Children’s Musical Theatre in San Jose, one of the largest youth theatre companies in the country, recently wrapped up their terrific production of Rent, and with enough talent to fill up two casts. On the evening I attended, Sam Lerner and Joey Pisacane filled the roles of Mark Cohen and Roger Davis – two twentysomething artists scraping by in a skid row apartment building who suddenly have a rent problem. Although, keeping a roof over the heads is far from their only trials. Mark, who just lost his girlfriend to a girl, wants to be a documentary filmmaker. Sam Lerner is great in the role, a kind of nerdy side to him but a cool side as well that makes it believable he used to be with an ultra-cool girlfriend. When he gets called out for filming life instead of experiencing it, you see it hit home with him – leaving him shaken. Meanwhile, roommate Roger has been diagnosed with HIV, notified of it in his girlfriend’s suicide note. A guitar player and singer, he hopes to write one great song before he loses his battle. Joey Pisacane has a good rough edge and moody protectiveness about him, and does very well with the tough vocals.

He has to sing a lot of those vocals with his potential new girlfriend, exotic dancer Mimi. Marion Wellington’s dancing is uninhibited, exotic, and fearless (she does some pretty good moves standing on the railing high above the stage), and she proves to be a good actress and vocalist as well, especially when their relationship faces its most difficult hurdles.

Mark isn’t having a lot of luck with the ladies. Lawyer Joanne Jefferson (Alia Hodge) stole his Maureen away, but they can still find some humor about their shared difficulties of being Maureen’s significant other in the Tango Maureen. The character of Maureen gets rocked by triple threat Adrienne Eller, her Over the Moon poetry reading is as good as it gets, and she does it all with a terrific sense of humor and knockout vocals that are joined with Alia’s in their magnificently performed cat fight Take Me or Leave Me.

Other highlights include a great performance by Bryant Montalvo as Angel, a happy and charismatic transvestite who dances a diverting and entertaining Today 4 U and spreads a lot of love throughout the show (except to doggies living on the 23^rd floor). As Collins, Chris Renalds is Angel’s grateful, sensitive, and emotional lover. Matthew Alpert is appropriately annoying but real as businessman and former friend Benjamin Coffin III who has dreams of his own. The ensemble includes many strong soloists and, as a whole, they are both dynamic in their passion for life and quietly touching in the show’s more poignant moments.

Performs March 6-15, 2009.

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre