortunately, they are not the front page headlines that they were two decades ago. So on top of my frustration with certain aspects of the show, it also struggles for relevancy.

My love-hate relationship with RENT was brought to a head with the Florida Southern College's recent production at the Buckner Theatre. Whatever misgivings I have about this "Hair for slackers" are quickly redeemed because this is a bouncy, joyous, electric production with some incredible performances. I saw the first National Tour in the 1990's, and thought Act 1 weak but Act 2 very strong. Then I saw the movie and disliked all of it. The actors were ten years too old for their parts, and that's why a show like this works in a college production--they all look like young bohemians, not elders pretending to be young. So this is definitely a version to go out of your way to see.

For the uninitiated, RENT is a retreading of Puccini's La Boheme set in the Lower East Side of NYC, the bohemian section (Alphabet City), in the 1990's. Act 1 is a day in the life, and Act 2 is a year in the life ("525,600 minutes"). The Buckner is the ideal venue for this show, and the minimal set, complete with Christmas tree lights and moveable scaffolding, fits the space perfectly. The production starts off a little shaky, but by the first big number ("Rent"), it settles into its wonderful, captivating self.

The cast is overall quite strong. As Roger, the AIDS-stricken guitarist looking for his one moment of glory, Kyle Kniseley has just the right gravelly look and an impressive voice. He hits notes that gives you chills, and his last moments are so real that they will bring tears to "your eyes." Also, his "One Song Glory" is stellar.

As his filmmaker friend, the nerdy Mark, Dion Spires has a very good voice, but I never felt he was a real person, a living being. He seemed too theatrical for the role, and I always take Mark as being the audience surrogate, opening up our view through the looking glass of this Alphabet City. Spires looks a bit like the original Mark, Anthony Rapp, but I didn't get the youthful verve needed for this difficult role. He just didn't seem like one of the inhabitants of this bohemian universe, but maybe that's the point.

As Mimi, Roger's heroin-addicted dancer-girlfriend, Molly Garrett is stunningly beautiful with an incredible voice. However, I felt she seemed too straight-laced as the always-on-the-edge Mimi. It's like having Katharine McPhee playing Janis Joplin. She's a wonderful stage presence, but not once did I think of her as "Mimi." Still, her "Without You" is stunningly sung with Kniseley, but it didn't go the next level on the gooseflesh meter due to its flat staging. However, the end of Act 1 duet with Roger, "I Should Tell You," was superb and their voices blended marvelously.

As the sell-out Benny, Jonathon Timpanelli is a startling presence, strongly commanding the stage. His Benny is so strong that I thought for a moment they might want to retitle the show "Benny!" His singing is also in top form, as showcased in an extra-robust version of "You'll See." I could have done without his white shoes in Act 2; Benny is such an up-and-comer wannabe-Yuppie trying to impress and he wouldn't be caught dead wearing white shoes with his attire.

Mister Fitzgerald as Collins is such a strong onstage presence, and he and his Angel (the formidably talented--and wiry--Keith Young) are a lovely duo, as showcased in the first version of "I Will Cover You." But it's the reprise of that song in the middle of Act 2 that must be heard. In fact, buy tickets to the show to experience the best version of "I Will Cover You (Reprise)" that I have ever heard. Spellbinding, awe-inspiring, chill-inducing, it's an out-of-the-park homerun.

Keith Young performs a rousing version of "Today For You" that showcases his amazing physicality. He squats, thrusts, literally shakes his booty, and leaps on a table with gusto. His crazy costumes (thanks to costume designer Bonnie Jean), including a turn as James Bond sexpot Pussy Galore, are brilliantly memorable.

One of the best performances is by Jewel Blakeslee as Maureen, Mark's ex who left him for a woman. Her "Over the Moon" is one of Act 1's best moments, funny, quirky, a perfect parody of the performance art pieces performed seemingly everywhere in the NYC scene of the 80's and 90's. Blakeslee has a big, wonderful voice, and she gives the strongest performance in the show. As Maureen's other half, Joanne, Martina Long is sensational. She hits the money notes with her incredible voice and has true chemistry with Blakeslee, as spotlighted in their break-down-the-walls version of "Take Me or Leave Me."

The ensemble is mostly fine, energizing the show most of the time, but some of the characters in the AIDS support group scene look out of place. In every show, there is always some ensemble member who stands out in a positive way, and in this production of RENT, the award for Best Ensemble Performance goes to the hilarious James Yi as a disgruntled homeless person who makes the song "Christmas Bells" a standout.

Director Jim F. Beck keeps the show moving at a brisk pace, and the choreography by Scott A. Cook is consistently strong. Music director Christianne Roll brings out glorious harmonies from the cast (their "Will I?" is simply gorgeous).

There were a few missteps, such as "Santa Fe," which suffers from the let's-put-the-ensemble-unnecessarily-in-another-number syndrome. "Santa Fe" and the actors performing it do not need background dancers. Fitzgerald sings it so well that we don't have to have the added forced pizzazz and distracting stage business. The director needs to trust these talented actors.

Some minor tech problems plagued the show I saw and should be remedied. Sound issues, mostly crackling microphones, affected some of the musical numbers. Unfortunately, it happened in the show's best-known song, "Seasons of Love," beautifully sung but harmed by sound glitches.

The "Contact" number in Act 2 is a bizarre mess before things get dead serious, and it seems to be in the wrong show. It looks like it should join the finale of cardiovascular body stocking dancers in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. But what follows that wrong turn is some amazing, emotionally powerful theatre that should not be missed.

Whether you're a fan of RENT or not, there is so much to offer in this production, especially a stunning rendition of "I Will Cover You (Reprise)" that I still haven't been able to shake more than 24 hours later. And that's the best compliment I can give to any performer or show.

RENT runs through November 23rd. Please call (863) 680-4296 for tickets.

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