Garden City raises the curtain on ‘Rent’
Classic ’90s musical opens at Mandeville Theatre on Friday, runs until March 17
“Rent” just can’t stop occupying space in Lee Siegel’s head.
The Niagara actor/singer spent seven months last year in Stratford Festival’s production of Jonathan Larson’s urban musical.
It was emotionally draining but a labour of love for Siegel, who has loved the show since he was a teen in the ’90s.
But no sooner did it close in November than Siegel was preparing for another round with “Rent.”
He directs a two-week run of the show for Garden City Productions starting March 8.
“It’s something we haven’t seen around the area in a long time,” said Siegel. “I think there was a theatre that did it over a decade ago in the Niagara region and that’s the last time we’ve seen it here.”
You’ve certainly never seen it at Garden City Productions, which veers away from its usual old school musicals for this rugged story of struggling New York artists living in the shadow of AIDS/HIV.
It premiered off-Broadway in 1996 and went on to win both a Tony Award for best musical and the Pulitzer Prize for drama.
“I thought it was time,” said Siegel. “Plus, I wanted to see a showcase of diverse bodies, diverse people on stage in the area. Let them know they have a place and a voice as well.”
All six performances of the show will partner with a different Niagara agency: OUT Niagara, Positive Living Niagara, Start Me Up Niagara, Gateway Residential and Community Support Services of Niagara, Quest Community Health Care and Pride Niagara.
“Every topic in the show is represented in the community,” said Siegel. “Because the show deals with AIDS, HIV and the unhoused, we had a production meeting early on where we said, ‘Why don’t we reach out to the groups in the area who are affected by these same things?’”
Siegel is especially pleased with the show’s large cast, including Joshua Fleming, Chantara Leistner, Avery Kasper, Mark Rotil and Ron Gonzales as Tom Collins, a gay anarchist professor. It’s the role Siegel played in the Stratford production.
“This cast is pretty special. You know how sometimes you go to a community theatre show and you’re not sure what you’re going to get? Every day this cast wows me.”
As does the play for Siegel, who still isn’t tired of it after spending most of the past year with it.
“As they say, if you don’t learn history you’re doomed to repeat it,” he said.
“All of the voices and all of the artists we lost in the ‘80s because of AIDS, because people didn’t know how it was spread and how to heal it … that’s important to remember.
“I feel like Jonathan Larson really wanted to memorialize his friends that had died. In creating this show, he not only did that, but created a time capsule of history for us to remember.”
“Rent” is at the Mandeville Theatre (2 Ridley Rd., St. Catharines) Friday to March 17. For tickets visit gcp.ca/tickets.