Rent Is Rising On The Peninsula

Redcliffe Musical Theatre are performing the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning musical RENT at Studio 102, Redcliffe in November.

The show is co-directed by company president, Madeleine Johns and Jean Bowra, who directed the highly successful Mod Musical 'DOWNTOWN' earlier this year.

The story of RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and to be creative in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV and AIDS. It covers a wide variety of contemporary themes including love, sacrifice, mortality, addiction, overcoming adversity and paying the rent.

If this sounds slightly familiar to classical buffs it's because Rent is loosely-based on Puccini's famous opera, 'La Boheme'. The idea for the musical came from playwright Billy Aronson and he collaborated with Jonathon Larson, who wrote the music and lyrics. Rent opened in a small New York theatre, in 1996, and despite Jonathon Larson's sudden death, the musical was a hit with the audience and critics alike, and soon moved to Broadway, where it is still running.

This is theatre at its best ' exuberant, passionate and joyous.�

Jonathon Sweeper, well-known for playing the title role in 'Barnum', portrays Mark Cohen in Rent. Mark narrates the story in rent and is a struggling Jewish-American documentary film-maker. His roommate, Roger Davis, is a once successful, but now struggling musician. Jesse Ainsworth plays this ex-lead singer, rock guitarist who is also HIV positive and a recovering junkie. His love interest, Mimi Marquez, is played by Rebel Bliss. Eric Ilustre plays the anarchist professor, Tom Collins.

Rent has become a pop-cultural phenomenon, with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages. The production team will pay homage to its realism by telling this story with truth, dignity and realism.

RENT
Where: Theatre 102,102 Anzac Avenue, Redcliffe
When: 9th'25th November
Tickets: $30 Adult, $25 Concession and Group.

To book go to www.redcliffemusicaltheatre...