Being fearless means you tell your story without worrying about the repercussions. “Rent” does exactly that – it tells the story of a group of friends trying to survive as artists under the shadow of HIV/AIDS, addiction and poverty. Wagon Wheel Theatre chose the “rock opera” for its first encore show, and the opening night performance Tuesday of “Rent” surpassed my expectations. It was as bold, energetic and fulfilling as the touring Broadway production I saw several years ago at the Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne. The staging and performances are some of the highest quality I’ve witnessed over the years at the Wagon Wheel. You know you’re in for something different when you walk into the Wagon Wheel and see how the stage for “Rent” has been designed. It’s like a jungle gym for adults, but every inch of it gets used in the musical. You can walk around the stage and see something different. At first I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to see everything, but the show moves so fast and the actors scurry about so much, you blink and they’re somewhere else so you don’t really miss anything. There are eight main characters in the musical, with a bunch of smaller roles played by the four-person ensemble. Each of the lead characters are interwoven with each other like a tapestry of love, and as the show progresses they begin to reveal themselves and blend more into each other’s lives. The first two characters audiences meet in “Rent” are Mark Cohen (Matthew Janisse) and Roger Davis (James Murray). Mark is an aspiring filmmaker who hides behind his lens. Roger is a rock musician dealing with HIV. Roger’s girlfriend committed suicide after revealing to him they contracted the disease, and now he stays away from getting too close to anyone. Since they’re the first two roles on the stage, “Rent” relies on the actors playing Mark and Roger to set the tone. Fortunately, the Wagon Wheel has that covered in Janisse and Murray. Audiences probably will easily recall Janisse from previous roles such as Philip Lombard in “And Then There Were None” or Perchik in “Fiddler on the Roof” this season. As Mark, he has landed himself in another role that he can proudly put on his resume and say he owned that role. He easily has chemistry with everyone else on the stage, especially Murray as his roommate Roger. “Rent” is Murray’s first appearance on the Wagon Wheel stage, but let’s hope that he returns for many more. Murray commands the stage every moment he’s on it, and has an incredible rocking voice that wows the audience. He can bring down the rafters singing songs like “Rent” and “What You Own,” or make your heart flutter with songs like “One Song Glory” or “Your Eyes.” Murray is a powerhouse in every possible way on the stage. He gets to wail on “Your Eyes” and he vocally demonstrates why he IS Roger and no one can play him better. Such a talent! A person very important to bringing Roger out of his reclusiveness is Mimi Marquez (Leigh Ellen Jones), a 19-year-old dancer who struggles with her addiction and also has HIV. Jones was just in the very enjoyable production of “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” and she once again shines. Her vocal talents – peppered with Murray’s – in the song “Without You” had me near tears. It was so beautifully done with so much conviction and love, the song can’t help but touch you. Of course, what is a love story without some conflict? In “Rent” that’s provided by way of Benjamin Coffin III (Demetruis Spidle). Benjamin and Mimi share some recent past, and that brings out Roger’s jealousy. Benjamin also is “yuppy scum” who wants to change the neighborhood by means of gentrification, making him the bad guy in the musical. Spidle is new to the Wagon Wheel stage, but does a good job at playing the arrogant money-hungry Benjamin. Also new to Warsaw is Charles Benson as the socially aware intellectual Tom Collins. In a relatively early scene, Tom meets Angel Dumott Schumard (Javier Ferreira) and they quickly click. While Tom is the brains, Angel is the heart and both actors in their respective roles give right-on performances. If the audience doesn’t feel the connection between Tom and Angel, they won’t feel the heartache in Act II; but there’s no worries as Ferreira and Benson light the fire between their characters early and perfectly. The love between them glows. Ferreira was sharp as Carl Hanratty in “Catch Me if You Can” this season. As the joy in the circle of friends in “Rent,” he again more than earns his paycheck – and not just because of how easy he appears in heels. If Broadway doesn’t steal Ferreira away, hopefully the Wagon Wheel can keep him for next season. Both men sang beautifully together on “I’ll Cover You,” and individually Ferreira nailed “Today For You” while Benson captured the feelings in the solo reprise of “I’ll Cover You.” Benson’s voice soars with the best of them. Also dealing with relationship issues are Joanne Jefferson (Sarah Jackson) and Maureen Johnson (Ellen Jenders). Maureen is Mark’s ex-girlfriend, a huge flirt with anyone and self-centered even when she means well. On the other hand, Joanne is uptight, very relationship oriented and gets right to the point. Yet it’s their polar opposite personalities that make their relationship so intensely fiery and interesting. Jackson has appeared in several Wagon Wheel productions over the past few years, but Jenders is a fresh face and a strong one. If you saw Jackson in “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” you know she can belt out a tune, and so can Jenders. There’s a moment in the song “Over the Moon” where Jenders has to hold a note for an extended time period – which she does and makes you wonder how much longer she could hold on to it. These two strong women are amazing together on “Take Me or Leave Me” – one of my personal favorites in the show. I also found Janisse’s and Jackson’s performance of “Tango Maureen” to be exceptionally fun. The song is all about Maureen, and Janisse and Jackson deliver it as though they know in real life exactly the type of person Maureen is. With all the amazing talent in the main roles, how could there be any meat left for the ensemble? Oh, but there is! Lexi Lyric has a soaring, intense, beautiful voice that you must hear. May we please see and listen to her in future shows? Kira Lace Hawkins as Alexi Darling is a small role but she delivers it flawlessly. When she has to quickly list her phone, pager and fax numbers – she could go for the world’s record. It’s a great, funny moment which Hawkins spews perfectly. Dan Smith has a nice moment in “Support Group,” while Jennifer Dow should just wear those braids more often. “Rent” takes place over a period of one year, starting at 9 p.m. Dec. 24 Eastern Standard Time. The musical does contain a lot of strong language and sexual content, but no nudity. And while that unfortunately may keep some people from seeing it, I can’t help but be happy with Wagon Wheel’s fearlessness in bringing “Rent” to Warsaw. It has such positive messages about love and living life right now in the moment because there is “No day but today.” Artistic Director Scott Michaels should come out for the standing ovation at the end because this production is as much his baby as the on-stage talent’s. It’s his boldest show to date and he has done a superb job with it. I couldn’t be more happier with the outcome. The direction is cool. The stage design by Jacki Andersen is great. The acting is phenomenal. There’s also the very 1990s hip fashion by costume designer Stephen R. Hollenbeck. My rating of “Rent” (out of four): a very strong 4.0.“Rent,” which is rated “R,” is only at the Wagon Wheel through Sunday. Show times are 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday; 7 p.m. Thursday; with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $15 to $34. Discounts are available for college students and seniors on designated performances. For more information or to purchase your tickets, visit www.wagonwheeltheatre.org or call the box office at 574-267-8041. Book, music and lyrics are by Jonathan Larson. “Rent” was originally produced in New York by New York Theatre Workshop and on Broadway by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theatre Workshop. Sponsor of “Rent” at the Wagon Wheel Theatre is Biomet.
