MSMT Presents RENT Concert 6/20 & 6/21

For two nights only, Maine State Music Theatre will present a special concert version of the famous rock musical, RENT. The highly anticipated June 20th and 21st performances will showcase the talents of the newly-arrived MSMT interns, as well as those of local Maine performers.

RENT is a landmark rock musical depicting the lives of young artists struggling to survive in New York City's Lower East Side. The characters fight to keep their spirits up, as they are forced to contend with their homes being under the threat of demolition, crises of self-actualization, HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, and living under the thumb of "the man."

RENT is the winner of 18 major awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 4 Tony Awards, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, 6 Drama Desk Awards, 3 Obie Awards, and a Drama League Award. It was made into a movie in 2005. RENT is also the 9th-longest running show on Broadway and has toured across the country, as well as abroad.

Jonathan Larson, composer, writer and lyricist of the show, won critical acclaim for the attention his work gives to the serious social issues of multiculturalism, addiction, homophobia, and AIDS. During his early years, Larson lived in poverty in an apartment with no heat. He worked for 10 years as a waiter at the Moondance Diner in New York City, while writing his musical during his spare time. The show is based on incidents in Larson's own life, as well as Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème. Larson ambitiously wanted "to bring musical theatre to the MTV generation." Tragically, Larson passed away due to an aortic dissection and failed to see the Off-Broadway opening of his beloved show. Posthumously, Larson was awarded both a Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for RENT.

MSMT's Executive Director, Steven Peterson, remarks that with the challenging themes and topics it addresses, RENT is "a show that changes lives." It is filled with passionate songs, such as the famous "Seasons of Love," that have moved audiences to tears. "RENT is a show that brings people together," says Peterson.

The show's cast comprises both local actors and interns from across the country. In their roles as supporting and ensemble characters and production team members, the MSMT interns have an opportunity to be the tried-and-true professionals that they aspire to be. Joining them onstage are Maine actors, Cliff Fantigrossi, Gregory Charette, Rylee Doiron, and Rachel Duddy.
Mark Ayesh, a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, was specially selected and brought to MSMT to play the part of Roger Davis, a once successful musician dealing with the strife of poverty and HIV. Ayesh revisits the role of Roger after performing it in a production of RENT at the University of Michigan.

This concert version will feature limited blocking and choreography, but will not be simply a staged reading of the show. Director Ray Dumont promises that, although the show is not a full production, he is going to treat it as if it were. "I want it to be the show that people remember," says Dumont.

Kurt Alger, seasoned MSMT costume designer and Emily Rose Goss, head of MSMT's costume shop will apply their considerable talents to costuming the performers. Alger and Goss have recently returned from 9 years working with international and national tours, as well as Broadway productions of RENT. 

Through a generous sponsorship, Alger will augment the traditional look of RENT with clothes from Rogues Gallery of Portland, ME. Alex Carleton, owner and chief designer for the store, has recently launched a new clothing line for L.L. Bean, dubbed L.L. Bean Signature, targeted at younger, more fashionable crowds. Alger will be pulling clothing from the shop and organizing them to fit the show. "It should be exciting!" says Alger. 

Tickets for this concert version of RENT on June 20th and 21st are available for purchase by calling the MSMT box office at (207) 725-8769, via the web 24 hours a day at www.msmt.org, or in person at the box office at 22 Elm Street in Brunswick.

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