After sell-out performances, rave reviews and standing ovations, the multi-Tony Award-winning rock musical by Jonathan Larson, RENT, has its Opening Night performance tomorrow evening (Tuesday 20 February) at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Director Shaun Rennie, musical director Andrew Worboys and choreographer Luca Dinardo have assembled some of Australia’s finest singer/actors for an all-new production of this iconic musical.
Noah Mullins (West Side Story) plays the role of Mark, a struggling documentary filmmaker and best friend of Roger, an HIV-positive musician recovering from heroin addiction, played by Jerrod Smith (The Lovers).
Martha Berhane (Hamilton) is Mimi, Calista Nelmes (Jersey Boys NZ) plays spirited performance artist Maureen, Mark’s ex-girlfriend and current girlfriend of Joanne, a tough, headstrong Harvard-educated lawyer played by Thndo (Dreamgirls).
Philosophy teacher Collins is played by Nick Afoa (Miss Saigon), with Carl De Villa (Kinky Boots) in the role of Angel while the role of Benny is played by Tana Laga’aia (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).
Completing the cast are Anna Francesca Armenia, Kelsi Boyden (also Resident Director), Mariah Gonzalez, Sam Harmon, Lawrence Hawkins, Josslynn Hlenti (Joanne Alternate), Hannah McInerney, Sam Richardson, Chad Rosete and Theodore Williams.
Step into the vibrant streets of New York City’s East Village, where dreams are born, friendships are tested, and the power of love prevails against all odds. Featuring the iconic songs Seasons of Love, Take Me or Leave Me and La Vie Bohème, this ground-breaking phenomenon is more than a musical; it’s a celebration of life, love, and the human spirit.
Jonathan Larson’s RENT opened Off-Broadway in 1996 and quickly became a global phenomenon. The show earned Larson multiple Tony Awards along with a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a distinction not received again by a music theatre work until 14 years later.
Though Larson himself never saw the impact of his masterwork – he died suddenly in the early hours of the day the show opened to the public – its longevity serves as a testament to the emotional resonance of his creation and an embodiment of its ever-present message “no day but today”. There is No Day But Today to discover the show that took Broadway by storm.
RENT
State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne, St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season continues to 10 March 2024
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
Following the Melbourne season, RENT will head to the Civic Theatre, Newcastle: 15 – 17 March, His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth: 11 – 19 May and the Canberra Theatre Centre: 7 – 13 June 2024. For more information, visit: www.rentmusical.au for details.
Image: The Cast of RENT – photo by Pia Johnson Photography