The Leader

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The producers of the stage version of "Rent" had a lot to live up to.

The recent film, directed by Harry Potter guru Chris Columbus, was a box-office smash both financially and for the millions of patrons who turned out-skeptical, no doubt-to see if the movie would tarnish the reputation of the hit many have grown to love.

The film, which stuck fairly close to the stage version, was above and beyond what many "Rent" addicts (including myself) expected. The newest version of Jonathan Larson's Tony Award winning tale of a group of young bohemians has unfortunately not lived up to the legacy "Rent" has built.

The comparison, however, cannot be between the film version and the stage version; no critic would dare to belittle the stage presence and energy of a live performance by suggesting that graphics, re-shoots and FX could ever draw the same parallel as a rehearsed, live production.

For those who haven't seen Rent, the story follows the lives of a group of twenty-something New Yorkers dealing with poverty, AIDS, love, homosexuality, loneliness and drug addiction. Mark and Roger, roommates, are the main characters in the journey of one year in the life of a group of friends that must overcome numerous obstacles in their pursuit of happiness and their struggle to stay alive.

Where "Rent" failed, I believe, is in the dynamic of the new cast. In every show, there is a leader-an actor, usually one of the main characters, who exudes a natural energy and dynamic that brings the entire cast along with them. The youth of the current cast, whom I believe to be very underdeveloped, yields to experience and no real leader ever emerges. The cast seemed to be lost at moments-not literally, of course, as they all knew their actions well, but emotionally without any drive or belief in their own story.

Perhaps it was my own naivety that led me to believe that anyone could follow in the footsteps of the original cast I saw almost half a decade ago, but the new cast seemed weak and unable to step out of their role as actors into the role of the person they were supposed to portray.

Granted, there were standouts in the group. Warren G. Nolan, Jr., who played Tom Collins, and Tracy McDowell, as Maureen, were easily the standouts of the main ensemble and were, during their pieces, the rescuing moments of a ship that thankfully did manage to turn itself around in the second act.

But the rest of the cast lacked something that can only be described as an aura of both energy and experience. The actors lacked the flare of their predecessors-high notes were left unreachable and attitude was left at the door. I was surprised to see the tone of what should have been an epic 90's rock musical was more like seeing a high school production where students were simply trying to get to the end without forgetting a line or two.

Overall, I believe "Rent" has a lot of improving to do, but there were strong points. As an ensemble, the stage was filled with a vibrant radiance that reverberated throughout the Milwaukee Theatre. Numbers like "Seasons of Love" and "I'll Cover You" were masterful, but how could they not be?

The easiest way to describe the current stage production of "Rent" is that when the cast was hot, they were hot; but during the majority of the production, it felt like the cast didn't want to be here as much as we were questioning why popping in the DVD didn't seem like a better idea.

"Rent", now in its 10th season, has been a hit among young crowds and draws many comparisons to La Boheme, a musical set in Paris whose characters and basic premise Rent was modeled after.

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