It is not often that the word 'rent' is associated with joy and celebration. Unless of course you are talking about the multi-Tony-Award-winning musical by Jonathan Larson.
The popular rock musical will make its way to Australia next year, with an all-new cast announced for the return of the Broadway hit.
"It's interesting to see how Jonathan Larson brought to life, this meaning of Rent in so many different ways," says Kiwi actor and Miss Saigon star Nick Afoa, who plays philosophy teacher and anarchist Collins.
The musical takes you to the streets of 80s and 90s New York City East Village, where a young group of downtown artists desperately try to keep their dreams and hopes alive in the shadows of poverty and HIV/AIDS.
For Afoa — whose character has AIDS — the show reminds him that "we don't have things guaranteed, we have got to make the most of our love."
"The overarching message is community; it's chosen family," says 2022 Voice Grand Finalist Thndo, who plays Joanne Jefferson — a Harvard-educated lesbian lawyer — in the musical.
"We spent so much time separated from each other, and now we're reconnecting, nurturing those relationships that we didn't necessarily pour so much into when we had the opportunity," she adds.
The musical officially opened in 1996 and closed 12 years later, making it one of the longest-running shows on Broadway. It grossed over $280 million.
The musical was also made into a film in 2005, studded with the singing and acting skills of stars like Idina Menzel, Rosario Dawson and Taye Diggs.
Thndo believes the reason the musical still manages to strike a chord with audiences nearly three decades after it's premiere is because of the relationships and friendships it portrays.
And she has found her character Joanne very accessible.
"It's been really great learning her character and finding how I relate to her," Thndo tells ABC News Breakfast.
"She's a very anxious person.
"She's struggling in her relationship with a very artistic, free-spirited young woman by the name of Maureen … and navigating an interracial relationship, a queer relationship in that space."
Recalling when she was first told she has been caste in the musical, Thndo laughingly says she was shocked.
"I haven't done musical theatre for a long time. So to be casting a role in a show so iconic, it's such an honour to be able to flex my acting muscle again," she says.
Nick Afoa can't wait to bring the show to life for Australian audiences.
"It's a real timely musical, you know, after the last few years of what the world has gone through," he says.
And for Afoa and Thndo, it's a chance to keep this important and highly relevant story alive.
Rent will hit theatres across Australia, touring Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Canberra from January next year.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiUGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIzLTExLTAyL3JlbnQtbXVzaWNhbC1jb21lcy10by1hdXN0cmFsaWEvMTAzMDQ3NDc00gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMzA0NzQ3NA?oc=5
2023-11-01 21:46:28Z
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