Up close, this ‘Rent' is really rocking

When 14 “Rent” cast members form a line across the stage to sing the show's signature ballad, “Seasons of Love,” they stand shoulder to shoulder — and wall to wall — in the tiny SNAP/Shelterbelt Theatre.

The lush, big-voice harmonies, with great solo work from Megan O'Connell and Stephen Michael Shelton, gave me goose bumps at a Thursday night preview.

I got that same jolt of electricity twice more — when a broken-hearted Tom Collins (Wayne Moore) reprises “I'll Cover You” after the death of his lover, Angel (Sean Buster), and when the company joins in a rousing finale of “No Day but Today,” led by Mimi (Audrey Fisher) and Roger (Jason Carroll).

You'll rarely see more talent squeezed into less space than at the metro area's first amateur production of “Rent.” They're tripping over one another all night long as Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-winning rock musical about struggling young artists in Manhattan's East Village plays itself out in your lap.

The close quarters amp up the emotional impact of this melodrama based on Puccini's opera “La Boheme.” Director Todd Brooks' busy staging sometimes accentuates the show's biggest negative. Chorus members cross from one platform to another, up and down steep ladders, for no discernible reason but movement, or actors squash themselves into too-small playing areas and then struggle to move — and move again.

But there's little to fault about powerhouse work from eight leading players, surround-sound choral blends that raise the hair on the back of your neck, and incendiary ensemble work that projects energy through the roof.

“Rent” literally rocks, thanks in no small part to music director D. Laureen Pickle's careful vocal prep and a tight band that includes Pickle and Brooks on keyboards, plus two guitars, bass and drums.

The list of standout solos and duets is too long to recite in full but must include Fisher's howling “Out Tonight,” Tim Vallier and Allison Wissman's silky blend on “The Tango Maureen,” Wissman and Angie Heim's crackling “Take Me or Leave Me,” and Carroll and Fisher singing just about anything.

The show also overflows with comedic character bits like the deadpan “Christmas Bells Are Ringing,” voice mails from parents (Rusheaa Smith) and agents (Mallory Vallier), vagrant rants (O'Connell) and waiter protests (Tom Miller). Shelton scores as a sardonic drug dealer, while Fisher and Buster deliver powerful dramatic punches.

Lights didn't quite keep up with the fast-moving players at the preview. Set designer Shane Staiger splashes the black walls with inspired graffiti and accommodates quick scene changes, and costumer Donita Brooks makes streetwise choices that capture a hint of the Broadway design. Katie Hogston's choreography adds much despite severe space limitations.

It's probably not fair to call this can't-miss theater, since more than 70 percent of the tickets were sold before opening night. Performances have already been added Dec. 17 through 19, but those seats will go fast as well.

Contact the writer:

444-1269, bob.fischbach@owh.com

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