Redhouse Arts Center will kick off its 2019-20 season with Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, “Rent.” The theater will perform the show in a round set, where seating will flank each side of the stage, giving an immersive experience, said Hunter Foster, artistic director. 

“If you go see a regular show in a proscenium, it’s like looking at a painting,” said Jennifer Cody, choreographer of the musical. “We’re asking audiences to step into the painting.”  

After working together for 26 years in New York City, Foster and Cody are debuting their first production for Redhouse on the main stage beginning Sept. 19.  

“Rent” follows the story of a group of young artists and musicians living in the Lower East Side of Manhattan during the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. The musical follows each character through the challenges they face, like eviction, the stigma and lack of AIDS support, and drug addiction.  

Foster said “Rent” resonates so deeply with him because he was around the same age as these characters when he first moved to New York. Through the performance, Foster said he wants to remind people of the “very serious and terrifying” time for this age group, and that these issues are still relevant today.  

“It’s important that it doesn’t feel like it’s a period piece,” Foster said.  

Collin Purcell, during the Redhouse’s Art Center’s rehearsal of  “Rent,” will play Roger Davis. Diana Riojas | Feature Editor

People think of “Rent” as a “fun rock show,” Cody said, but she wants to make the show authentic, so people would think of it as a moving story rather than simply having great music.   

“I want people to come into our production because they know the show, they’ve heard the songs and leave completely changed because we’ve been as truthful as we possibly can be to share this story,” said actress Joanie Anderson, who plays Joanne Jefferson. 

Foster said he hopes to bring back the essence of what “Rent” means. That vision will be told through the performances of both Syracuse and New York City cast members, and SU student Jaelle LaGuerre will be acting in the production.  

Anderson — who has lived in New York City for over 10 years — said in her performance she pulls from that time. Having a strong foundation of information, Anderson said, will make every aspect of the show specific enough to tell the story. This will be extended in how connected her character is to others and the lifestyle of the city, she said. 

Karleigh Merritt-Henry | Digital Design Editor

Anderson said it’s very easy to get caught up in the music and “grandness” of the show, but Foster wanted to get to the foundation of what the show was about — community.  

Temar Underwood, who will be playing the role of Tom Collins, also said the story is about community. He said the relationship that each actor builds with each other on stage can affect who their character becomes. 

For Anderson and Underwood, every rehearsal brings another layer of connection to the meaning of the play. Although they have performed in three other productions together, it will be their first time performing in–the–round.  

“I think there’s something that allows it to be even more truthful,” Anderson said. “There’s a heightened level of execution when you’re doing something in-the-round; you have to be aware of self at all times. There’s no hiding.”  

Published on September 11, 2019 at 12:15 am

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