Rent
by Jonathan Larson, 13-22 November 2008
Sedos, the city of London’s amateur theatre company, are delighted to announce the UK non-professional premiere of Jonathan Larson’s multi award-winning musical Rent at the Bridewell Theatre, Fleet Street this November.
Hot on the heels of the New York production’s September closure (making Rent the seventh longest running show in Broadway history) Jonathan Larson's revolutionary rock opera returns to London in its original format for only the third time. Inspired by Puccini’s La Boheme, Rent won the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, four Tony Awards and six Drama Desk Awards.
Running from 13 - 22 November 2008 at the Bridewell Theatre, London EC4, Rent will delight fans of the show keen to see the musical back in its original incarnation. Set in New York’s bohemian Alphabet City in the height of the AIDS crisis, Rent takes you on a journey of life, love and loss in a story that will make your heart simultaneously break and soar. This production takes Rent back to its roots; back to the tale that Jonathan Larson started to tell at that New York Theater Workshop.
Trailer
Cast List
Max Wilson |
Roger Davis, a struggling musician who's HIV+. Roger hopes to write one last meaningful song before he dies. Max Wilson is working as a graphic designer while saving for drama school. Max was a regular performer at university playing lead roles in Little Shop of Horrors and Bugsy Malone. |
William Hazell |
Mark Cohen, a filmmaker and video artist, and Roger's roommate.
William Hazell is a recent graduate of the Central School of Speech and Drama and has appeared in Titus Andronicus at the Globe Theatre. |
Jamie Lee Pike |
Mimi Marquez, a dancer with AIDS and a drug problem.
Jamie Lee Pike is a professional actress having graduated from Mountview Theatre Academy in 2006. Jamie Lee has just completed a national musical gala tour with How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria’s Zoe Tyler. |
James Howard |
Angel Shunard, a transvestite street drummer also infected with HIV.
James Howard works as a quantity surveyor but his interest in performing has seen him appear in Oklahoma! and complete a course at Mountview Theatre Academy |
Alex Hall |
Tom Collins, an HIV+ computer genius who's back in New York after being away.
Alex James Hall fronts indie-rock band Broken Waves and is now trying his hand at musical theatre for the first time in six years. |
Bridget Cross |
Joanne Jefferson, a public interest lawyer, and Maureen's lover.
Bridget Cross hails from New Zealand where she gained a Diploma in Performing Arts. This is Bridget’s 17th role in a sedos production. |
Rachel Hickson |
Maureen Johnson, a performance artist and Mark's ex-girlfriend.
Rachel Hickson, another recent graduate of the Central School of Speech and Drama secured her place at the college singing RENT’s ‘Take Me or Leave Me’ which she’ll reprise here in the role of Maureen. Professionally, Rachel has appeared on stage and screen, most recently in short film Reality Won’t Bite.
|
Geoff Chang |
Benjamin Coffin III, landlord of Mark and Roger's building. Benny wants to start a multimedia studio.
Geoff Chang now works as a lawyer and is a former member of the National Youth Music Theatre, he has also appeared in the video for Westlife’s ‘You Raise Me Up’. |
Roger Davis 
Mark Cohen 
Mimi Marquez 
Joanne Jefferson
Maureen Johnson
ENSEMBLE
Karen Braganza – A Cambridge graduate, Karen’s has previously appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar and Copacabana.
Paul Cozens – Paul is no stranger to the Bridewell Theatre and has experience as both an MD (Copacabana and A Slice of Saturday Night) and a performer (Hot Mikado and HMS Pinafore)
Lewis Anthony Davis – Trained in musical theatre and has appeared in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes. Lewis is currently recording vocals for house music tracks
Gemma Docherty – a flight attendant for Virgin, Gemma has made frequent appearances as a vocalist overseas.
James Franey – has been performing with sedos since 2004 with roles in Sexual Perversity in Chicago and Merrily We Roll Along
Tim Garrad – is a seasoned performer both in the UK and Australia, his credits include Les Misérables, Crazy For You and Cabaret
Jemma George – this is Jemma’s first acting role since leaving school, she recently made the pilgrimage to New York to see RENT in its final week and had the honour of meeting Jonathan Larson’s father
Scott Marshall – graduated from LIPA (Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts) in 2008
Emma Moffat – works in fashion PR and is a trained dancer (ballet and street dance)
Matt Morden – graduated from Warwick University where he played the title role in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as appearing in Fame and West Side Story
Paula Mount – recently played Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for Shakespeare in the City
Louise Pronk – Australian born Louise is a professional actress who has played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe
Mark Rowney – Mark appeared in last years Sweeney Todd at the Bridewell Theatre and is a lawyer.
Andrew Williams – Andrew has played leads in Hair and West Side Story as well as appearing in a production of Sweeney Todd
Rent,
by Jonathan Larson
Bridewell Theatre
Bride Lane, off Fleet Street
London, EC4
13-22 November 2008
