Rent - 20th Anniversary Concert

Synopsis

A musical based on La boheme. The musical updates the plot to modern day New York where a community of East Village dwellers battle to fulfil their aspirations against the tide of reality. The show opened off Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop in February 1996 for a two month run before transferring to the Nederlander. 35 year old Jonathan Larson never lived to see the success of the musical, dying of an aortic aneurysm shortly after the final dress rehearsal. Winner of four 1996 Tony Awards, (including Best Musical), the film rights were snapped up by Robert de Niro and Miramax.

Our Review:

Kieran Johnson - 30 April 2013

A celebration of Rent, this tremendous Broadway musical is delivered on this tour with a lineup of West End names ready to honor this impressive show. The simplicity of the musical allows the concert to work in a way that not many musicals would; Rent is perfectly suited to ‘concert’ staging. This 20^th anniversary production is actually celebrating the musicals 17^th birthday with a full house at Birmingham's New Alexandra Theatre.

The cast are headed by leading lady Kerry Ellis in a somewhat peculiar role choice for her, Mimi, a 19 year old Latino stripper. Whilst it’s easy to forget this is a concert performance, the role is definitely something Ellis makes her o...