The degradations and discontents of capitalism are getting a rough airing on Twin Cities stages this fall.
If “The Lehman Trilogy” at the Guthrie Theater shows how an immigrant family grows to become one of the economic system’s central money-making machines, all while losing its humanity along the way, then “Rent” looks at the picture from the other vantage point — those on the woolly margins.
Jonathan Larson’s musical adaptation of Puccini’s “La Boheme” gathers some East Village vagabonds and bids them sing in testimony about their lives. But theirs is no Bohemian paradise. Malignly neglected, they clamor for space and attention at center stage.
“Rent” was a sensation when it debuted in 1996, with many in its original Broadway cast becoming household names, including Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp. Larson and company humanized and dignified people whose lives few cared about, especially those made into pariahs by ignorance around the AIDS epidemic.
But the musical that opened Sunday in Kelli Foster Warder’s energetic production at Bloomington’s Artistry theater shows that “Rent” is now a time capsule, even if some of its assertions are still contentious. Foster Warder’s bold staging, including exuberant dances, offers up artists living loudly in their truths all while confronting economic, social and political dislocation.
Being out of the mainstream means, benevolently, that HIV-positive drag queen Angel, erotic dancer Mimi, who also is HIV-positive, and bisexual performance artist Maureen can more fully express themselves as they practice their art.
But such marginal existences also mean acute vulnerability to adversity, including eviction and, ultimately, death.
Foster Warder leans heavily into the driving power of Larson’s rock score, conducted with gusto by Jason Hansen. She sees “Rent” not just as an affirmation of the essential power of art to humanize figures who are other dismissed or disdained. The show also is an opportunity to showcase her ensemble’s talents.
