“Rent” is a dark rock musical that was one of the longest-running shows on Broadway, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and four Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
It is also a favorite of local actors who jumped at the chance to be in the show that opens Friday at Encore Theatre in Tulare. Recognized for raising awareness of poverty, social issues, addiction and the AIDS epidemic, “Rent” changed the landscape of American theatre. Three decades later, it continues to be more than relevant.
It features a song that is well known: “Seasons of Love” (which starts “525,600 minutes.”)
Inspired by Puccini’s opera “La Bohème,” the play follows a group of impoverished young East Village artists and philosophers who have been told they don’t have to pay rent for their industrial loft. But things have changed.
After years of working on the play, little-known playwright Jonathan Larson tragically died of an aortic dissection the night before it opened off-Broadway in 1996. He was just 35 years old.
True to the vision
Although the play was fine-tuned after Larson’s death, Encore director Evan Huckabay wanted to stay true to Larson’s vision.
“This is Evan’s favorite show. He’s talked about it for a long time,” said Teagon Jones, Huckabay’s wife and a lead character in the show.
“I connect with ‘Rent’ on so many levels. It’s nostalgic for me,” Huckabay said. “I saw it as a teenager, and it was the first truly ‘adult’ musical I’d seen. It dealt with many topics I’d never thought about deeply before. It opened up the world to me in ways I hadn’t considered before, with brilliant compassion and vibrancy.”
This production is truly a Huckabay show. Besides the husband and wife team, Huckabay’s father volunteered to do the sound, and his brother, Bryce, has another leading role.
But the entire cast feels that closeness.
“The cast is really bonded, and you can tell that on stage,” Jason Bionda said. “The tense moments in the show work because of that bonding.”
Live for today
“The watch phrase for ‘Rent’ is ‘No Day but Today,’ which is Jonathan Larsen’s version of carpe diem and memento mori rolled into one. That message is you must live for today,” Huckabay said.
“These are beautiful people, very flawed they may be, but you still have empathy for them. The ultimate message is living for love, for now, for other people,” Bryce Huckabay added.
That message comes across most strongly through Angel, who although dying of AIDS, keeps a fun, cheerful attitude.
“I relate to Angel in so many ways,” Bionda said. “As soon as I saw the auditions, I knew I was going to be Angel.”
The other character with a positive vibe is Tom Collins, played by Bryce Huckabay.
“He’s one of the most chill in the group. He calms people down. He and Angel are a beacon of hope and light. You instantly love them both.”
Charismatic characters
Haley Wallace plays Joanne, a highly successful lawyer, whose lesbian relationship with Maureen provides some of the comedy.
“I like how it makes light of dark times,” Wallace said. “The darkness is kind of empowering. When you’re performing it, it hits you like a train.”
Teagan Jones (who has been cast in male roles for her last several shows) said her role of Roger is one of the most interesting characters she has ever played.
“I’ve never played a character I dislike before. He has so much darkness I don’t relate to,” she said. “He’s mean, but he’s fun to play, so it’s making me work hard.”
Grace Whitmore plays a minor role but really relates to the show.
“I was one year sober in October, and auditions were in November, so I thought this was a perfect thing to do. Things like this help me stay sober. They say the opposite of addiction is connection, and it’s true,” she said.
“I have a small part and Mimi [who plays Maria Monreal], a main player, is backstage helping me change costume. Such a great cast.”
If you go
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Why ‘Rent’ at Encore Theatre is more relevant than ever, 30 years later
Reporting by Donna Orozco, Special to Visalia Times-Delta / Visalia Times-Delta
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
