Sexy and Sad: Slow Burn Does Rent

Last night we saw Rent at West Boca High School, put on by the local professional Slow Burn Theatre Company. They took a sad story and made it fun and sexy. As a warning to those who might be bothered, there is some very brief female nudity in the show. Director Patrick Fitzwater reassured the audience that they’re “all local boobs,” bringing cheers from a number of older women in the crowd.
The underlying story (from Wikipedia):

Rent is a rock musical …. It tells the story of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive and create a life in New York City’s East Village in the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.

While many stories have obvious lead roles, this production has eight major characters who all have roughly equal roles. In order from the show’s program:

West Boca resident and FAU theatre student Bruno Faria plays Roger Davis, a guitarist and songwriter living with HIV. We think Faria may be a West Boca High graduate but can’t confirm this (Class of 2010 per reader comment). Faria previously impressed us in Slow Burn’s Bonnie & Clyde, and we’re happy to see him do so well again.
Mike Westrich (from Boynton Beach) plays filmmaker Mark Cohen. He’s a graduate of AMDA NY. His performance was excellent marred only by a microphone that occasionally failed. Darrick Penny is a Boca Raton resident and MFA grad of FAU. He plays Tom Collins, a teacher suffering from AIDS.

Bruno Vida plays Angel and had some show stealing moments with dance moves and splits. This is the third time we’ve written about Vida, who had a prominent role in Slow Burn’s High Fidelity, and in Chess: The Musical. He also was in Next to Normal.
Christina Alexander and Amy Miller Brennan (aka Amy Tanner) play a lesbian couple Joanne and Maureen, though Maureen’s character would probably reject such a limiting description of her sexuality. Joanne is a lawyer from a powerful family, while Maureen’s performance art is one of the biggest highlights of the show and drew the most response from the audience.

Abby Perkins (Delray Beach and FAU grad) has a dynamic role as Mimi Marquez, an exotic dancer and junkie who is HIV positive. The part is designed for over-the-top sexiness and she delivers on that in her dancing, along with her wonderful voice.
Last of the eight is Rayner Garranchan (Miami) who plays Ben, a friend of the group who has sold out and gone yuppie. It’s the smallest of the eight roles but still important and Garranchan’s strong performance gives it more weight.
It’s a story that may not be everyone. The story is dark and odd, shows a “Bohemian” lifestyle and adult relationships that offend traditionalists.
But if you like theater at all, this is a must-see show. The death of one of the major characters brings on powerful emotions in the cast and the audience. Rent won both a Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitizer Prize for drama. The performances by the cast were excellent, both dramatically and vocally.
Slow Burn Theatre will be performing Rent at West Boca High School’s theatre until April 26th. See more about the show and buy tickets at Slow Burn Theatre: Rent.