Tyne Theatre Productions return this March with RENT
Tyne Theatre Productions are set to return this March, for the first time since the pandemic began, with the ground-breaking rock musical RENT.
RENT officially premiered in 1996, with music, lyrics and book by Jonathan Larson whose life story has recently become a Netflix hit, winning a Golden Globe and Oscar nomination in the process. Set in the early 1990’s during the Aids crisis, Tick Tick Boom directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda premiered on Netflix in November 2021, focussing of Jonathan Larson’s emerging musical theatre career, which saw RENT inspired by his own personal struggles and that of his friends battling HIV/ Aids diagnosis.
Set in the East Village of New York City, RENT is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, RENT has become a pop cultural phenomenon, with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s RENT follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger (Craig Wallace), Mimi (Bridget Anne Marsh), Tom (Jack Hawkins) and Angel (Ryan Duffy).
Maureen (Stephanie Peacock) deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne (Rebecca Graham), wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble. Benny (Gary Roe) has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, (Matthew Maguire) an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this ground-breaking musical.
The talented cast also includes, Katie Barton, Carol-Ann McConnellogue, Elle Mavin, Rachael Bell, Willow Pearson, Charlie Younger, Becky Clayburn, Angela Dowse, Tyler Kempson-Neumann, Harry Jay, James Weaver, James Taylor, Jack Manning, David Patrick, Alan Davison.
Directed by Sonia Hernandez, RENT is the first production since the successful run of The Full Monty by Tyne Theatre Productions pre-pandemic in March 2020. Established in 2007, Tyne Theatre Productions is a volunteer-led organisation that stages an annual production at the Newcastle based venue, raising vital funds for the Grade 1 listed venue.
Sonia Hernandez, Director comments “Both for the theatre and our volunteers, it’s a huge relief to finally be able to return to the stage this March, with the epic rock musical Rent. It’s fantastic for the wellbeing of our volunteers, who produce and star in the production, to return to their passion, performing on stage whilst raising vital funds that go towards the preservation and restoration of the stunning Tyne Theatre and Opera House.”
“The ground-breaking production used musical theatre as a platform to raise awareness of Aids/HIV, prominent throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, much like the more recent critically acclaimed TV series It’s A Sin and Pose. It’s vital that works like Rent and others continue to be produced to educate, inform and highlight such important social issues, still current today.”
The creative team includes Director Sonia Hernandez, Musical Director Jenni Watson, Assistant Director Jon Isbell, Choreographer Steph Crewe and Assistant Musical Director Jack Elsdon.
RENT at Tyne Theatre and Opera House runs Wednesday 23 March – Saturday 26 March 2022. Tickets are on-sale now from £14.00 with group rates available at www.tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
