Theatre students rock controversial hit musical

Wright State continues its 2011-12 theatre season with the rock musical “RENT.”

If you happen to walk through the Creative Arts Center this weekend, don’t be alarmed should you hear heart-pounding drumbeats or the high-pitched wail of an electric guitar.

No, it’s not a rock concert. It’s a group of students tackling a smash-hit musical with electrifying enthusiasm.

“This show is high-octane energy,” said Brandon Kelly, the production’s choreographer and a Wright State dance graduate. “It smacks the audience in the face like a ton of bricks.”

Wright State University’s Department of Theatre, Dance and Motion Pictures continues its 2011-12 season with the rock musical RENT. The show features such hit songs as “Seasons of Love,” “Out Tonight,” “Take Me or Leave Me” and “La Vie Bohème.”

Based on Puccini’s opera La Bohème, the musical tells the story of a group of starving artists living in New York during the late 1980s. The characters grapple with poverty, homelessness, sexuality, drug addiction and AIDS as they struggle to survive in the bohemian Lower East Side.

“There’s a lot of power in RENT, both in the music and in the show itself,” said Allison Kelly, who plays Mimi in the Wright State production. “It’s about living in the moment and not taking any moment for granted. It’s about not being afraid of what could happen, but facing life head on and not taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

Though RENT has been a blockbuster success around the world, the show is not without its share of controversy due to its adult language and adult themes such as drug usage and homosexuality.

The show’s central message of acceptance and love has created a vibrant, vocal fanbase of so-called “RENT-heads.”

“The show tackles tough subject matter with no discretion,” said the production’s director, Scott Hunt. “It has a reputation for being edgy, hip and in-your-face.”

“But at it’s heart, it’s an optimistic show,” said Hunt, a Dayton native who has performed in both the Broadway company and the National Tour of RENT. “It’s about loving each other and loving yourself regardless of who or what you might be.”

Composed and written by Jonathan Larsen, RENT played on Broadway for 12 years. It has won numerous awards including the Pulitzer Prize for drama (a rarity for a musical) and the Tony Award for best musical. In 2005, it was adapted into a feature film that starred most of the original Broadway cast.

The show aims to inspire audiences around the world to live life to its fullest and reminds them that there is always “no day but today.” The show’s central message of acceptance and love has created a vibrant, vocal fan base of so-called “RENT-heads.”

“It’s probably our students’ favorite musical ever,” said W. Stuart McDowell, department chair and the show’s producer. “The song ‘Seasons of Love’ has become a theme song for people of all ages. Our kids have never been more excited.”

Performances run through Jan. 29 in the Creative Arts Center. Tickets ($20 for adults; $18 for students and seniors) can be purchased by calling the Theatre Box Office at (937) 775-2500.