Theatre News

Rent revival online stream to go ahead – live show to halt performances after 3 November

The sold-out show will still be heading online

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1 November 2020

Dom Hartley-Harris (Collins) and Bethany Terry (Ensemble)
© Dujonna Gift-Simms

Hot off last night's announcement that England will head into a second lockdown, with theatres forced to close for live performances, the Hope Mill production of Rent has revealed upcoming plans.

In a post on social media, the venue's founder William Whelton announced that the piece will cease live performances from 4 November (in line with government advice) and that all ticket holders will be contacted regarding their booking.

However, the theatre has also confirmed that it will go ahead with a digital stream of the show, which will be pre-recorded at the Manchester venue and made available online – though tickets are strictly limited, so early booking is advised (there's a joke there about "no day but today…")

Performances up to and including 3 November will still be going ahead.

Appearing in the show are Jocasta Almgill as Joanne, Blake Patrick Anderson as Mark, Tom Francis as Roger, Ahmed Hamad as Benny, Dom Hartley-Harris as Collins, Millie O'Connell as Maureen, Maiya Quansah-Breed as Mimi and Alex Thomas-Smith as Angel. Completing the cast are Kayla Carter, Allie Daniel, Isaac Hesketh and Bethany Terry.

Please read Also my thoughts & is with everyone out there struggling right now… This is all so hard! #RENT #NODAYBUTTODAY https://t.co/gwGPtWjMyC @hopemilltheatr1 pic.twitter.com/SiM8DxlgsG

— William Whelton- THEATRE PRODUCER (@WilliamWhelton) November 1, 2020

The piece is directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) with choreography by Tom Jackson Greaves, with musical direction by Katy Richardson, set and costume design by David Woodhead, LX design by Howard Hudson, projection design by George Reeve, sound design by Paul Gatehouse and casting by Pearson Casting. Artwork is by Feast Creative.

Tickets for the online viewing can be purchased via the Hope Mill Theatre's website.

Based on Puccini's La Bohème, Rent follows a group of impoverished young artists who live in New York under the shadow of HIV/AIDs. After first premiering in 1996, the show first ran in the UK in 1998, with a film released in 2005. It has music, lyrics, and book by Jonathan Larson, with numbers including "La Vie Boheme", "Without You" and "Seasons of Love".