I'd Pay that Rent
Rating: 4
Rent
The Barn Players, Inc.
The Barn Players never fail to put on an entertaining night of theatre and their recent production of Rent was no exception. The comments to follow are extremely nit-picky and not all very nice so I want to begin by saying that I joined the standing ovation at the end of the November 19th performance (something that I do not do lightly). The show was well produced and the cast was impressive to say the least, but just like any critique, this one must contain criticism.
The set (by Tiffany Garrison-Schweigert) was a well designed recreation of the classic concept for the show. It used the small space to great effectiveness and allowed the large cast to fill the stage without seeming crowded. My only complaint was that the band (cleverly made part of the set by being kept in a cage made of metal fences) created serious sightline issues for those seated in house right. Charles Cline's lighting design was nothing special but it did its job well. There were several instances of microphone problems but that is to be expected in live theatre. One thing that I did not expect was snow, and I got it!
Mark, played by Justin Dehmer, had the perfect range for the part, not to mention the look. He especially shined in his duets with Joanne and Roger because of his ability to blend his voice with others without losing his own unique sound. However, his portrayal of the independent film maker seemed to be a faded Xerox of Anthony Rapp's performance in the film version rather than an attempt to make the role his own. Dehmer reminded me more of Charlie Brown, frustrated that life kept pulling the football out from under him, than a starving artist with a dream. His physicality was weak and he seemed to move about the stage with no purpose, only changing positions because he was blocked to do so. That being said, the average, non-acting theatre goer would most likely have enjoyed every aspect of his performance without being the least bit bothered by the minor lack of character motivation.
Robert Hingula played Roger with a little too much enthusiasm. His voice was well suited to the part but he took the rocker personae to an almost cartoonish level. His guitar playing was impressive (when he wasn't turned upstage to fake the playing while the pit guitarist took over) and he shared Dehmer's blending abilities. I was most impressed with his interactions with Mark and Mimi. When he wasn't trying to "rock out", the relationships he had with the other characters were so honest and pure that you couldn't help but believe that he really did care about them.
Tom Collins, portrayed by Matthew King was a disappointment. The low notes were clearly out of his range and he had to speak them to even make the lyrics understood. I was extremely surprised to see him cast in this role after watching him give an impressive audition for the part of Angel. A tenor does not belong in this role. As far as his acting goes, it was okay. His interactions with Angel were sweet and very tender but anytime they kissed it seemed more platonic than romantic (I assume that this is solely because he was unaccustomed to kissing another man). He also seemed to occasionally take on physicality similar to Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Bradley Rose was another character that was cast out of his vocal comfort zone. Benjamin Coffin III is a tenor role and Rose was constantly reaching for the high notes and very rarely hit them on pitch and attempting runs that simply didn't suit his style of singing. I wonder if director Eric Magnus would have done better switching King and Rose in their roles. However, I cannot deny that Rose was very committed to the role of villain, even taking on the traditionally sported bald look.
Eboni Fondren had a great night as Joanne. Her vocals were spot on and her acting was superb (I was especially impressed with her rendition of "We're Okay". The only mediocre moments were some serious mic troubles that threw her off in a couple of her songs and a very awkward attempt at a tango.
>From the minute that Brian LaFave took the stage as Angel I knew that he would steal the show. However, as the play went on, I was less and less impressed. "Today 4 U" was sung over a recorded track rather than with the musicians (a decision that made me wonder if he struggled too much with the live band). It was also very clear that LaFave had never played drums in his life as he used the recorded drum beat to fill in the gaps of his own percussion attempts. One thing I can say is that this man can rock some heels. He was jumping and spinning all over that stage and I was never concerned for his safety (though he was wearing an ankle brace, so perhaps I just missed the performance where he injured himself with some overzealous dancing). LaFave redeemed himself once his character started getting sick and the audience immediately connected with him again. The most beautiful moment, in my opinion, was his exit through the audience, wrapped in a white sheet. Being that close to your spectators allows for no forced facial expressions and he pulled off his dying moment beautifully.
Mimi Marquez is my absolutely favorite character in this musical and I went back and forth several times about my opinion on Linnaia McKenzie's take. First of all, she is physically a very different body type than the traditional Mimi, sporting some curves and dark skin. That being said, her physicality was never an issue for me. This girl can move. Her singing voice was also perfect for the role. My issues with her came with her acting choices. She often seem to be more interested in what the audience thought of her than what the other characters did and it turned me off to her right away. She was projecting emotions rather than actually feeling them. However, as the show progressed she became more involved with her fellow actors and her performance became so much more believable. Her chemistry with Hingula was beautiful once she decided to focus on him rather than the audience. I've always been iffy about her death scene because it is written incredibly cheesy and therefore hard for anyone to make believable; McKenzie was no exception. When Mimi dies (however briefly), McKenzie looked as if she was going into an epileptic seizure making it even less believable than usual (not that I've ever witnessed someone dying in this manner, so it could have been incredibly accurate). Overall, McKenzie's performance balanced itself out to be a decent one.
But which principle actor stood out the most? Mackenzie Zielke as Maureen Johnson! She made the role her own and my eyes always went to her when the stage was full of people. Zielke's voice has always impressed me, but this was, by far, her most amazing performance. She threw herself into this character with reckless abandonment and I was with her all the way. Avery aspect of her character was believable, from her comedic physicality to her beautifully tragic relationship with Joanne. Her most shocking moment? Actually mooning Benjamin Coffin III. Well played, Zielke. Well played.
All of that being said the clear star of this show was the ensemble. The chorus stole the spotlight on this one with amazing vocals and beautiful characters. The program did not specify which actors played each individual part so I will just list the parts that stood out the most to me: Mark's mother, the coat vender, the soloists in "Life Support" and "Seasons of Love", and the drug dealer. Fantastic job, chorus. You took the cake.
With all of these comments I'm sure that I've upset someone along the way, but I still congratulate the cast of Rent on a successful production. I'm only one person and I saw only one performance. Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
Jamie Lin
read the review at KC Stage
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