By MINGSI MA
Pittsburgh’s BDE Productions brings the musical Rent to the Greer Cabaret Theater downtown. Inspired by Puccini’s classic opera La Bohème, Jonathan Larson’s 1996 musical has long since moved from the margins of American theater into the canon. Among the most influential musicals in history, Rent is no doubt one of them.
(Courtesy of BDE Productions)
BDE Productions includes some talented actors in this performance. Actor Anthony Marino, who plays Mark Cohen, brings an animated personality to the stage. His Mark is quirky and nerdy, often hiding behind his camera as he observes others. He shares the musical number “Tango: Maureen” with Chelsea Davis, who plays Joanne. Marino leads Davis into the tango as she eases into the scene, and his playful, humorous acting gives the scene a quick direction. He seems particularly attuned to his scene partner, guiding the two into a shared rhythm as the moment unfolds.
Adrian Escalona plays Angel, the cheerful drag queen who unites the community and lives her authentic life, and Brady D. Patsy plays the anarchist and philosopher Tom Collins. Both of them are living with HIV/AIDS. The two actors display amazing chemistry between their roles. It’s lovely to watch this couple fall in love as the play goes on. Escalona also does a good job of bringing out Angel’s flamboyance and confidence.
Ruth Waiwaiole’s Maureen is such a pleasure and catches people’s eyes immediately in her iconic protest “Over the Moon” against the eviction. Waiwaiole’s Maureen is passionate and slightly eccentric, deeply committed to both her cause and her artistry. Her lively physicality and expressions present a bold, vibrant Maureen that leaves a deep impression. In the following full-company scene, “La Vie Bohème,” Waiwaiole shows her attention to detail, holding the character together even in the background, using small gestures to sustain the character’s distinct energy. Something about her performance in Rent makes it impossible to miss how invested she is in this musical and her role.
The actors bring considerable energy, but their performances are not isolated from other elements onstage. They interact with the space to create the overall experience. We have to admit that a production’s choice of venue often comes down to practical reasons. Some are less glamorous, such as cost and availability. Still, I want to consider the constraints created by BDE Productions’ choice to stage Rent at the Greer Cabaret Theater. The production features 14 actors on stage, making the stage limits particularly noticeable. This translates into a crowded feeling, with less visual hierarchy and, more importantly, little physical space between beats. Despite BDE Production’s carefully timing the production to match the pre-set run-time, the performance feels rushed due to the lack of physical “breathing room.”
When the emotionally loaded scene of Angel passing away arrives, the production moves to the next beat very quickly, with the actors barely moving spots. The current space leaves little opportunity for the actors to create a more gradual transition through their blocking, or conversely, to let their stillness resonate against the openness of the stage. This makes such an important moment feel as though its arc is not fully complete. Before the audience has time to soak it in and feel the weight of the moment, we are already in the next scene.
The pain of Rent lies in the loss, the grief, and the fear of uncertainty amid HIV/AIDS. BDE Productions’ Rent is faithful to the original, now-canonized musical, and lives up to the expectation. Yet, the production’s limited “breathing room” also makes me think about how much emotional space the musical itself gives to that pain. Having endured the difficult years of COVID, I agree more and more with the argument that Rent romanticized the HIV/AIDS crisis and shifted the focus toward an aesthetic celebration of bohemianism due to the limits of its time. This is what I find fascinating: over time, as society progresses and evolves, our sentiments toward past cultural products can change.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
BDE Productions presents Rent at the Greer Cabaret Theater, Downtown, September 24 – October 18, 2026. Tickets: https://trustarts.org/production/109626/rent
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
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