Jonathan Larson’s ‘RENT’ @ Grand Prairie Arts Council
Photos by Kris Ikejiri
—Ryan Maffei
The thing about RENT — one thing, anyway — is that I don’t like it.
Or so I thought, before I saw the spirited and dynamic version Grand Prairie Arts Council is putting on at another lovable antique, the cool mid-century Uptown Theater. I went over that sentence in my head (and, as you can see, still used it), but realized I’d never actually seen RENT, at least not all of it. I know I’ve heard “Take Me or Leave Me” (the rule is the two principals must gyrate tauntingly at each other), “What You Own” (the rule is the two principals must alternate throwing their hands up in exasperation), and “Seasons of Love” (the rule is you cry) since I was a kid. And in my defense, these three very different songs suggest the epic show’s vibe quite well.
This gave me a chance to run through my history over the years, from embracing Jonathan Larson in all his corny sincerity (you can learn more about from the endearing Tick, Tick… Boom! if you like), to my hair standing on end over said sincerity. His story is affecting (he died just before his opus opened on Broadway), but his work in musical theater feels honestly earnest but synthetically subversive. A film version by Chris Columbus, whose canon is a master class in turning outsized emotions into refined sugar, didn’t help. Nor did my trans sister, who has queer authority, ranting at me about how the characters need to grow up and get jobs and stop harassing their longtime friend who’s letting them stay in his place for free.
So, I wasn’t my most openhearted on opening night.
Though actually, that’s not completely true either. Directed like a pro by Jayden Russell (a powerhouse singer and actor by day), the spectacle GPAC has let this fabulous ensemble stage is an even more impressive phoenix than one might expect. Going in, I had a great deal of hope and affection for this team, and an awareness that my job was to review this production of RENT and not the work itself. So, though it was a scruffy opening night in spots, which we were all prepared for, little hiccups made little difference. And this RENT is two gifts in one: great performances from the show’s eight leads, plus (on 9/20 and 9/27), six performers/understudies from the ensemble step into six of the leads’ shoes.
The leads performers work overtime: Dakota Brivitch, who (during a pee-before-and-at-intermission running time) slowly mines all the deep hurt and nuance in Mark, his character hiding behind quips and a camcorder; and Shahdae Williams, who illuminates all the joyous corners of the oft-tragic Mimi. Joshua Flores is the consummate Angel, a blithe sprite grinning in the face of the void, while Daniel Aaron Bryant is a classic, grunge-rock Roger, his voice a striking wail. Javon Tcheco’s Tom is a soft light in a cavalcade of stars, the realest of the bunch. Hailey Hatfield’s irrepressibly electric Maureen is expertly complemented by Janette Robinson’s Joanne, who has gravitas for days but knows exactly when to cast it off. And even Larson can’t keep you from falling in love with Dalton Glover’s Benjamin; he has a protagonist’s presence, in spite of his villainous music cues.
These main characters move in and out of earthly and existential conflicts through a sea of brilliant ensemble performers — enough for three excellent casts. RENT, which was chiefly inspired by Puccini’s La bohéme, is written like an opera, with discursive and interwoven melodic passages typically standing in for spoken dialogue. Occasionally, the diverse crew of misfits gets messages from their similarly diverse parents, on technology recent enough for tactile memories but antique enough for sight gags. There’s also a returning quintet of unhoused people with the Christmas spirit chilled out of them, and a waiter who wouldn’t be out of place in a Mel Brooks movie. Everybody onstage gets their own magic moment.
Srill to come as of writing, six of these ensemble performers will play Roger, Tom, Angel, Maureen, Joanne and Benjamin at the 2 p.m. show on Saturday, September 27: Noelle Saul, Julian E. Rodriguez, Michael Valderas, Cammi Collins, Asaysha Hearns, and Bryson Beavers. Catch them if you can: as GPAC producer Matt Betz says, “people don’t believe they are understudies.” But every one of them, plus Shannon Davidson, Jessica Deskewies, Shania Guy, Cam Hayes, Brittany Holland, Jackson Loya, Ethan Melendez, Lee Mulupi, Troy Murray, Emily Pyburn and Lisette Sandoval Perez — what a lineup! — proves worth watching.
That said, this reviewer is particularly upset that illness prevented him from catching Saul’s take on Roger, since that character’s conventionally sadboy trappings cry out for some genderqueer upheaval. No matter how you slice it, two weekends isn’t enough to contain the sum of all this talent.
A few of the tech aspects of this show were last-minute, tape-and-glue affairs. Yet there is both a roughness and simplicity to the main visual components (set and costumes) that serves the story beautifully. The multi-level set is skeletal and homegrown, driving home both the characters’ lack of (and ingenuity with) limited resources. No set designer is credited—instead, a build crew of Matt Betz, Cindi Brickett, Dan Ponto and Joseph Vandra. It sets up a look that bridges the sparse and spectacular. The costumes, by Grace Phillipar (assisted by Lillie Galvan, with props by Dani Haines), are great. It’s all an ideal template for Allison Pope’s deft lighting design (Lev Gamez and Emily Cedneo operate spots), while the projections for the multimedia moments were done by Mallory Roelke and run by Randy Gamez, with videography by Kevin Brazil. It takes a village, and this village pulled it off.
While this is not a show choreographed to showcase much brilliant dancing, the collective movement is as fluid and kinetic as its score; Danny Vanegas and Kara Price have filled in moments where actors’ instincts needed broadening or uniting. And the bursts of combat or intimacy, directed by stage manager Harper Caroline Lee, are so graceful they feel like a part of the choreography. Lee and assistant stage manager Ren Shelby are sometimes seen bringing things on and off stage, adding to both the production’s sense of theatricality and the piece’s sense of cooperation. The leads in RENT bond together despite unimaginable odds to get through the day, to push each other to their goals, to nurse wounds and offer help where it’s missing — the “love, resilience, and community” the playbill note refers to.
A shout out to musical director Billy Veer and sound designer Ryan Brazil, who in tandem commandeered the hardest part of any musical that hasn’t hired a live band. It seems to be a mixing question (when isn’t it?) and on opening night, we heard some of the potential kinks get worked out in real time. But as I sat watching this musical I respected but wasn’t sure was as good as people think (is it dated, is it overwrought, is it terminally sincere?), with familiar moments letting me down and unfamiliar moments filling me with delight (shout out to Maureen’s performance art, the highlight of the night), I realized that Larson’s music, however fitfully brilliant, wasn’t what I was here for.
I was here for the people, a brimming and bottomless cauldron of diverse talents thrilled to be making art and working together.
RENT is a fact of life, but so’s the fact that at every turn, “the man” really doesn’t want us to be making art or working together right now. He doesn’t want us to overcome the odds. So if you want proof we all still can, go see the cast and crew of GPAC’s RENT making it work, and making it pay (if not rain). These folks went through a hell of a lot to get this show on its feet. That determination and perseverance enlarges their collective empathy, and makes the countless moments they really nail it, solo or as an ensemble, something like ecstatic. Grab your tickets before it goes away.
There’s enough effort and skill in this production to sustain a Broadway-length run. Maybe we can encourage them to do some guerilla-style pop-up appearances in found locations.
Dare I say, this RENT deserves a longer lease.
WHEN: September 19 – 28, 2025
WHERE: Uptown Theater, 120 E Main St, Grand Prairie
WEB: https://www.artsgp.org/
