By Nathan Angelo Cruz | Web Manager
Vol. XCI No. 16
Jan. 24, 2020
Critically acclaimed Broadway rock musical Rent, by Jonathan Larson, will be performed at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium on Feb. 21 to 22.
Featuring tunes such as “Seasons of Love” and “La Vie Bohème,” the show centers on a group of hippies struggling in New York City’s Lower East Side, tackling issues such as poverty, drug addiction, LGBTQ+ and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.
Director Miren Fernando stated that the show is also about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today.
“[Rent] is my dream. It’s my all-time [favorite] musical. The story is timeless. The issues that the characters go through are still very much applicable today, as they always will be,” she added.
This staging is produced by the newly formed Summit Theatre Productions.
“[It] is a company dedicated to enhancing Visayan theatre culture by producing local and international plays and musicals that tackle issues that are relevant to society. It gives their members the chance to work side-by-side seasoned artists to elevate their performance and improve their skills to prepare them for the global stage. Summit began initially for marketing purposes for my final thesis and things just grew from there,” said Fernando.
According to her, rehearsals began on Nov. 2019, but she had been planning the production since 2016.
“It’s a lot of research when you put up a production,” Fernando stated. “Every director has a wish list and it’s up to the team to make it work. The process and preparations are still ongoing, however, so far so good. I’m excited for what’s to come.”
Moreover, she said that the production is unique because of the artistic choices she and the team made, adding that “[y]ou’ll have to see it to understand.”
Rent, based on the opera La bohème by Giacomo Puccini, premiered in 1996 and won four Tony Awards, including the Tony Award for Best Musical; Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical and Pulitzer Prize for Drama in that same year.
The last Broadway musical performed at the Luce was Into the Woods in Dec. 2012, sponsored by the Silliman University Culture and Arts Council.
Tickets are sold at ₱350 and ₱500 for general admission and VIP, respectively, and are available through www.ktx.ph and www.ticket2me.net, as well as by contacting Summit Theatre Productions in Facebook, Instagram, and Email.
Photo from Spot.ph
