‘Dark’, hopeful celebration of the rainbow community
Lox Dixon is the director of Kauri Theatre’s Rent, being performed in Wellington this April. After performing in Wellington community theatre for 10+ years, he’s now stepping into the production side for this musical. Tell us about the story of Rent and why you chose to direct it.
Rent is a year in the life of several young struggling artists and musicians in early-90s New York City, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. It’s got a brilliant score that holds up today, full cast harmonies on some lovely ballads and some awesome duet numbers.
Most importantly, it’s a show that celebrates our rainbow community and highlights voices that often go unheard (homeless, addicts, chronically ill).
Although it's quite a dark show, there's also a desperate hopefulness too. Every character is striving for their idea of happiness and relentlessly pursuing it for themselves in the face of some pretty dire circumstances. Despite it all, our community will survive.
The original production of Rent in 1996 was groundbreaking in its representation of LGBTQ+ characters and issues – how do you think its themes and messages resonate with today's audience?
While we've come a long way on these issues, we still see homophobically motivated attacks on members of our rainbow communities. Trans people have become a target for the same rhetorical arguments used against homosexuality in the days before Homosexual Law Reform.
I think people who are a part of the rainbow community will relate directly to the experiences of the characters in the show. People who don't have these lived experiences need to be aware that violence against people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity is still a frequent occurrence in 2024.
The musical addresses some tough social issues so how do you balance that while still delivering the audience an engaging and entertaining experience?
Fortunately, the book for this show allows for moments of levity between the heavy hits.
Our cast has developed the character relationships with real depth so we get the intense sadness, but we also get to see the genuine love between Angel and Collins and the sheer joy of their relationship. We also get to see the brotherhood between Mark and Roger. They laugh, they give each other flack, and they care about each other on a very deep level.
This is a show that will absolutely make you laugh, make you jeer at the villains, and then make you cry.
How do you plan to capture the energy and emotion of Jonathan Larson's original compositions?
We have a phenomenal live band lined up to deliver the full power of the score. When we need them to, they'll blast the rock tunes in support of the amazing vocal talents on our cast.
We'll also pare them back for those soft ballads, and let our vocalists drive the emotional storytelling. Our fabulous musical director Anna McKean has been hard at work.
What do you want the audience to feel as they leave the auditorium?
I want the audience to feel the injustice on display, and take the hope of the characters with them as they leave. I want people to leave fired up about the experiences they've just seen, and to ask "what can I do to change things?"
If this drives a single audience member to send an email to an MP, or to engage with charities that provide support services to our rainbow communities and to people living with homelessness and housing insecurity, I'll call that a win.
– Rent is being performed at the Gryphon Theatre, April 10-20. Tickets are available from iTicket.