A review of RENT, Fringe 2023

It was a memorable night for Birdy, as she rocked up to Paradise in Augustine’s to see the famous musical RENT (directed by Dominic Lewis) for the first time ever.

I know, how could this be my first time ever seeing RENT? Somehow, it was, and I was very excited. Knowing a little about the well-loved musical (but not too much) and the subject matter, I took my seat, not really knowing quite what to expect.

This version of RENT is brought to us by local Edinburgh company Bare Productions – who pride themselves on giving opportunities to amateur performers – with the show being put together by creative director Dominic Lewis and musical director Finlay Turnbull.

Written by the late Jonathan Larson, the story itself is “based on the indelible love story of Puccini’s La Boheme”, and follows a group of Manhattan friends trying to make it through ’90s New York in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. The characters are penniless and impoverished, dealing with isolation, broken hearts and broken dreams.

But it’s also full of love, life and longing.

The cast of RENT were utterly electric together, with an amazing and unapologetic performance that really made me feel for the characters as they neared Christmas. Ethan Baird gave a great performance as Mark, forever holding his camcorder and catching so many of the scenes as they happened.

However, what I really enjoyed most was watching the interactions between Nick Tomlinson as Roger and Freya Rivero as Mimi, as they had such a powerful chemistry – especially during the candle scene.

The other main character relationship that took my breath away was the one between Thomas, played by Andrew Gardiner and Angel (Rory McKeon), although they had one scene in particular was very difficult to watch. Utterly heart-wrenching performances from both. I’m not ashamed to say I cried.

There’s a lot of sadness and heartbreak in RENT, but there’s also empathy, kindness, and an overall feeling of hope – in other words, it’s just as good at lifting you up as it is at punching you in the gut.

The lines in Will I in particular really got to me: “Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care?” Ouch. The amount of feeling that went into that song, and beautifully performed by the cast.

Also, let me mention this is a full production, full-length play with an intermission – which you don’t see many of during Fringe! Also, as my first experience of RENT, I liked many of the technical approaches the play took, of showing multiple scenes at once at times, but in a way that never got confusing.

This was such a powerful show, the cast were brilliantly put together and brought great energy to the stage, and the scenes flowed together so smoothly. My favourite songs from this performance were Rent, Will I, Seasons of Love, One Song Glory, What You Own, and I’ll Cover You.

There’s only two days left of RENT at this year’s Fringe, so if you can somehow get hold of a ticket, you won’t regret it.