Home viewers will get a change to view selected performances of the sold-out run of Hope Mill Theatre’s highly-anticipated new production of Jonathan Larson’s Rent.
With tickets selling out for the live theatre performances within 48 hours, the production will now be filmed and broadcast online to a strictly limited number of viewers over four weekends in November and December.
Announcing the shows which will be captured during live performance by Umbrella Rooms, William Whelton, executive director of Hope Mill Theatre, said: “One of the hardest challenges we faced as a venue was producing Rent with the current restrictions on our seating capacity as a result of social distancing being in place.
“The option of operating at 50% capacity during the run was financially completely unviable and meant we stood to have a large financial deficit as an organisation, which at this time we are unable to allow. So being offered the opportunity from the rights holders to make up our lost capacity with the chance for audiences to view an online version of the show is incredible and has allowed us to move forward with staging such an ambitious production during this time.
“Although it will not be a live stream, we will be filming the show live in its entirety and then working alongside our video team and creatives to beautifully and intimately capture the real essence and heart of our production, so that audiences feel as though they are part of the action. This is a rare opportunity for us and we cannot wait to be able to share our unique and special production with more audiences.”
Online tickets will be available for 27, 28 and 29 November; 4, 5 and 6 December; 11, 12 and 13 December; and 18, 19 and 20 December.
The production’s 12-strong cast includes: Jocasta Almgill (& Juliet, Shaftesbury Theatre, Dreamgirls, Savoy Theatre) as Joanne; Blake Patrick Anderson (Be More Chill, The Other Palace, Closer to Heaven, Above The Stag) as Mark; Ahmed Hamad (The Boy in the Dress, RSC, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, London Palladium) as Benny; Dom Hartley-Harris (Hamilton, Victoria Palace, Bat Out of Hell, London Coliseum) as Collins; Millie O’Connell (Olivier nominee for Six The Musical, Arts Theatre and UK tour, 42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane) as Maureen; Maiya Quansah-Breed (Olivier nominee for Six The Musical, Arts Theatre and UK tour) as Mimi; and Alex Thomas-Smith (Dear Evan Hansen, Noël Coward Theatre, Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre) as Angel. Arts Ed 2020 graduate Tom Francis will make his professional debut as Roger.
Royal Academy of Music Masters 2020 graduate Kayla Carter, Allie Farrell-Daniel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie film), Isaac Hesketh (Book of Mormon, UK tour) and Bethany Terry (West Side Story, Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester, Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre) complete the cast in featured ensemble roles.
As previously announced the company members will receive a Covid-19 test before forming a single household ‘bubble’ for the duration of the re-scheduled run.
Originally due to play a limited season from 31 July, the production which will be directed by Luke Sheppard will now run from 30 October until 6 December with strict Covid measures in place.
Sheppard heads a creative team that includes: choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, musical supervisor Katy Richardson, musical director Chris Poon, set and costume designer David Woodhead, LX designer Howard Hudson, sound designer Paul Gatehouse, projection designer George Reeve, assistant director Priya Appleby, costume supervisor Ester Mangas, production photographer Dujonna Gift-Simms, make-up and wigs designer Jackie Saundercock and casting is by Pearson Casting. Artwork is by Feast Creative and video content by The Umbrella Rooms.
Announcing the full cast and creative Sheppard said: “This production of Rent is about placing this ground-breaking show in the hands of a new generation of exceptional musical theatre performers, and as we have shifted the lens on the production over the last months, the promise of this cast telling this story in these extraordinary times has felt increasingly vital.
“Most of them have been waiting in the wings since we cast the production at the start of the year and I’m enormously grateful for their patience and commitment. The Hope Mill Theatre continues to work tirelessly to make this production happen in a safe and secure way and it’s a privilege to be working with this visionary venue to bring this special production to the stage.”
Inspired by Puccini’s opera La Bohème, Larson’s critically-acclaimed work won four Tony Awards, six Drama Desk awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1996.
Rent has book, music and lyrics by Larson, musical arrangements by Steve Skinner, original concept and additional lyrics by Billy Aronson, music supervision and additional arrangements by Tim Weil and dramaturg is Lynn Thomson.
Angela Thomas
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