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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Stage review: It takes a village to pull off ‘Rent,’ and Lake City Playhouse’s village is strong

The cast of Lake City Playhouse’s “Rent,” which runs through Feb. 16.  (Courtesy of Jolena Long)
By Azaria Podplesky For The Spokesman-Review

“Rent,” a show about, among other things, the importance of community, really takes a village to pull off. There is so much going on every second of the show, which requires constant focus from everyone on and off the stage.

Luckily for “Rent”-heads and casual fans alike, Lake City Playhouse has a strong village and, as a result, a solid production of the much-beloved rock musical.

Visually, the set (by Jolena Long) is instantly identifiable. With scaffolding off to one side of the stage, and a red couch that’s seen better days on the other, plus graffiti featuring hearts, tags and Keith Haring-esque outlines of figures spray-painted on the back wall, I’d have known the stage was set for “Rent” had I walked into Lake City Playhouse with no clue of their current season.

Costumes (by Zoe Evans and Lincoln Wood) plus subway sound effects at the top of the show (sound by Michael Scott) added even more to the East Village in the late-’80s/early-’90s setting of the musical.

There were a lot of standout solo numbers during the show, like “One Song Glory” sung by Oskar Owens, who had the perfect voice for struggling rock ‘n’ roller Roger, and “Out Tonight,” performed by Stevie Astudillo, spicy and sweet as Mimi, a stripper who lives downstairs from Roger and Mark, a struggling documentary filmmaker played by Jameson Elton, who skillfully led the audience from moment to moment as the show’s narrator.

But I especially enjoyed the songs that required vocal duos, trios, etc. The cast was evenly matched so it was a treat to watch everyone perform together.

There are too many to list, but highlights included “Light My Candle” (Owens and Astudillo), “I’ll Cover You” (Daniel Renz as Angel and James Padilla as Collins, both charming and kind in their roles), “Tango: Maureen” (Elton and Torey Routson as public interest lawyer Joanne), which featured fun choreography by Delaney Kahler, “Take Me or Leave Me” (Maureen, played by Elizabeth Theriault, and Routson) and “What You Own” (Owens and Elton).

Theriault deserves a special shoutout for fully committing to the booty-baring role of performance artist Maureen. When speaking about a previous show Theriault appeared in, Spokane Civic Theatre Executive Director Jake Schaefer told me her voice sounds the way caramel smells. That description stuck with me, and after hearing her sing in “Rent,” I’d have to agree. Her voice is sweet with a bit of soul.

Finally, Routson and Mitch Heid, who played former-roommate-turned-landlord Benny, were up against a lot of interesting creative personalities, but they both played their “straight man” roles with a lot of humor and personality of their own.

Lake City’s production featured Ashley Techavimol, Conner Heim, Karlin Kahler, Caid Wood, Marlee Andrews and Juno Otis, all wonderful performing the show’s many voicemails and filling in as Christmas carolers, people living on the street or members of the Life Support group, among many other roles.

Full company numbers like “Rent” and “La Vie Bohème” were just as raucous and fun as I had hoped.

Having the band (bassist Rob Peterson, guitarist Jacob Segalla and drummer Taylor Belote) onstage just behind the performers added a lot of energy to the show, though there were a few moments when I couldn’t quite make out the lyrics being sung over the volume of the band. There is enough exposition to fill in the gaps, however, and those more familiar with the soundtrack than I will be fine.

As director Robby French writes in the program, “(‘Rent’) is a work of art. A piece of protest, of rock ’n’ roll, a message of peace, celebrating life, and a constant reminder of what this world needs more of right now: Love.”

Thanks to the love the Lake City Playhouse team put into their production, the musical, which French notes is technically a “period piece,” feels as electric and fresh as it did upon its 1996 Broadway debut.

“Rent” continues through Feb. 16 at Lake City Playhouse. The musical features a book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson and is loosely based on “La bohème” by Giacomo Puccini, Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa.

“Rent” is music directed by Heather Brown. The show features lighting design by Logan Tiedt and Sam Bajorek. It’s stage managed by Emily James and Destanie Dunbar.