Jonathan Larson, the writer-composer of this Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning musical, was not quite 36 years old when he died, just before the show was to open. He was a young writer to the end, with some of a young writer's faults, but his creation became a cult hit for dedicated fans as soon as it opened, despite its occasional naïveté and sentimentality.
Youth, passion, and dedication are potent forces, which can make us forgive a multitude of sins, and so it is with this Royal Underground Theatre Company's production. It doesn't always land its plot points solidly, and the otherwise excellent band, under the direction of Shoshana Zisk, sometimes overpowers the lyrics, so we're not always sure what's happening or why. I doubt that many audiences fully grasp the details about the tent city and the riot that breaks out over it, but the fervor and enthusiasm of the young cast keep the momentum high, carrying all before it.
Eight young artists and would-be artists are the principal characters, who come together, break up, and come together again, forming an impromptu family and support group, as they struggle against poverty, AIDS, drugs, and national malaise. Moviemaker Mark (Jason Aaronson), who's busy filming their lives, provides our intro to the other characters, while his songwriter roommate Roger (Matt Pick, replacing Enrico Banson) struggles with AIDS and a dangerous attraction to the passionate young junkie Mimi (Ana Villafane). Leigh Golden provides a solid portrait of maddening Maureen, the singer whose wandering eye and diva temperament keep her eternally at odds with her cooler, calmer lesbian lover Joanne (Amelia Harris), while Benjamin Alicea scores as the flamboyant, AIDS-afflicted drag queen Angel, who inspires the love of earnest young black man Tom Collins (Deosick Burney). Nathan C. Crocker struggles to find coherence in the perplexingly quixotic landlord Benny Coffin, who's alternately ruthless, stingy, and unexpectedly generous. And there's admirable support from Cy Creamer, Ali Eagle, Jason Esposito, Tim Hearl, Rashonda Johnson-Mena, Charlie Rayshad, and Tiffany Van Cott in an array of smaller roles.
Director Jerianne Banson's engaging production is not brilliant or groundbreaking, but it seems to please its target audience. The busy choreography by Johanna Tolentino and Steven M. Thomas keeps the action lively, while Adrienne Fraser's gritty urban set and Cherilyn Chang and Natalia Gogatz's shabby-elegant costumes capture the flavor of NYC's Alphabet City in the 1990s.
(This production is double cast, and the A cast was reviewed.)
Presented by the Royal Underground Theatre Company at the Hudson Backstage Theatre, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Mar. 18–Apr. 23. Fri.–Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 3 p.m. (323) 960-7822. www.plays411.com/rent.