Even for the Edinburgh Fringe, there was a special sense of excitement about Bare Productions' performance of Rent. Outside the venue, crowds were waiting for a possible last-minute empty seat. Inside, a cluster of venue staff were negotiating who got to see it from the techs' balcony.
The show doesn’t disappoint. It fires with an energy that keeps you riveted to every single fluent scene, two of which moved many in the audience to tears. If you know the musical, you can guess which they are.
The show couldn't seem more topical or necessary, with for instance its opening song including the cast raising defiant, clenched fists singing “We're not gonna pay / This year's rent”.
The characters' lives are hedged in by police and landlords while a disease (AIDS) is devastating the community.
All the performances are good, but I particularly enjoyed Ethan Baird as the warm, energetic, smiling Mark and Rory McKeon as a thoroughly engaging Angel.
These are people no longer rooted in a society that cares. They are a precarious made family of friends. They sing “There's only us / There's only this. / No other road / No other way. / No day but today.”
The mood may often hover close to sadness, but overall, the compassion of the writer, the empathy of the performers and the kindness of the characters lift our spirits and encourage a sense of hope.