Rent, the rock musical, comes to Perth by the folks who also brought Hair recently.
This production will star Anthony Callea, Tim Campbell and Nikki Webster and will be performed at the Regal Theatre from 9 to 25 November 2007.
RENT provides a scorchingly hot modern take on Puccini’s La Boheme and is considered the greatest rock musical of modern times.
This stirring musical centres on a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York City’s Bohemian East Village. Searching for love and dealing with loss these artists and musicians choose to embrace life as if there is No Day But Today!
Tickets on sale from Ticketek ($44.90 to $94.90)
Websites: Eventainment and Yellow Glass Theatre
Venue: Regal Theatre, Subiaco – Location Map
I cannot wait to see this production of RENT starring Anthony Callea. Ive booked my ticket and on my way to Perth, I am so happy that Anthony has been cast in role, only hope it come to the East Coast as well.
YAY! My friends and I booked gold class tickets to RENT! We are going to be nice and close to the stage! I cannot wait to see who plays Angel and good luck to Anthony Callea whos playing my fave character Mark Cohen! I know you can pull off this eccentric and geeky character!
This cast destorys EVERYTHING that RENT is about and is just slandering the text. i want to shoot myself now.
I totally Agree Azza – I would race to see Rent at any cost but this cast is holding me back… R.I.P Jonathon Larson… Im sure your turning in your grave.
I think the cast is great Anthony Callea will no doubt be awesome in the role of Mark would love to have the opportunity to see this production .
Azza and Anna,
How do you know how this cast will be until you’ve seen it?..but oh no, you would NEVER give them a chance!!
I say Anthony Callea was meant for musical theatre and will give this role 110%..he will ROCK!!!
I so can’t wait. With the star-studded cast, I’m comming from Melbourne to see this one !!!! Thankyou Virgin Airways for cheaper tickets to Perth. I can finally afford to travel across the country :)
I think this will be an awesome production, and Anthony Callea will make it so much better. It amazes me how some people criticise without given the artist a chance.
I saw Anth in a Wesrside Story Medley when he was only 13, and would love to see him in Rent. Unfortunately as I live in Melbourne I don’t see that happening, but hopefully there will be a dvd.
I am a huge RENT fan and I’ve been waiting til I can afford to go see it in the US but when I heard it was gonna be in my hometown of Perth I was so excited. But then I heard that Nikki Webster was gonna play my favourite character Maureen. I can’t believe it, I’ve still bought tickets but I just think that casting Nikki in this role is a huge mistake, no-one can beat Idina–especially not Nikki.
which person is playing who?
i know so far anthony – mark
and nikki – maureen
who else?
Nikki Webster is awesome and one of the prettiest girls going. I wish I was in Perth to come and see the show.
I’ll have to send her some fan mail and keep dreaming.
I’m confused as to how a cast can ’slander’ a text and am very happy about the choices. I have friends coming from other Australian states and also New Zealand primarily because of this cast. Anthony Callea is brilliant and Nikki was very very good in Hair. I think Tim Campbell is Roger and Shane Jenek is Angel. I’ve heard only good things about them too.
OH AZZA GROW UP!!!!!! Mate we have been through this subject in detail…..If u wernt such a good mate i would give ya slap!!! As u know i love RENT alot and i saw Anthony in concert and he rocked and he knows how to work the stage!! Give him a chance mate…
Im sure we will argue about this for along time to come!! hehe
A.
because i’ve seen enough of them to know it’s terribly mis-matched. Why not someone like Jade McRae as Mimi, and Ella Hooper from Killing Heidi for Maureen, I can even see Lior as Angel and Emmanuel Carella as Mark.
All Rcck/Pop/soul singers with a name behind them and the creditbility to pull off the material.
Reminds me of Joey Fatone as Mark on broadway (shudders)
and even of the 1992 casting of JC Superstar, Kate Cebrano, John Farnham etc. perfectly cast!
Just don’t like to see Rent messed with, luckily I don’t live in perth, so why am I even here? haha
Im lokking forward to it coming to perth but i have to convince my parents to let me go. I love Anthhony! Anthony is also starring in the musical ‘Dead Man Walking’ thats at the end of the month for 3 days.
Okay, can you guys please go easy on Azza & Anna?
A true Renthead, gets upset when professional performers are cast in the show. It’s not because those performers aren’t great. I’m sure that Nikki & Anthony will do a brilliant job. I know they can sing the role brilliantly and so forth. That’s not the issue. The issue is that Jonathan Larson, the writer and creator of Rent, deliberately cast struggling artists, to represent the people he’d written about. It was never supposed to be a commmercial show. It was supposed to be the Rock Opera for our generation. Using popstars and rockstars, no matter where in the world, goes directly against what the creator of the show wanted.
His vision was for the cast to be a family (and let me tell you, the original Aussie cast WERE a family, they were beautiful to watch), who were there (a) because they loved and believed in the show (b) because they desperately needed the work and (c) because they were incredibly talented and deserved to be showcased. That’s the thing with Rent. And it’s not just Anthony and Nikki people have problems with. Everywhere in the world that a famous person has been cast, true Rentheads have had a problem with it. Not the performers themselves, because in most cases they’ve done brilliant jobs (though I did see Scary Spice as Mimi on Broadway, and whilst she was lovely after the show, she was not a great Mimi), but because it is just not Rent.
Having said all of that, as a frustrated Aussie who has not been able to see Rent in her home country for so long (and who won’t be able to make it to Perth to see the show either), I’m just happy it’s getting done in Australia and I say a big Chookas to Anthony, Nikki, Tim and the rest of the cast. I’m sure you’ll blow everyone away, and I hope you enjoy doing the show! What an honour for you all.
oh , thats not fair.
please come to melbourne.
FOR GODS SAKE!! Anthony Callea and Nikki Webster deserve these roles because they are cheesy nobodies. I hope no-one shows up.
Being in Brisbane, I can’t make this gig but I sure hope this production is a hit so that other producers see great rent is and how popular it really is. I was fortunate to see rent last year in New York and I would have to say it was absolutely mind blowing. I would have to agree with Sarah in regards to casting, this play is about a bunch of 20-somethings who are struggling with their lives. They are nobodies just like you and me, and thats what makes them so good to relate to. This musical is I would have to say, one of the greatest pieces of theatre if not even art. I will always cherish it and hopefully it will come to brisbane again some day. There will be a small theatre on the gold coast this february with a production of rent if anyone on this side of the country is interested. Just google it.
Anyway thats my two cents. Hope everyone enjoys this production. I am eager to see how the ’stars’ pull it off.
wow! congratulatiosn perth on securing one of the best modern musicals written! this gritty, amazing and powerful movie/stageshow is gonna blow the roof off if the star power is anything to go by1
anthony callea: what can say but he is amazing1 awesome vocals etc
nikki webbster?: not a fan but still very good
Tim Campbell: is an amazing singer and actor so his gonna be awesome!
perth people listen up! i just hope you support this show cause it might be a while again before u get some amazing stage muscials with this star quality in town again!
just like adelaide!
one last things! Sydney n melbourne! move over let the samller staes have some good shows come our way!
Tommy
Rent is performing in Brisbane at the (non prof/ am) Brisbane Arts Theatre 25th and 26th July.
Doesn’t seem to be on their website, yet my friend has tickets.
The actor cast as Angel, Tait Halliday, is fantastic! Worth going just to see him perform, I’m sure.
I’ll start with the positive. Tim Campbell did an amazing job. One of the only actors which showed any form of real emotion. Also the guy who play the bum in the santa hat and robe in Christmas Balls, amazing character. And lastly the guy playing Collins, you are amazing. Stunning voice and a heart of gold. Well done.
Having said that, who the casted everyone else. Anthony Callea for christ sake learn to act man. He might as well be holding his script on stage.
Angel – Angel is a character that is suposed to be adored and he turned him into a over done trashy dragqueen. When angel dies your sposed to be heartbroken but i was happy it was over so I didnt have to watch anymore. Way to over done for someone your suposed to fall in love with.
Mimi – What the hell. Who happily smiles and laughs when telling someone they have AIDS. Serious, I dont know if it was directed that way or not but it was terrible. And her look – she looks like a little pretty virgin ballerina. Drug addict stripper anyone?
Nikki Webster – Need I say more!
I personally feel that it displayed nothing of what rent is sposed to mean. If anything it was shamefull on the issues that Rent is supposed to portray and if I was person living in any of the situations that Rent explores and was watching this production, I would have been offended.
Their was no heart put into it and it was very poorly directed. The cast were performing to the audience the majority of the time like it was a High School production. Rent is about relationships and love. How can you expected to audience to be effected if you dont show the love your characters are having for eachother. It was passionless. I’ve seen amature societies do better.
Bohemia was dead in this production.