Pay the RENT at TMP

Tacoma Musical Playhouse opened the regional premiere of the ground-breaking and award-gobbling rock opera “RENT” last Friday, making it the landmark event of the weekend. This tale of a gaggle of New York City’s starving artists deal with poverty, love, the drawing power of drug addiction, betrayal and living in the world of AIDS.

Anchoring the show are: Aaron Freed, Matt Posner, Kevin Douglass, Katin Jacobs-Lake, Antonia Darlene, Thaddeus Wilson, Jesse Smith and Alison Monda.

Readers if this column will remember that I noted Monda and Posner as the heir-apparent to the title of Tacoma’s acting duo. They are now engaged, making their title official considering they brought all they had to this production in ways that created magic. Staging such a well-known show can get tricky since most folks in the seats have already seen the show in Seattle during one of its touring shows around the country. This production was clearly different enough to make it a TMP work but also loyal to the original script and tone.

While the big-house stagings of this show often blast and wow audiences with its energy and thunder, this version seemed more personal and intimate. It wasn’t quite an unplugged version, but the amps weren’t set to their usual 11 either. This version fit the stage TMP owns, making it a show to watch in the coming weeks.

The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., with Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. on Feb. 6 and Feb. 13. The theater is located at 7116 Sixth Ave. Tickets are $25 for adults, and $23 for students, seniors and military. While the show is not recommended for people under the age of 15, older teen agers will love it.

More information at TMP.org