Reviews

When Jonathan Larson's Rent took the New York theater world by storm almost 14 years ago, it quickly proved to be more than just another musical.

After its tragic birth Off-Broadway, when its 35-year-old creator died the night before the show's first performance, Rent went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama. It moved to Broadway, where its 5,123 performances made it the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history. It opened doors for creators of rock-driven musicals and turned legions of young theatergoers into fans. It influenced things as trivial as fashion and as deep as living with compassion.

The touring version of Rent returned to South Florida on Tuesday, where it plays the Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater through Sunday. Three of the show's original stars -- Adam Pascal as rocker Roger, Anthony Rapp as videographer/narrator Mark and Gwen Stewart as the soulful soloist on the show's best-known song, Seasons of Love -- are again part of the Rent cast.

Though Rent is still a musical of its time, arguing for embracing life in the face of the then-deadly menace of AIDS, it remains an exhilarating and vital theater experience, in part because of the passion the seasoned stars and the younger cast members bring to telling a story that melds elements of Larson's own life and Giacomo Puccini's La Bohe`me. And these days, its themes of community and caring in the face of deprivation seem more relevant than ever.

Though Rapp and Pascal have done numerous other things since Rent made them stars, neither merely goes through the motions of his signature role. Rapp is an intense, exasperated, engaging Mark, the narrative glue who brings cohesion to the story. Pascal remains a thrilling rock singer and guitarist, whether he's picking out a little snippet of Musetta's Waltz (Larson's homage to Puccini), belting out his character's pain on One Song Glory or more subtly navigating the fear of new romance with the sultry Mimi.

As Mimi, a hottie who supports her drug habit by dancing at a club, Lexi Lawson manages to be brash and vulnerable, provocative as she delivers her wild Out Tonight number, heartbreaking as she imagines life without Roger.

Nicolette Hart gives a hands-down hilarious performance of the self-adoring, bisexual Maureen's ``protest'' number Over the Moon. As done by other performers, the song always seemed a not-so-witty parody of performance art, but Hart's take on it is brilliantly artful. And with Merle Dandridge as her lawyer-lover Joanne, Hart cooks up some sizzling sexual chemistry.

John Watson is warmly engaging as Tom Collins, the teacher who falls for Andy Señor's radiant Angel, a street kid who loves getting all dolled up and bringing joy to the lives of ``her'' friends. Jacques C. Smith has the thankless villain's role of the manipulative Benny but plays it with bullying conviction. And Stewart makes you catch your breath when she breaks out and soars on Seasons of Love.

The Fillmore Miami Beach, where touring Broadway shows used to play before Miami's Arsht Center was built, is now a music venue with many rows of none-too-comfortable folding chairs where up-close theater seats used to be. But exchanging a little discomfort for the thrill of catching artists who helped create a legendary, still-compelling show is more than worth it.

Read the full review on MiamiHerald.com.