Rent, aremake of Puccini's 1896 classic, LaBoheme, fills one's spirit even as it enchants one's eyes and ears. The man characters are Mark, a documentaryfilmmaker who follows a group of impoverished, counterculture artists in New York's East Village, and Roger, hisbest friend. Roger is an HIV-positive songwriter. Mark and Roger are roommates.Although romantic love eludes Mark, several strong couplings provide theframework around which Rent isconstructed. Roger finds Mimi, an exotic dancer who lives nearby. Mark's formergirlfriend, Maureen, switches gears and hooks up with Joanne, a lawyer. And theshow's most colorful character, the ebullient, charismatic Angel, finds happinesswith a professor.
Rent is undeniably linked to New York City. Only here,it seems, can such disparate types form a community of “bohemians” who battlefor survival in an uncaring world. This production resonates with the sightsand sounds of New York'sgritty urban environment. Rent remainsnot only urban but youthful, hip and edgy.
Credit goes to director Donna Drake for pulling thisshow together in the relatively intimate setting of the Cabot Theatre. Sheexpertly melds the characters with the music, in conjunction with musicdirector Jamie Johns. Lighting is an equally essential element to Rent's success, and lighting designerJason Fassl doesn't disappoint. Neither does the work of choreographers DonnaDrake and Rhonda Miller. The show's newfound intimacy is brilliantly realizedin the duet, “Tango Maureen.”
The most consistently riveting performer in thistalent cast is Juan Torres-Falcon as the flamboyant Angel. Actor Lili Thomas isa bit less convincing as Mimi. She's somewhat well fed to be playing a junkie,and her drug-induced wail in “Out Tonight,” isn't quite manic enough. But shedefinitely demonstrates the chemistry between her character and Roger (playedby Tommy Hahn). One expects all the voices in a Skylight production to be top notch,and they are, but in particulr Kate Margaret McCann (as Maureen) knocks one outof the ballpark. She is every inch the diva Maureen is supposed to be. And hervoice is spine tingling, to say the least.