(Photo courtesy Jeffrey Auger Photography)
ORLANDO | Thirty years after the musical originally opened, “RENT in Concert” is bringing “Seasons of Love” and more to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for a symphonic version March 14.
Jonathan Larson’s “RENT” is set in New York’s Lower East Side under the shadow of HIV and AIDS. It follows a group of young, impoverished artists and musicians like Angel, Roger, Mimi and Tom.
Maureen Johnson, a confident, outgoing performance artist, deals with her infidelity through her art, while her partner, Joanne, questions the value of their current relationship. Maureen is portrayed by Alex Lugo, a Black, queer and non-binary artist from Miami who is now based in Brooklyn.
“My hope is that people leave with the same thing that I felt when I first saw ‘RENT,’ and heard the album for the first time … you feel a familiarity, and you feel like you’ve found another family, a chosen family, in Jonathan’s music and his own mantras,” Lugo says.
Lugo was a member of the third-year company for the musical’s 20th anniversary tour, then as Mimi. Their professional experience also extends to the first national tour of “Hadestown” and they appeared on season two of HBO Max’s “And Just Like That…” as Toby.
“RENT” is a Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning rock musical, and this production set for the Dr. Phillips Center will feature an ensemble cast of vocalists and instrumentalists performing the full score of the show.
“I’m truly excited for [audiences] to find a home in our production,” Lugo shares. “Because we are with the superpower of a 19-member orchestra and our cast, we’re able to really kind of connect with you in a way that I don’t think other productions have been performed before, because it is a concert version. So it’s truly us, the music and you.”
Lugo says the musical been celebrated for decades because of its representation of multicultural social issues and the homophobia explored in Larson’s work.
“He’s just such a powerful advocate and a champion for people, for the global majority and other communities [that feel] like they are not heard, not seen, not protected,” Lugo says.
Having been able to portray Mimi in a prior production, and now stepping into the role of Maureen for the concert, Lugo takes pride in the opportunity to “wear different hats” through the show.
“I feel like Maureen is definitely a special kind of situation,” Lugo explains. “I feel like this particular role has been something that feels so in line with who I am and what I believe. Sometimes it’s really easy for me to mask as someone else rather than being like, ‘Oh, I’m kind of just playing myself.’ I’m … offering my vulnerabilities to the audience or to my peers and hoping that they receive me as I am.”
In the decade since they were last a part of a “RENT” production, Lugo has felt a growth and blossoming of their own identity and confidence with it. A self-proclaimed introverted extrovert, Lugo says that portraying Maureen’s vivacious character in this production has both challenged and inspired them.
“Maureen is definitely someone who really soaks in and is not only grounded in her intention, but is like, ‘I’m not afraid to stumble and let you see me stumble,’” Lugo says. “I think being able to step into her has been such a gift for someone who kind of struggles with that, struggles with standing in their power.”
Seeing “RENT” and listening to the original recordings of the soundtrack have been significant to Lugo from their first interaction with the show to now. They find value in being able to resonate with the message of a story and the characters that encompass it.
“I feel like growing up, especially as a queer kid, I always looked for work that I could see myself in, or I could see my communities in,” Lugo shares. “And ‘RENT’ was just one that, no contest, was just something that I was like, ‘Wow,’ in love with from the start.Being able to revisit it now, when I feel like I’m getting to know myself and I’m stepping into who I am, feels just like a dream come true, really.”
“RENT in Concert” plays at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at 8 p.m. on March 14. Tickets start at $46 and are available at DrPhillipsCenter.org.
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