Famous show sees ‘another day’ in city

Daylights, sunsets, midnights and cups of coffee — that is how the Livingston Theatre Company measures their production of the famed musical “Rent” this season.
With only days left for final run-throughs and set adjustments before the show premieres tomorrow at the Crossroads Theatre at 7 Livingston Ave. in New Brunswick, the students in the LTC are prepping the stage — and the University — for their own interpretation of the popular Broadway show and movie.
“This needed to be the Livingston Theatre Company’s production of “Rent,” not the “Rent” that everyone knows,” said Production Manager Chelsea Holman.
When the show — about eight poor, young New Yorkers struggling to pay rent — closed in 2009 after 13 years on Broadway, the rights became available for other theaters to perform the musical, making LTC’s production one of the first in the state.
“It’s very difficult for us as a company, because there can’t be more than one production going on at the same time in a specific radius of area and … for a Central New Jersey school [like the University], that encompasses both Philadelphia and New York,” Holman said.
The process started with casting in mid-September after a summer of production and staff meetings, she said.
“When we cast, we wanted to make sure we weren’t looking for stereotypes of the characters,” said Holman, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences junior.
While the role of Joanne is typically cast as a black female, Holman said the company called back an equal number of white and black actresses.
First-time Director Brandon Wright said choosing the 23-member cast was especially difficult.
“There was so much talent and so few places to fill,” said Wright, whose job is to oversee the artistic development and work with the actors to bring the story to life.
Wright, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said this cast is creative and energetic, bringing more audience interaction into the production.
“[The cast is] so unified, and it really is all of them telling the story,” Wright said.
School of Arts and Sciences juniors David Seamon and Sarah Esmi play the lead roles of lovers Roger Davis, an HIV-positive musician, and Mimi Marquez, a dancer with AIDS.
“I’ve been very impressed with the professionalism here,” said Esmi, as this is her first LTC production since she transferred to the University.
She said many people have high expectations of the production since it just closed.
“But I did my research, and that’s all you really can do,” Esmi said.
Seamon said he was not a “Rent” fanatic before taking the role, and there is pressure to maintain its familiarity.
“This show is really special to a lot of people,” he said. “There are people who know every line to every song.”
But Seamon said his initial distance allowed him to infuse his own life experiences with Roger’s, interpreting the character in his own way.
Wright said it was difficult to capture the fullness of the characters.
“These are such specific people with such specific stories,” he said.
The set, designed and built entirely by students, also strays from other “Rent” productions, as it features sliding ladders, a revolving door and other unique differences.
“We’ve taken our own interpretation of the set … I don’t think any other production has used library ladders, but that’s what you do in a new production,” Wright said.
In the past, the LTC used the Livingston Student Center for its productions, Holman said. But the renovations throughout the years moved the LTC into the Crossroads Theatre temporarily.
“There are major limitations to what you can do set-wise in the student center and here, this is a real theater,” she said.
The set of “Rent” is the largest for the LTC, Holman said. Construction began the first weekend of the semester.
The company adhered to the script and music, both written by Jonathan Larson, Holman said.
“We wanted to be faithful to the script, [but] not necessarily the Broadway production,” she said.
The story, based on the opera “La Boheme,” is set in 1990s and brings taboo issues such as AIDS, drugs, and interracial and gay relationships to light, Holman said.
“It really is their human experience and their struggle to find their place in society and to find happiness — what we all long for,” Wright said. “We all just want to fit in and feel like we belong and have people who love us.”
Music Director David Regner said this show is very musically intense, with about two hours of music throughout the two-and-a-half hour play.
“It’s pretty challenging,” said Regner, a Mason Gross School of the Arts senior, as only five musicians perform. “The ranges of all the leads go pretty far. … But the hardest thing I think music-wise is the cohesiveness of the entire [play] and getting the entire ensemble to sound as supportive as they’re supposed to be, while at the same time having a presence that’s equal if not greater than that of the leads.”
As far as Regner is concerned, the cast is up to the task.
“This is definitely the strongest cast that has ever touched an LTC stage,” he said.
Wright said the actors are all supportive of each other and their successes together.
“I can’t even tell you where my directing and their creativity comes in; they blend so beautifully together,” Wright said of the collaborative efforts of the production.
Behind the scenes, the LTC has about 24 members on its production and business staffs who handle everything from lighting to costuming to advertising, Holman said.
“It’s not just behind the scenes in terms of behind stage; it’s behind the scenes in being in a different building, sitting in an office [and] figuring out all these things,” she said.
Wright said many people think the actors only have passion in putting on a play, but he has newfound respect for those who work countless early mornings and late nights behind the scenes.
“It really is a lot of hard work and dedication … making sure that every element of the show is as stable and as strong as it can be,” he said.
Tickets for the show, which will run until Sunday, are selling out fast and can be purchased at www.rultc.org.

1 comments

LTCALUMNI

Wed Nov 4 2009 13:28

Love it! Cant wait to see the show.

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