RENT set to debut at Neptune Theatre as musical marks 30th anniversary

RENT continues to inspire audiences around the world. The longstanding musical opens at Neptune Theatre this week.

Neptune Theatre is set to debut its production of the Tony-Award winning musical RENT Friday night.

Set in New York’s East Village during the 1990s, it chronicles a year in the lives of a group of young artists as they confront love, financial insecurity, and a rapidly changing community against the backdrop of the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

“One of the exciting things for me is that we’re… the only production in Canada for its 30th anniversary,” said Neptune Theatre’s artistic director Jeremy Webb.

“So, it originally hit Broadway in ‘96 and one of the most famous things about the show, one of the most tragic parts of the show is that its creator, Jonathan Larson, died the week that it was opening on Broadway. So, he never got to see the show.”

Thirty years later, the beloved production continues to be embraced by audiences.

“I think you only have to look at the world we live in with the hatred, the violence, the unacceptance – when you come to see this show you see that theatricalized, amplified, you see love and friendship and connection on stage.”

Allister MacDonald plays the role of Roger Davis. The Cape Breton actor says RENT is one of his favourite musicals, but he’s also enjoyed his time performing in other Neptune shows.

“I was in ‘Shakespeare in Love,’ I was in ‘Alice,’ and I was Frankfurter in ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ and I really liked the roles I got to play. I got to dig in deep and have some fun,” he said.

MacDonald says one of his favourite things about RENT is it covers so many beautiful stories.

“Specifically, I see it as a memorial to people who we’ve lost to the HIV-Aids virus, and I see it as a celebration of their lives and their legacies. So, it’s pretty special to perform,” he said.

Theatregoers will experience a full-scale production when they go see RENT at Neptune, according to Webb.

“The set is magnificent. Everyone looks fantastic in the costumes, and we’ve brought together a cast that I think are perfectly cast for their roles. They really honor the spirit and the joy that is RENT the musical,” he said.

RENT runs until Aug. 30 at Neptune Theatre.

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