Chicago Tribune: Chicago's gritty but livable Rogers Park is a reasonable approximation of Alphabet City, the East Village neighborhood of New York wherein streets have single-letter names. Come to think of it, Rogers Park, home of the Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre, now probably is closer to Alphabet City, circa 1993, the era of Jonathan Larson's "Rent," than is the real Alphabet City, circa 2016.
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RENT was one of the first musicals I ever got into, in middle school before I was even very much involved in theater at all. I remember being very inspired by the variety of stories it was able to tell, as well as the diversity in the backgrounds of its characters. Not many shows have the kind of bravery that RENT does in its unabashed representation of an amplified (but definitely not glamorized) New York “bohemian” lifestyle. But despite the catchy music which has made me watch the movie version at least 5 times, it definitely isn’t a light or easy production to put on due to its subject matter. I think it’s especially important for companies/ schools putting on this show to approach the material in as honest and truthful of a way as possible, since I think that too often in performing shows which represent people of all orientations and backgrounds, deeply layered characters can very quickly become caricatures, especially in a musical where emphasis might be more on audience enjoyment. That’s why I love this idea of a company placing the production in such a literal setting, since it provides the proximity that allows the emotion to hit that much harder. The history behind this particular area makes this scenic decision even more impactful.
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