Rent June 2015

Director: Chris Malone
Musical Director: Kristian Barli
Chorographer: Emma Rowland

Cast

Mark – Dean Robertson, Roger – Michael Leopold
Angel – Peter Wheeler, Collins – Jony Kerslake
Mimi – Emma Miller, Joanne – Amy de Roche
Maureen – Vicky Terry, Benny – Chris Goldhawk

Ensemble

Melanie Beggs, Emily Burrill, Paula Cox, Emma Dixon
Molly Ellingham, Julie Fallon, Emma Goldhawk, Ed Thomson
Kit-Mei Kong, Katie Leader, Graeme Long, Nick Mead
Zak Negri, Matthew Westrope, Angie Schultz

Synopsis

Based on Puccini’s beloved opera La Bohème, Rent follows the ups and downs of a year in the life of a group of impoverished, artistic friends living in Manhattan’s East Village. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, struggles to find his place in the world; his roommate Roger, an HIV-positive musician, wonders how he will leave his mark before he dies. Mimi and Angel look for true love as they face the harsh reality of life as HIV-positive young people, while the businesslike Joanne seeks fidelity from her wild-child performance artist girlfriend Maureen. The group’s dreams, losses, and love stories weave through the musical’s narration to paint a stunningly raw and emotional portrait of the gritty bohemian world of New York City in the late 1980s, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.