New production does Rent’s score justice

Tom Stoppard Theatre

Luke Sheppard, perhaps best known for Paddington The Musical, has directed an in-the-round production of Jonathan Larson‘s 1990s musical about love, creativity in the shadow of AIDS. The critics mostly felt it did justice to the score but some found the storyline was drowned by the fabulous songs. Stranger Things’ Gaten Matarazzo acquitted himself well.

5 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

Marianka Swain for LondonTheatre said: ‘under Luke Sheppard’s electrifying direction, it … packs an almighty punch. It honours the soul of the original, while making it feel thrillingly fresh’. She clearly loved this musical: ‘its passion is undeniable, especially the oft-cited line “No day but today”, which is both wrenchingly sad and a call to action. As Mark puts it: “The opposite of war isn’t peace – it’s creation”. RENT is a soul-stirring act of creation, and so too is this exhilarating revival.’

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

‘this is a thrilling musical, both perfectly of its time and still relevant today’ declared WhatsOnStage’s Sarah Crompton. She explained: ‘The in-the-round staging has been preserved for this larger and more splashy West End revival and it helps to lend great spirit and energy to a piece that is baggy and episodic but always engaging.’ She went on: ‘Sheppard’s direction is also cleverly paced, letting big scenes – Maureen’s “arty” performance to demand proper housing for the homeless, the meeting at the Life Café – unfold with panache, while keeping the focus on the individual stories that are being told. The actors are all are terrific.’

The Times’ Clive Davis described how ‘With cast members seated in a semicircle around the stage (some audience members are up there too), David Woodhead and Tom Jackson Greaves, the designer and choreographer …  generate a rock club-style sense of community (…)  Katy Richardson’s band, half-concealed on a raised platform at the rear of the stage, is suitably loud and loose-limbed.’

The Financial Times‘ Sarah Hemming was also impressed that ‘The Tom Stoppard Theatre (formerly the Duke of York’s) has been reconfigured to embrace a portion of the audience onstage, with the cast weaving through them and sometimes sitting among them before rising to sing. It’s a change that wraps the spectators in “la vie bohème”, as it’s depicted here, emphasising the communality at the musical’s heart and giving a rough, impromptu feel to the production that contrasts with the blazing professionalism of its execution. It just adds to the soaring emotion of this pulsating staging.’ She had reservations: ‘the storylines tend to crowd each other out (…) And the episodic, propulsive nature of the piece undercuts the weight of the issues. The ravages of both Aids and heroin addiction are framed a little too aesthetically.’ But ‘Flaws aside, this is still an exhilarating show, superbly delivered, its central message about making the best of your brief time on earth powering across loud and clear.’

The Telegraph‘s Dominic Cavendish this rousing, felt this ‘faithful revival by Paddington director Luke Sheppard more than earns its keep. It boasts a strong West End debut, too, for Gaten Matarazzo.’ He complimented all the cast: ‘Every leading player gets the opportunity to shine, with particularly fine performances from Travis Ross as the brooding Roger, always plugging away in the hope of writing one last belter; Alexa Lopez as Mimi, sexually cavorting and howling like a wolf in the love-hungry Out Tonight; and Jeevan Braich, flamboyant and defiant as Angel.’ He noted: ‘as the show has become more distinctly of its time, it paradoxically looks more durable – it captures a vanished New York but its relentless spirit seems undimmed.’

Louis Chilton for The Independent concluded: ‘At the end of the day, the big question facing a revival like this is whether it can fundamentally justify its own existence. Rent manages that, and then some.’

Aliya Al-Hassan of BroadwayWorld declared: ‘(Larson’s) lyrics hit as hard as ever, even though the duration (two hours, 45 minutes) may be a little too long for some. This version of Rent deserves the hype it has been receiving and is a fitting tribute to the monumental legacy of a musician and creative genius that we lost far too young.’

3 stars ⭑⭑⭑

Tom Wicker for The Stage pronounced: ‘There’s a fierce, sincere anger in the book and lyrics at the heartless gentrification of New York (now pretty much complete) and power in its centring of queer characters. But its earnestness, however on the money, feels heavy-handed.’

Time Out’s Andrzej Lukowski (3 stars assumed) was more critical of the production: ‘The concert-like production is based around an ensemble of hot androgynes and self-consciously beautiful misfits, dressed like a more-stylish-than-it-sounds collision of Dickensian urchinwear and early Pearl Jam chic. Sheppard has put a large amount of additional audience seating on the stage, which hems the action into a small performance space with minimal sets (…) It would be a great staged concert but I’m not sure how well it works as a theatre show. Sheppard’s aesthetic choices seem to override his interest in storytelling (…) A formidable vehicle for Larson’s songs, but a less impressive one for his story.’

David Jays for The Guardian wasn’t sure about the strength of the book (‘keeping eight principal characters in play is tricky’) but ‘The glory of the show is its songs – the bolshie ensembles and scared solos. Larson threw everything into Rent, from wrenching anthems and witty tango to strutting pop. He must have hoped to have more musicals ahead of him, but wrote like he was running out of time – that desperate sense to write the songs, love the love and live the life is the urgent heart of the show.’

Adam Bloodworth for CityAM was critical: ‘by today’s standards, taking something so horrific as AIDS, which took the lives of 20,000 Brits alone, and putting it as a backdrop to a central story about people getting kicked out of their flats (which is dealt with with far more emotion) feels strange and tone deaf.’ He opined: ‘the story line (is) often there to service the arrival of the next song rather than advancing the plot’.

Critics’ average rating 3.8⭑

Value Rating 38 (combination of average rating and typical ticket price)

Rent can be seen at the Tom Stoppard Theatre until 29 May 2027. Buy tickets from the theatre tomstoppardtheatre.com

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