Rent at The New Theatre Peterborough Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Mel Randle
Last night we went to see Rent at The New Theatre Peterborough. This was the second night of a new production for 2024 by Landmark Theatres so there was a lot of excitement surrounding it! My theatre buddy is usually my daughter (8), but this show had an age recommendation of 14+ which I’m glad I heeded on this occasion as it tackles serious issues such as drugs, aids, relationships and contained adult language.
I will hold my hands up straight away and say I don’t know what I thought of it! I want to really love it but at the same time it confused me and I didn’t know what was going on half the time! The heat in the theatre really didn’t help. Obviously nothing to do with the show but when you’re just wishing the show away so you can get outside for air, it’s difficult to concentrate!
I knew nothing about this rock opera before going other than what I read on the promo material – ‘it is loosely based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme’ and ‘follows a group of artists living in Manhattan as they navigate their way through love, loss and the devastating impact of aids/HIV’. I think if I had known more what to expect or listened to the soundtrack I would possibly would have followed it more. It’s definitely one that you need to see more than once to appreciate it.
Let’s get the cons out the way with so we can concentrate on the best bits. The whole show was sung which means even conversation the characters were ‘singing’ to each other. This in itself wasn’t a problem but the background music was very loud so it wasn’t always possible to make out the words. When you are trying to follow a story, this can cause a problem. Also, a lot was happening on the stage at the same time. Different stories on different parts of the set, so it was almost too busy to follow. And then there was Maureen’s Protest Song. This, I’m afraid, is where they lost me. Although very funny, I have no idea what it was about!
Now to why you should see it! The cast is incredible. 15 amazing actors/singer/dancers. It was a stage oozing with talent. And the set was fantastic. It was static throughout and the use of levels, staging, stairs and props helped differentiate between the scenes. To me it had a real ‘Friends’ vibe to the set and the story. The band of five were on stage for the whole show ‘under the stair and the music was brilliant (if a little loud). There were some real toe tapping numbers that I would like to hear again.
The audience were really drawn into the show. There were some side splitting moments where we were laughing out loud, we were invited to ‘moo’ with Maureen during her protest which was just bizarre and we were clapping along in the finale. But the most striking moment was toward the end. The issues of aids/HIV during a time when it wasn’t talked about was very powerfully portrayed, much like the Channel 4 series ‘It’s A Sin’. As well as working it into the story, they demonstrated the impact with projections onto the stage, with real-life photos and video, and they clearly did a great job delivering their message because there was barely a dry eye in the house.
Overall it left me feeling like I had an enjoyable evening but didn’t blow me away. But I would definitely like to give it a second run before I write it off completely…..
Rating: 4/5
Rent is at The New Theatre Peterborough until Saturday 29th July 2024. For more details and to book visit https://newtheatre-peterborough.com/event/rent/ Tickets from £23.40