Set in early 1990s New York at the height of the AIDS pandemic RENT the musical brings friends and lovers together as they navigate their way through a horrendous terminal disease which saw many innocent young men die before their time. Left to fight it alone as many outside the gay community turned their backs out of fear, homophobia and sheer ignorance.
This particular production is a musical of two halves. The first half would benefit from editing and reducing the length of the performance to make a bigger impact with the powerful storyline. In the second half, I thought I was watching a new cast as the vigor and gusto of their singing turned up an octave and the storyline overall appeared to flow more organically than in the first half.
Ignorance and fear saw many dying from AIDS treated as sub-human. This becomes evident at Angel’s (Rory McKeon) funeral when the vicar throws his friends out and refuses to help once he learns what the cause of death had been.
The words “How do you measure a year” from the song Seasons of Love has a powerful message behind them. Many friendships and lovers changed within those 525,600 minutes during the 1990s. Breaking it down into minutes somehow feels shorter than a year and it’s over in a moment. A stark reminder to cherish life and live it to the fullest.
Finishing to a standing ovation by the packed auditorium speaks for itself as to whether the musical was well received. Its a long performance yet the storyline is an important part of our history and the AIDS pandemic is far from over.
For more information about the musical please visit the link below.
Four Stars.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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