Jonathan Larson’s Rent burst onto the Broadway stage in 1996, breaking the mould of musical theatre with something visceral and stripped-back. Inspired by La Bohème, it follows struggling artists living on the edge – one step from the street, chasing love, art, and survival amid the AIDS crisis.

Much like its predecessor did in its time, Rent still polarises audiences. Puccini shocked early opera-goers by focusing on the marginalised rather than grand, historical or mythic figures. His tender yet unflinching portrayal of romance, poverty, and mortality divided opinion. Some were captivated by its emotional immediacy, others unsettled by its realism. Rent carries forward that legacy: its abrasiveness is designed to challenge. Larson wrote it unfiltered and from the heart. That very tension is central to its enduring appeal, keeping the show alive nearly 30 years on.

Opera Australia has boldly embraced this vision, transforming the grandeur of the Joan Sutherland stage into a grungy, untamed and lived-in world. It’s a rock opera with a pulse; dirty, fierce, and brimming with energy, yet still carving out moments of intimate beauty and restraint. Jack Earle’s musical arrangement is perfectly matched: a compact orchestra laced with electric guitar, drums, and percussion, giving the score both intimacy and bite. Lucia Dinaoroo’s choreography is character-driven and primal.

The cast embodies that same spirit. Far from glam stars, they look like people clawing through life, each performance charged with passion and desperation in a world that constantly tests them. Mark, played with wry charm by Henry Rollo, is both narrator and observer, a fledgling documentary maker guiding the audience through the story with insight and empathy. In “Santa Fe”, he captures Mark’s drifting ambition and restlessness, perfectly evoking the 1990s synergy of dreams, rebellion, and youthful uncertainty.

Angel, the exuberant drag queen and community’s heartbeat, is the light in the grime – the glue that holds this fractured group together. Jesse Dutlow delivers perhaps the best version of Angel I’ve seen on stage: authentic, radiant but never overwrought. Angel’s natural chemistry with Collins (played with lovely restraint by Googoorewon Knox) makes this unlikely pairing all the more believable. ‘I’ll Cover You’ avoids excess and instead honours this moment as a private declaration of love.

Benny, played by Tana Laga’aia, is an outsider to the bohemian world. Ambitious yet tethered to the rules of the conventional. He highlights the duality between stability and risk while also reminding the community of its disdain for sell out yuppies. It’s a tricky role, but Laga’aia brings nuance, capturing both conflict and connection.

Maureen (Calista Nelmes) and Joanne (Imani Williams) are a powerhouse duo, lighting up the stage with their fiery dynamic and gutsy vocals. Maureen’s ‘Over the Moon’ is a bold, absurd declaration that pulls the audience into the fun, and Nelmes completely owns the moment. It’s not every night you hear an Opera House audience mooing – and it worked. Williams grounds this duo with sharp wit, emotional depth, and moments of vulnerability, delivering each line and note with depth and precision.

At the heart of Rent is the passionate, combustible bond between Roger and Mimi. Roger is often portrayed as a rock god, but here Harry Targett makes him far more accessible – poetic, vulnerable, and entirely believable, a sensitive artist teetering on the edge. In contrast, Kristin Paulse’s Mimi radiates spunky, earthy sensuality, pulling Roger out of his darkness as both his muse and his equal. Vocally, both deliver strong, expressive performances, and their chemistry is undeniable, particularly during their meet cute ‘Light My Candle’.

What makes Rent endure is that it isn’t only about the terror of the drugs and AIDS crisis of the 1990s. It’s about the struggle itself; poverty, addiction, artistry, and the delicate beauty of connection. Each generation brings its own lens. Jonathan Larson lived this story, and his truth bleeds through every note. He never lived to see its success; dying suddenly on the night before the first Off-Broadway preview. That tragedy, and the fact that the show remains almost exactly as Larson left it, gives Rent its extraordinary sense of raw originality and authenticity.

A good musical entertains – a great one has something to say- this is one at its most honest. Opera Australia’s Rent rocks the house, thriving on its unpolished spirit, landing squarely in the gut. Gritty, heartbreaking, and defiantly alive, it dares you just to feel it.

Catch Rent live at the Sydney Opera House from Saturday, 27 September 2025, to Saturday, 1 November 2025. Details: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/opera-australia/2025-season/rent

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