Umbrella Stage Company Delivers Energetic ‘RENT’

“RENT” By Jonathan Larson; Directed by Julia Deter; Musical Direction by Jeff Kimball; Choreography by Hannah Shihdanian; Presented by The Umbrella Stage Company at The Umbrella Arts Center, 40 Stow St. Concord, MA. Performances through Dec. 4^th (no show, 11/24).

by Tom Boudrot

If, like me, you’re one of the few people in the world who’ve never seen the multiple award-winning show RENT, the Umbrella stage in Concord offers a wonderful opportunity to see it in an intimate setting. Or if you’ve seen it previously and it’s been a while, this local production is worth another look. Despite noticeable audio problems that did not get resolved by the end of the performance on press night, the talented players sang, danced and acted with the kind of energy theater professionals can reach down deep and pull out, night after night. Further upping the energy level, the theater was packed with a loud, eclectic mix of appreciative fans for this performance, which was doubly refreshing in this post-pandemic era.

If you aren’t familiar with the storyline, RENT is about a group of people trying to stay true to their artistic vision while still managing to survive – and literally pay the rent. The setting is NYC In the 1990’s, a time in our country when the AIDS epidemic was ravaging communities and was very much misunderstood, generating fear. RENT takes a stark look at drug addiction as well, not only as a danger in its own right, but as another spreader of the AIDS virus.

But fear not, the show is not a depressing affair, focusing instead on the hopeful – espousing a “live for today because tomorrow is not a given” attitude. It also looks at the way people found solace in the unique challenges brought on by AIDS. Creating new chosen families when their own family members could not accept the stigma of AIDS, they found themselves marginalized by friends and society. The group of people in this story are not family by blood but support each other as though they were.

Jonathan Larson (Book, Music, Lyrics) received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1996, the same year he died.  Part of the misinformation that has become lore around this thirty-year-old show is that he died of AIDS, but in reality, he passed away from complications due to Marfan syndrome. Even more sadly, he died on the night before RENT’s off-Broadway premiere.

The stage is multi-dimensional, and being high, wide and deep allows the dancers and choreography of director Julia Deter to take advantage of various levels and angles. The central characters of Mark and Roger are played by Errol Service, Jr. and Jake Smerechniak. Service is especially effective as he transforms from a nerdy camera-toting observer of mankind to a singing and dancing force, moving with an unexpected energy and grace as the show progresses. While the entire cast is excellent, Smerechniak’s singing was consistently fine as was Brian Demar Jones as Tom Collins, and Maria Sylvia Norris, a powerhouse as Joanne Jefferson.

There are so many performances that left a lasting impression long after the curtain fell. Temma Beaudreau was both a talented singer and displayed great comic timing as Maureen. Dominic Pecikonis was memorable as Angel, and making her professional debut in a key role as Mimi Marquez was Isa Sanchez, who made the most of the chance to display her superb singing, dancing and acting chops. There were technical difficulties with the audio that only got worse as the evening went on, but I have no doubt the problems will be ironed out by the hard-working crew at The Umbrella Stage Company. For tickets and information, go to: https://theumbrellaarts.org/production/rent