Rent

Technical decisions and problems spoil this show. I felt the director hadn't decided how to use the large stage and was pushed to fill it. And then decided to spread into the auditorium to no great advantage. Staging the first scenes of the second half on the auditorium floor when the seating is not raked just stopped the audience from seeing them. There was a perfectly good stage raised 4 feet behind them. The sound was terrible in the first half, mics were not activated and the clicktrack was too loud. I moved seat for the second but that was no improvement.

There were some annoying lighting decisions - slow switches to follow the cast, light shining into the audience and going psychedelic in the auditorium to end the first half.

The cast were good. Joanne sold her songs well and Angel and Tom Collins were excellent. A pity the technical side let them down.

Derek Benfield