TranspaRENT Excellence

The fact that I’m leaving for college in two weeks hasn’t really hit me yet. I’m not moving in right away (not until the 15th), but I’m leaving to visit my grandparents in Ohio before officially becoming a Buckeye. I’ve had a pleasant summer, keeping myself busy through work and preparing for college. But the activity that I will miss the most from this summer will be participating in RENT.

After a successful run with the West Morris Central musical Children of Eden (CoE), several actors implored director Jeffrey Hogan to start a summer musical. Hogan proceeded to team up with fellow WMC English and Drama teacher Melissa Charych to establish an independent theatre company (Theatre in the Making LLC). Hogan and Charych then recruited CoE musical director Tracy Witko and CoE Choreographer and WMC Math teacher Dana Harrington to complete the production’s infrastructure. After holding auditions open to any 14 to 18 year olds in the Morris County area, the directors casted the show. Now, following a month of intense rehearsals and heightened publicity, Theatre in the Making will present RENT on Thursday August 1st, Friday August 2nd, and Saturday August 3rd at 7 PM each night in the West Morris Central auditorium (259 Bartley Road, Chester, NJ). Tickets will be $15 at the door.

RENT, if you are unfamiliar with it, was the ninth-longest running show on Broadway ever (12 years). The work showcases the lives of performers in NYC who are not only struggling to pay rent for their apartments, but also dealing with the 1990’s HIV epidemic.

“RENT discusses the realities of love, trust, addiction, fear, just about everything that anyone can relate to,” explains WMC graduate Caitlin Gilby (who plays Mrs. Jefferson and Blanket Person). “This show has so many messages that people need to see.”

The musical, characterized as a rock opera (meaning most dialogue is sung rather than spoken to rock music) explores some mature themes, so bringing children under thirteen might warrant some caution. The two things that spring to mind that might make some viewers uncomfortable are the fact that the dialogue contains occasional profanity and the presence of multiple LGBT characters (including a drag queen). Neither of these aspects is necessarily negative. They instead potentially necessitate a dialogue with younger viewers about not repeating certain language/explaining the diversity of sexual preferences among human beings in the world.

I, for one, could not be more excited for the show. I have the opportunity to play the villain of the production (the landlord), and such a role has allowed me to really ameliorate my sinister grin and condescending stare. But on a more serious note, I think my acting has greatly improved simply from my exposure to the talent outside my school. The cast features three members from Mendham, one from Mount Olive, one from Voorhees, one from Rahway, one from Edison, and two from South Brunswick.

In relation to working with actors from other high schools, future WMC junior Kevin Wehrhahn (playing the lead role of filmmaker Mark Cohen) commented “It’s always a fun experience to meet and work with people you usually don’t see every day. This particular group has wowed me time and time again with their talent, and it’s been very humbling to me personally.”

Acting again with my WMC friends such as Wehrhahn has also been a blessing. The cast is predominantly made up of students and alumni of my alma mater. In my opinion, our WMC contingent has become really close with the infusion of outside talent and synthesized into a cast capable of putting on a truly awe-inspiring production.

“There are so many different characters that go through their own spiritual problems and spiritual journeys…each audience member will probably take away something different and that’s awesome,” expressed Wehrhahn regarding the message of the musical. “Personally I find that this show has taught me that (to quote the show itself) ‘friendship is thicker than blood’, and that no matter what troubles or fears you face there will always be that community to support you and bring joy to your life.”

“I hope that people take from the show that people should live each moment as if it were their last, and learn to accept others for who they are. Life is too short to judge, be angry, or turn away from happiness,” added Gilby.

RENT has forced all of us in the cast to consider how friendship plays into the struggles and tribulations of everyday life. We hope to see you in the audience this coming weekend.