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REVIEW
​Southend Operatic & Dramatic Society present

RENT
Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea
27th - 30th November 2019
Firstly, let me just give SODS the unofficial "Award in Am Dram Bravery" for going completely against the grain of their audience dynamic in choosing Rent as their latest production.  Despite the fact that they have dipped their toes into the more risqué am dram waters  in the past with productions such as The Producers, Rock of Ages and Bonnie & Clyde, one still somehow expects Southend Operatic & Dramatic Society  to be the ones who keep their mainstays happy with the likes of productions more in the Hello Dolly and Calamity Jane genre.

Rent was written at a time (late eighties/early nineties) when a new era of gay theatre in the US was emerging alongside the Gay Liberation movement, with more and more gay stories being seen on stage.  A lot of theatre revolved around the response to the AIDS crisis and became a manner of expression for what society was trying to block out.  Rent, written by Jonathan Larson, follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians who are struggling to survive in New York's Lower East Side, under the shadow of AIDS.  It has, over the years, become a cult addition to musical theatre and one that pretty much every young musical theatre or drama student and performer I have met, adores and longs to be involved in.  Perhaps this could be the reason that this production has so many younger and newer faces within the Society.

Despite being familiar with the Seasons of Love number from the show, I have never seen Rent performed before.  For this production, the staging was, as I would expect it to be, stark - scaffolding used to create other spaces or rooms within the mainframe of the show and tables used as chairs or beds or a bar (clever) - a reflection, maybe, of the bleak times these characters are living through.  The band, also on stage and led by MD, Ashton Moore, sounded perfect for this rock and pop infused musical and the backstage team did a great job with scene changes to keep the flow going smoothly.

Pretty much the whole of this production is sung through, and with the minimal set left to our imaginations we are completely reliant on grasping the storyline from the sung narrative.  Musically, this is a beautiful but complex score for any company and the narrative is vital for the audience to understand the plot.  I did find a lot of the diction from some principal players lacking in clarity and this unfortunately meant that I was left a little confused as to what was happening in places.  It also makes it difficult to invest in a character when you can't define what they are singing.  That said, however, I cannot take away the fact that there were some excellently committed performances from every single member of the cast.

I had a hunch that Matt Miller, who played Roger was in a band and sure enough, looking at the programme, he has been lead singer with The Undercovers function band.  His vocals certainly gave the rock feel that is fundamental to this production.  Maddy Lahna's vocals really came to the fore in Without You, the first time in the production where a song felt truly emotive and she did a nice job playing Mimi.  Jordi Tiney's Angel would have been right at home as a contender in Ru Paul's Drag Race and certainly wowed with some show-stopping splits during one number but again, a lot of compassion for this character was lost due to lack of clarity which was a real shame.  Luke Brown as Angel's other half, Tom Collins, made up for this partnership with a well played performance throughout.  I also enjoyed watching Samantha Coles as Maureen, especially in her comedic performance with back up dancers in Over the Moon and with her argumentative relationship with Joanne (Kirsty Buxton). John Staines as Mark and Matt Miller as Roger put in a good performance during their number, What You Own; in fact the whole of the second half of this show brought out, for me, some better performances.

A special mention has to go to Millie Gallagher who belts out some terrific notes during the beautifully sung Seasons of Love and again in the finale performance of this number.

Jonny Buxton has done a worthy job with this production and choreographer, Sarah-Rose Dunn, has given the SODS ensemble some moves that will no doubt steam up the glasses of some of its audience members; that's if they haven't already been shocked by the colourful language used in the production, as well as simulated sex moves in one particular number - this is certainly not one for the Kiss Me Kate crowd.  It is clear that a lot of hard work has gone into this production and you cannot deny that every member of the cast is giving it 100%.  This is without doubt a show that will appeal to a niche market but it is out there for everyone and I would urge anyone to broaden their musical theatre horizons by going to see just what all the fuss is all about!

Review:  Kim Tobin

EVERYONE involved in musical theatre has a show that is a favourite, and that’s why directing SODS’ production of Rent has been a labour of love for Jonny Buxton.

Southend Operatic and Dramatic Society will be producing Jonathan Larson’s Broadway hit at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff from November 27-30 when Jonny’s work comes to fruition.

“I am a complete Rent-head, a term used to describe mega-fans of the show, so I simply couldn’t resist,” he said. “It really is a remarkable piece of theatre and to be at the helm is beyond incredible.”

Jonny has spent the past six months working with the cast and technical team to bring together Larson’s show to life, but it hasn’t caused too many headaches.

“To be honest it hasn’t been too taxing. Not when I have an extremely talented cast who share my passion for the project and a creative team who are experts in their respective fields,” he explained. 

“Obviously a lot of hard work has gone into the production but it has been a very positive experience,” added Jonny, who directed SODS’ production of Hello, Dolly in 2016.

He admits there have been challenges, such as fitting all 30 members of the company on the Palace stage for big numbers such as Christmas Bells and La Vie Boheme, plus mastering Larson’s complex score.

Handling the vocal side of things has been musical director Ashton Moore and assistant MD James Green. Jonny and Ashton played the parts of Angel and Collins in a previous production of Rent, so are well versed in the show.

“It was how we met and before we knew it we were cast as onstage lovers,” Jonny said. “I’m delighted to say that fictional love made way for a true friendship that lives on today. 

“It certainly does help that we have been in the show, and Ashton has been musical director of the show several times, so I feel the show is in very safe hands.”

Sarah Dunn has choreographed the production, which features John Staines (Mark), Matt Miller (Roger), Maddy Lana (Mimi), Luke Brown (Collins), Jordi Tiney (Angel), Kirsty Buxton (Joanne), Sam Coles (Maureen) and Lewis Carlile (Benny) in the principal roles.

While the Rent-heads will be packing out the auditorium, what can people who are not familiar with the show expect?
“I think they would find Rent a very refreshing piece of theatre, added Jonny.

“Whilst at times it is beautifully heart-warming and incredibly entertaining, it is also dark, edgy and not afraid to explore difficult issues such as the AIDS epidemic, drug addiction, prejudice and inequality.
​
“Assisted by a thrilling score and sublime acting, this is going to be a very special show. If you have even the slightest interest in theatre this one is an absolute must-see and it changed the way people looked at musicals.”


There are evening performances of Rent at the Palace Theatre at 7.30pm from Wednesday, November 27 to Saturday, November 30, with 2.30pm matinees on Thursday, November 28 and November 30.

Tickets are available from www.southendtheatres.org.uk or by calling the box office on 01702 351135.
Interview with director, Jonny Buxton BELOW
Check out our interview with SODS' director, Jonny Buxton below PLUS a couple of sneak peeks of the cast in rehearsal!

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