Review: RENT In Concert is a Symphonic Triumph at OC’s Segerstrom Center

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from experiencing RENT - IN CONCERT—which recently played to a full-capacity crowd for a one-night-only performance on March 15th at OC's Segerstrom Center for the Arts—is that Jonathan Larson's Tony and Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1996 musical truly deserves to always have a full symphony orchestra playing its memorable score.

An entertaining music-centric performance that certainly catered more to musical theater fans than your average rock show, this impressive staged concert adaptation—conceived by Billy Aronson (who also contributed additional lyrics) and directed by Sammi Cannold—arrived at Costa Mesa, CA after a successful, well-received debut go-round at The Kennedy Center in Washington DC in July of 2023, followed by a similar staging earlier this year in Lincoln, Nebraska. 

Incorporating strings, brass, and other gorgeous-sounding musical instruments that come with full symphony orchestras, RENT - IN CONCERT featured lush, expanded symphonic orchestrations from Sean O'Loughlin performed by an ad-hoc symphony orchestra of superb local artists led by the baton of conductor Sarah Hicks. And situated out front of this gathering of musicians, a small but mighty ensemble of impressive singer/actors sang and belted Larson's familiar tunes with gusto and verve, armed with the show's libretto (literally) in hand. 

RENT, of course, is the rock musical that follows a year in the lives of a group of young artists and musicians struggling to survive in New York City's bohemian East Village during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The story—loosely based on Giacomo Puccini's 1896 opera La Bohème—centers on roommates Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, and Roger, an angsty musician coping with past trauma, as they navigate love, friendship, and financial hardship. 

As one might have expected, there was an intentional emphasis on the music, which, naturally, gave this concert iteration permission to eschew the expected accoutrements of a normal, fully-staged musical (sets, props, multiple costume changes, and choreographed movements were notably absent) and, instead, presented Larson's culturally-defining masterpiece with an unadorned stage that had the orchestra performing down-stage while the assembled singers lined up in front of them—only ever standing up from their seats when it was their respective turn for the spotlight in front of their music stands. 

While some might have seen this casualness as an opportunity to lower expectations, the concert—swathed in richer symphonic sounds and outstanding vocal offerings—proved to be genuinely enjoyable throughout, despite the lessened emotional gravitas that a full production might have normally elicited. Nonetheless, the fervor was still palpable amongst the packed crowd at this performance, who rewarded the concert with a rapturous standing ovation by the show's conclusion.

The concert's talented assembled cast was uniformly laudable, led by Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Abigail Barlow (The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical) singing the songs of Maureen, Coby Getzug (Broadway's Merrily We Roll Along and The Book of Mormon, and was last here in the OC with the National Tour of The Band's Visit) singing the songs of Mark, audience fave Frankie Rodriguez (Disney's High School Musical - The Musical: The Series) singing the songs of the fab Angel, Warren Egypt Franklin (Hamilton National Tour) singing the songs of Collins, Jasiana Caraballo (Dogman: The Musical National Tour) singing the songs of Mimi, Kennedy Holmes (TV's The Voice) singing the songs of Joanne, Tristan J. Shuler (A Strange Loop and South Coast Repertory's Prelude to a Kiss The Musical) singing the songs of Benny, and Tyler Matthew Burk (Jersey Boys in Las Vegas and Broadway's Summer: The Donna Summer Musical) singing the songs of Roger. 

They were also joined by a supportive ensemble which was comprised of local So. Cal. singers making their Segerstrom Center debuts: Blake Brewer, Chichi Delgado, Neema Muteti, and Caroline Pernick.

Despite a few minor isolated pitch hiccups and some bravely attempted high notes that didn't quite hit, the overall performances were quite first-rate.

Notable highlights included Getzug and Holmes' spirited early duet in "Tango: Maureen," Burk and Caraballo's flirty duet in "Light My Candle," Franklin and Rodriguez's endearingly buoyant duet in "I'll Cover You," and the rousing duet between Barlow and Holmes in "Take Me or Leave Me." And speaking of Holmes, this starry singer was an absolute MVP in all her solos throughout the evening, but most especially in her divalicious riffs during "Seasons of Love," while Barlow was herself a commanding presence in her fiery take of "Over the Moon" that had the audience in stitches. 

I also loved the layering of male voices featured in "You'll See" which featured Shuler, Burk, Getzug, Rodriguez, and Franklin, and I thoroughly enjoyed "What You Own" which featured a late show duet between Getzug and Burk (the latter of whom gave the gals and gays in the audience quite a show throughout the evening with his rather distracting tank top that likely had no complaints from anyone haha).

I wasn't surprised, though, that my favorite moments of the concert were the more deeply emotional musical numbers that included the superb ensemble vocals in "Will I?," the aforementioned harmonies of "Seasons of Love," and the gut-wrenching solo work of the supremely talented Franklin in his beautifully-rendered version of "I'll Cover You (Reprise)." 

Though part of me wishes the concert should've ended with another encore of "Seasons of Love," (if only to hear more of Holmes), the program satisfied all those wanting to hear these songs refreshed from a new cast of voices.

More than anything, I cannot tell you how much and how often I was surprised by being emotionally swept up in just the sounds produced by the mere addition of gorgeous violins throughout the concert, especially early on in Burk's admirable take on "One Song Glory" and during many of the show's signature ballads like "Without You." Hearing Larson's score accentuated by additional symphonic orchestrations certainly made the case for having more of these types of re-imaginings of classic musicals into full-orchestra-backed concerts to be produced in the future. 

While full orchestras have been missing from a lot of modern musical productions' orchestra pits for decades now, tweaking a rock musical like RENT proved that this practice was a valid endeavor that many other shows could benefit from like, off the top of my head… HAIR, SPRING AWAKENING, or even AMERICAN IDIOT or HADESTOWN. Even pop-leaning scores like DEAR EVAN HANSEN, HAIRSPRAY, KINKY BOOTS, SIX, or LEGALLY BLONDE would be a lovely thing to experience as a symphonic staged concert! 

Thanks to this RENT IN CONCERT experiment gone very, very right, I'm totally on-board with the Rodgers-and-Hammerstein-ing of contemporary musicals! Here's to more!

Photos by Scott Smeltzer, courtesy of Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

* Follow this reviewer on Bluesky / Instagram / Threads / X: @cre8iveMLQ *

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Tickets to remaining performances of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2024-2025 Headliners Series can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

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