Playwright: Jonathan Larson. At: No Exit Cafe, 6970 N. Glenwood Ave. Tickets: 800-595-4849; www.theo-u.com; $20. Runs through: May 1
The Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre now tackles Rent in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Broadway musical this year.
Rent is the story of a group of friends living in New York affected by HIV/AIDS. The production ran on Broadway for over eight years and has some incredibly memorable songs. The content draws from Puccini's La Boheme, with tuberculosis being replaced by AIDS.
This version is presented at the No Exit Cafe, in Rogers Park, and offers dinner served by the cast as an option to go with the performance. The actors of the show mingle and talk to each other onstage prior to the start time. The troupe chooses to stretch and warm up on the stage instead of backstage. This creates a casual feel to the piece and works with the atmosphere of the cafe.
From the start, "everything is Rent" and the audience is engulfed in it. Bigger productions sometimes lose the heart of this very human story, so this stripped-down, gritty take hits the right notes. Speaking of notes, they might be a little off key at times, but the trick is making it feel genuineand director Scott Weinstein has a knack for that.
Rent is known for being stuck in the 1993 time period where it was first work shopped many years ago with its references, but the cast does have a few moments of updating the piece. The death drop by drag queen Angel, played by Aubrey McGrath, comes to mind and was a show-stopper. "Tango Maureen" was another choreographed highlight that had just the right amount of chemistry between the performers.
The show is forever haunted by the fact the creator Jonathan Larson was not able to see the musical become a hit, passing away the night before the off-Broadway premiere. Too bad that he could not see the production today. At a time where there are new cases of HIV/AIDS in the world, this musical still hits home.
The second act drags at times and needed to have some cuts. This possibly didn't happen because of the reverence held for this historic musical, but a little tightening up was in order.
The backing band, led by musical director Jeremy Ramey crammed back in the corner, was excellent and may have the most expressive bass player in town.
The idea behind the dinner and a show is a rarity in Chicago for some strange reasonand this may show why, as the execution of it fell apart. The food was not presented in an appetizing way, the bar was limited and the seats were uncomfortable for a long show. To top it off, the air conditioning kept switching on in the second act, freezing the audience.
The tickets are selling so well that the space was packed. The director staged this production well, using every nook and cranny possible. This actually may be time to move or expand but, in the meantime, this a good chance to see Rent up close and personal with a talented cast that obviously love performing it.