RENT at at Lineage Performing Arts Center in Pasadena (Photo – Robert Kuntsmann)
There’s only us, there’s only this.
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road, no other way, no day but today.”
~ Jonathan Larson, Writer of RENT
While we all continue to thrive in this entertainment capital of the world, let us not forget that reflecting on theatre is tandem to reflecting on history. Encapsulating history in theatre, an art that requires an audience to sit quietly and listen, is sacred and essential to building a community equip enough to build a better future.
By Natalia Rose
In 1993, the genre of musical theatre was transformed when Jonathan Larson wrote his final and most beloved musical about starving artists, the AIDS crisis, and the innate temporal quality of life. Jump to May 2025: the Lineage Performing Arts Center brought Jonathan’s story, RENT, to life once again, and I believe they should be very proud of their production.
The Center’s artistic director and choreographer, Hilary Thomas, demonstrates her devotion to the project in her program note, illustrating how Jonathan’s lyrics are perhaps more intrinsically humane than any religious hymn. “Larsonism” appears to be the prevailing denomination at Lineage Performing Arts, and any curious individual should expect a mini shrine upon entering the building. The lobby is devoted to Larson’s genius, with original lyrics posted across the walls, interactive chorded telephones playing recorded messages, and public health posters drawn straight from the history books of the 1990s. Like any good church, guests are greeted not only by friendly volunteers but also by a table full of pamphlets detailing ways to support the homeless, the sick, and the hungry. This smitten thespian was nearly ready to convert to Larsonism at the door—and made the leap when the choir began to sing and the angels began to dance.
This version of RENT placed a higher emphasis on choreography than anything else. For first-time viewers, the sheer volume of movement onstage might feel overwhelming, but I urge curious attendees to embrace the dance as an extension of the lyrics. For instance, the show is bookended by a single dancer, Nola Gibson, who manages to capture the soul of the piece through movement that’s both revealing and vulnerable. Indeed, the entire company of dancers nearly transformed this musical into a ballet with their precision and magnetism.
Of course, inspiration was easy to find within a cast that included gifted vocalists like Gil Dolet, Jana Souza, and Emmon Amid. Music director Cynthia Crass should be incredibly proud of every singer in this rock opera, each one taking on tricky vocal runs and acrobatic register shifts with grace.
When RENT was first written, the artisan community was plagued by poverty and the daily loss of friends to AIDS, but their medicine was a strong sense of mindfulness. Today, our LA community is living paycheck to paycheck and only just beginning to recover from the isolation of COVID-19. The distraction we crave from “Cyberland,” as Maureen Johnson might put it, is a quick fix for what we truly need: the courage to be present and to listen.
Viva La Vie Bohème!
RENT at at Lineage Performing Arts Center (Photo – Robert Kuntsmann)
Rent Until June 8, 2025 Location Lineage Performing Arts Center 920 E. Mountain Street Pasadena CA 91104 Buy tickets at this link.
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