I Prefer Freehold To Rent
Rent - Stummfilmkino Delphi, Berlin, 4th January 2013
Mark Cohen - Florian Peters
Roger Davis - Sven Fliege
Tom Collins - Markus Hanse
Angel Dumontt Schunard - Sebastian Rousseau
Benjamin Coffin III - Sebastian Smulders
Mimi Markowa - Wenonah Wildblood
Maureen Johnson - Denise Vilöhr
Joanne Jefferson - Dalma Viczina
Ensemble: Julien Blue Hirte, Lena Weiss, Sophie Duda, Lars Schmidt, Andre Rauscher, Nadine Steinert
1990s - a decade full of changes to the life known till then at least for me with being a teenager at beginning, doing my Abitur in the middle, starting uni after and moving to Ireland at end - inbetween living a life with major ups and downs.
Life in general in Europe also changed massively with what had started already at the end of the 1980s and went on.
It was also a decade where music taste seemed to change. While cheesy 1980s Europop/-disco turned into Eurodance still living on bands as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Radiohead became famous. It suddenly, at least to me, felt/was "trendy" to show openly feeling miserable.
For a while I loved some of these bands speaking for me due to some most negative things happening in my life, especially Manic Street Preachers and Suede, going to gigs, festivals etc. but I got over that period especially when realising that wallowing in my own misery would not get me anywhere with eventually moving to Dublin and getting back into theatre, something I was at the beginning of the decade when having the most amazing teacher at school in German who took us to the theatre regularly.
The musical Rent can be seen as somehow a reflection of this period or at least tries to be often described as "an anthem of youth, vitality, and rebellion". I must confess straight away that having seen it several times I am not a fan of it as this whining and lamenting which already starts with the title song (so you cannot pay the rent - what are you going to do about it but moaning?), without whatever they are saying not really giving impression about wanting to change their lives, the protagonists annoy me after five minutes and I wished they'd all just kill themselves if life is so shit. "Unfortunately" they do not do that so the show goes on for nearly three hours being filled with music that covers most probably every single music genre that was "in" back then. This whole them being free spirits (and the character in the show and the actual show are actually portrayed even smugger than someone in The Hamptons treating e.g. their middle class parents's calls as comedy) according to fans escaping social force is for me nonsense and nothing romantic about it - what life is that actually? Is a drug addict a free spirit desperate for the next shot? Hardly.
Based on the beautiful opera La Boheme and inspired by the Zeitgeist musical "Hair" "Rent" just cannot take it up with these two trying to fit in everything IMHO. I know the show has its fan base, some really freaky fans even as I experienced when the show was on in London but the whole hype of it is something that I cannot understand.
Roger and Mark are roommates sharing an apartment in the East Village. Besides agonising over the rent, they are both haunted by memories of ex girlfriends.
Mark, a wannabe film maker, has been dumped by Maureen who now dates Harvard graduate and lesbian Joanne, while his friend Roger laments the suicide of his former lover. But Roger’s moodiness quickly fades when Mimi, sexy, HIV positive, and positively flirtatious, knocks on his door.
We follow their romance, and the relationships of their friends as Tom Collins and Angel, enemies as Benny and just general life represented by the ensemble in the East Village.
There are actions and reactions in the show that are simply so unrealistic, one scene follows the other jumping from one to the next with the next being even more unbelievable with dialogues and lyrics that in the German translation sound even more wooden than in the English version - Larson was certainly no Sondheim, even if he tried to cramp in as many syllables as possible into a song.
There are actions and reactions in the show that are simply so unrealistic, one scene follows the other jumping from one to the next with the next being even more unbelievable with dialogues and lyrics that in the German translation sound even more wooden than in the English version - Larson was certainly no Sondheim, even if he tried to cramp in as many syllables as possible into a song.
The music as the story is a mishmash of so many, no, too many music styles in in the 1990s. Some people apparently like it saying how versatile the music in this show is, for me it is too much missing a red thread running through the show. There are other shows with versatile music but at least they are somehow connected but here... I do not want the music to sound all the same as in a Wildhorn show but at least I wished Jonathan Larson had spared me this jumble of these largely half-baked songs. Yes there are some catchy melodies but from a musical point of view anything but original with the lyrics not serving the music and vice versa.
I had seen the show a few times before as said above including the rubbish Rent Remixed production in London a few years ago and the last time at the Schlossfestspiele in Ettlingen in 2011 with a great cast, so it was not too bad, so while I am not a fan of the show I thought when I learnt about the new production in Berlin I give it another try - especially since it starred Florian Peters and Sven Fliege, both performers highly rated by me in other shows.
On in a former cinema in Berlin-Weißensee (prior to re-union in East Berlin) from the 1920s when silent pictures were still around it was certainly on in the right location. The new owner of the cinema is currently in the process of restoring the building. Looking still rather shabby and gritty from the outside (but then the bit of the quarter I saw before the show still largely looks run-down), it is a lovely building inside with a most impressive proscenium, the walls are rather "naked" with the original paint still recognisable. There were wooden tables and chairs in the stalls, like in the olden days, up in the circle some rows and a VIP area at the back to create a fabulous raw atmosphere.
At 39 EUR for stalls front section (though it seemed that just the last row of tables was at lower price) I had been told before it was unreserved seating which it wasn't pretty much if booked in advance - no go production team. Either you are honest and tell it is not so I did not "have to" turn up 45 minutes before or it is really unreserved seating (whatever it says on your website).
At 39 EUR for stalls front section (though it seemed that just the last row of tables was at lower price) I had been told before it was unreserved seating which it wasn't pretty much if booked in advance - no go production team. Either you are honest and tell it is not so I did not "have to" turn up 45 minutes before or it is really unreserved seating (whatever it says on your website).
Anyway, unfortunately though the actual show could not pick up that atmosphere of the venue too well and left a rather clean and sterile impression on me.
The show was still not my cup of tea but when as in Ettlingen the performances are brilliant I can live with it but here it largely felt too flat from the main leads lacking the rawness and edginess I just expect from this show's cast.
With directing feeling rather nonchalant with at least some IMHO smart ideas on staging not only using the stage but also the auditorium cleverly used often you'd have someone from next, behind or in front of you including tables at the front stalls being used as part of the set, which was besides that efficiently done, to build up connection. It was just a bit annoying when as I sat on the very left side at one table halfway in the stalls if the scenes was taking part in the stalls on the same side I sometimes hardly could watch it because of the staging plus being blinded by the spotlights the characters felt "un-lived", fragmented and indistinct.
With directing feeling rather nonchalant with at least some IMHO smart ideas on staging not only using the stage but also the auditorium cleverly used often you'd have someone from next, behind or in front of you including tables at the front stalls being used as part of the set, which was besides that efficiently done, to build up connection. It was just a bit annoying when as I sat on the very left side at one table halfway in the stalls if the scenes was taking part in the stalls on the same side I sometimes hardly could watch it because of the staging plus being blinded by the spotlights the characters felt "un-lived", fragmented and indistinct.
The cast are certainly mostly great talents with decent training and the right techniques but for me a good - excellent voice or doing the right movements is just not enough - I want to feel it and in past productions, as little as I like actual show, I often felt something.
But to say it with Chorus Line I felt (largely) nothing unlike others who wrote about this production.
Even Angel's death and the following funeral left me totally untouched - me, who is one prone to tears and starts to cry too easily.
Especially the part of Mimi Marquez turned into a Swedish looking lisping squeaky farce. Wenonah Wildblood too often reminded of a kitschy porcelain doll, one of these who can speak, with her singing in the high ranges being extremely unstable and do not get me started on her actual voice and timbre. I just do not like singing ducks.
Sebastian Rousseau as Angel was fortunately not too much drag but neither too connected with the female side nor swishy which I missed so that the whole "she" talk at the funeral was not working for me (wearing high heels is just not enough for me to make someone female) and "Today 4 You" was bland missing panache and verve.
Markus Hanse as his lover Collins reminded as someone coming directly out of a Canadian forest being very manly with his lumberjack shirt and not the anarchist and genius his character is usually described as.
His "I'll Cover You" though was beautifully sung filling the venue with his full baritone and created some emotions being full of grief and despair.
Sebastian Smulders as Benny was way too boyish and a wimp for me and not the slimy arrogant yuppie scum at least in act 1 I picture to see. But then the whole good guy turning into bad guy turning into good guy turning into bad guy with these changes coming largely out of nowhere to suit the storyline and the situation is too much for me anyway.
Denise Vilöhr as Maureen was always too OTT for me. Where others saw apparently energy I just saw fake and too much nice-ness lacking fierceness and when you have seen Anke Fiedler's stunning performance in Ettlingen especially during "Over The Moon" and know what the capabilities of this part are you know how rather dull Denise's approach was.
Dalma Viczina as Joanne was of the female leads the only convincing being most believable being both tough and vulnerable showing that her character cares for Maureen and is really hurt later in the show as during "Take Me for What I Am".
Sven Fliege as the anguished and tortured Roger has of all the most touching voice been showed off especially during "One Song Glory" giving a dynamic performance trying to leave some mark behind as his character faces the various issues and was actually the only person I felt sorry for.
I so wanted to love Florian Peters having seen him in other shows always impressing me but unfortunately his Mark was all but the cynical lonely struggling film maker, the one Roger accuses of hiding in his work to not face lving a lie. Again his singing was faultless, but I had known that before what a brilliant singer he is - I just felt him not being right for the part just not having the kind of power being a force with compelling presence despite rocking it and having chemistry with Sven. He was just no Mark for me
The ensemble which largely consisted of (theatre) students was at least convincing and very energetic. But maybe that was the main difference. For them it was still a passion, a hobby and not a job. Especially Lars Schmidt, currently a student at the UdK in Berlin, stood out for me seeming to have a time of his life. I hope he keeps that once he has graduated.
The band was okay but often lacked strength and power too as several leads. It was a 5 piece band just as in the original Broadway production but somehow it just could not create at least for me the same drive as e.g. in the Ettlingen (if you haven't noticed yet as little as I like the show that production was well done IMHO). It often felt lacklustre following the original broadway speed which was adjusted in the movie and which works much better for me. That the sound was often unbalanced did not help either and it seems reading other comments about this production it was a general production issue occuring also at other shows.
The costumes, well I was seriously wondering how some of these broke kids can afford such clothes including accessories as designer glasses besides the fact that they were largely not very 90s or at least reflecting Bohemian poverty not matching the scenery.
Choreography was disappointing. There is so much you can just do in this show but the bits where a detailed choreography is needed as for "La Vie Bohème" it fell flat. Okay the speed of that number as following the original Broadway production does not help either but it needs a choreography to build up the energy but then it lacked that throughout the evening massively.
Saying that, others felt that, saw it recalling reviews and comments (though I have also seen some really negative viewer comments as on musicalzentrale.de, it seems this production caused some controversy) but for me this production, that cannot change the raw material, missed a chance to make the best out of it as e.g. Ettlingen did. If I want to see a dated show in the future I see Hair.
Even Angel's death and the following funeral left me totally untouched - me, who is one prone to tears and starts to cry too easily.
Especially the part of Mimi Marquez turned into a Swedish looking lisping squeaky farce. Wenonah Wildblood too often reminded of a kitschy porcelain doll, one of these who can speak, with her singing in the high ranges being extremely unstable and do not get me started on her actual voice and timbre. I just do not like singing ducks.
Sebastian Rousseau as Angel was fortunately not too much drag but neither too connected with the female side nor swishy which I missed so that the whole "she" talk at the funeral was not working for me (wearing high heels is just not enough for me to make someone female) and "Today 4 You" was bland missing panache and verve.
Markus Hanse as his lover Collins reminded as someone coming directly out of a Canadian forest being very manly with his lumberjack shirt and not the anarchist and genius his character is usually described as.
His "I'll Cover You" though was beautifully sung filling the venue with his full baritone and created some emotions being full of grief and despair.
Sebastian Smulders as Benny was way too boyish and a wimp for me and not the slimy arrogant yuppie scum at least in act 1 I picture to see. But then the whole good guy turning into bad guy turning into good guy turning into bad guy with these changes coming largely out of nowhere to suit the storyline and the situation is too much for me anyway.
Denise Vilöhr as Maureen was always too OTT for me. Where others saw apparently energy I just saw fake and too much nice-ness lacking fierceness and when you have seen Anke Fiedler's stunning performance in Ettlingen especially during "Over The Moon" and know what the capabilities of this part are you know how rather dull Denise's approach was.
Dalma Viczina as Joanne was of the female leads the only convincing being most believable being both tough and vulnerable showing that her character cares for Maureen and is really hurt later in the show as during "Take Me for What I Am".
Sven Fliege as the anguished and tortured Roger has of all the most touching voice been showed off especially during "One Song Glory" giving a dynamic performance trying to leave some mark behind as his character faces the various issues and was actually the only person I felt sorry for.
I so wanted to love Florian Peters having seen him in other shows always impressing me but unfortunately his Mark was all but the cynical lonely struggling film maker, the one Roger accuses of hiding in his work to not face lving a lie. Again his singing was faultless, but I had known that before what a brilliant singer he is - I just felt him not being right for the part just not having the kind of power being a force with compelling presence despite rocking it and having chemistry with Sven. He was just no Mark for me
The ensemble which largely consisted of (theatre) students was at least convincing and very energetic. But maybe that was the main difference. For them it was still a passion, a hobby and not a job. Especially Lars Schmidt, currently a student at the UdK in Berlin, stood out for me seeming to have a time of his life. I hope he keeps that once he has graduated.
The band was okay but often lacked strength and power too as several leads. It was a 5 piece band just as in the original Broadway production but somehow it just could not create at least for me the same drive as e.g. in the Ettlingen (if you haven't noticed yet as little as I like the show that production was well done IMHO). It often felt lacklustre following the original broadway speed which was adjusted in the movie and which works much better for me. That the sound was often unbalanced did not help either and it seems reading other comments about this production it was a general production issue occuring also at other shows.
The costumes, well I was seriously wondering how some of these broke kids can afford such clothes including accessories as designer glasses besides the fact that they were largely not very 90s or at least reflecting Bohemian poverty not matching the scenery.
Choreography was disappointing. There is so much you can just do in this show but the bits where a detailed choreography is needed as for "La Vie Bohème" it fell flat. Okay the speed of that number as following the original Broadway production does not help either but it needs a choreography to build up the energy but then it lacked that throughout the evening massively.
Saying that, others felt that, saw it recalling reviews and comments (though I have also seen some really negative viewer comments as on musicalzentrale.de, it seems this production caused some controversy) but for me this production, that cannot change the raw material, missed a chance to make the best out of it as e.g. Ettlingen did. If I want to see a dated show in the future I see Hair.
