Review: The SUSU Showstoppers Perform Rent

My first trip to the Annex Theatre was full of surprises from the start: firstly, I arrived way too early allowing myself too much time to find the building when it couldn’t be much closer to the interchange if it tried, secondly, I did not expect the inside to look as much like a lecture theatre as it did and finally, and most importantly, I was stunned by the talent of the youthful actors-not just for their acting but their voices too.

While browsing through, the very professional, programme before the show began I noticed that none of the performers are studying Drama and only two were Music. However, from the quality of the acting and singing this wouldn’t have been my guess.

Based on Puccini’s opera-La Boheme, RENT is a musical following a group of friends in New York City struggling to pay their rent whilst battling with disease and addiction. The show filled with tragedy, comedy and romance is portrayed through the medium of song with Act 1 consisting of 25 numbers and Act 2 of 18. A serious storyline was presented superbly, with humour, mainly provided by Angel (Tashan Nicholas), and Maureen (Sarah Moir) adding a lighter aspect to the narrative. Challenging roles such as a pole dancing drug addict were represented very well, even during quite risqué scenes eg Mimi (Charissa Foster) and sombre issues handled with care in the character of Roger (Jez Roberts). The emotions of the characters touched the audience so much so that the girl in front of me began to cry. The confidence of the actors is incredible, especially when Sarah (Moir) and Robyn (Fryer) proceeded to stand on the desks of the first row; it is hard to believe that the cast consists entirely of students.

I must admit that whilst I was blown away by the talent of the students, at points I was slightly confused by the plot and it took me a while to get into the swing of what was going on. Sometimes dramatic techniques and singing overshadowed the narrative. However, the strucure of the play was aided by wannabe director Mark (Raees Mahmood).

The production team made good use of a very small space by creating a two story set with steps either side-this made the play very dynamic and allowed for all the actors to be on stage at once without looking cramped and unprofessional.

As well as the amazing performers, congratulations must also be given to all the directors, producers, the choreographer, the crew and of course the band who all did an amazing job on the first showing this week.

Having never seen a version of RENT before I didn’t know what to expect, however, if I ever see it again the production will have a lot to live up to.

The musical is showing every night untill Saturday and tickets are just £6.50 for students so I highly recommend grabbing a ticket if you haven’t already. Tickets are available from SUSU Box Office.