Ogden’s little Broadway theater presents a heart-warming rendition of the award-winning rock musical ‘Rent’ for three more nights.

By Deann Armes

Theater Review

An early Christmas gift came to Ogden this year with “Rent,’ at The Ziegfeld Theater in South Ogden, which opened October 7 and closes Saturday. A thousand sweet words can be said about the local community theater production, starting with three: Angel Dumott Schunard. 

The quintessential drag queen, brilliantly performed by Jezuz Gomez-Villalobos, shines like the North Star she is for a group of young, impoverished artists trying to survive in New York City during the 90s AIDS epidemic. Other stars in the “Rent” universe at The Zig include the delightfully choreographed scenes like “Tango Maureen,” “La Vie Boheme,” “Sante Fe/I’ll Cover You,” and “Over the Moon,” beautiful ensemble moments, and the live band: Sharon Datuin (conductor/keyboard), Alek Burdon (bass), Cooper Lavallee (guitar), and Owen Sidwell (drums).

In addition to Jezuz Gomez-Villablobos as Angel, each of the principal cast members accurately  portray the characters “Rent” fans love while making it their own: Nick Morris (Mark), Diego Rodriguez (Roger), Cassandra Pena (Mimi), Marie Howell (Maureen), Noelani Brown (Joanne), Avery Sims (Tom Collins), and Dylan Floyd Panter (Benny). 

“Rent” is a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical by Jonathan Larson that debuted over a quarter century ago yet is still relevant today. Director Latoya Camerson quotes a line from the musical in the program—“Connection in an isolating age”—stating, “We are experiencing that now. Here, in Utah and all over the United States. With a global pandemic that we are still navigating today, we are all isolated from connecting with other humans, our loved ones, and even ourselves. Along with that, rent in our community is continuously rising.”

Watching a “year in the life of friends” in “Rent,” we see ourselves; we want to pursue love, creation, and community. And in these dark times, it offers hope that we can find it—in daylights, in sunsets/in midnights, in cups of coffee/in inches, in miles/in laughter, in strife.

“Professional standard, community spirit” is what Ziegfeld Theater aims for and they achieve it with this production. It is an experience you can’t rewind, and you can’t “rent.” But you can live all approximately 150 minutes of it (including an intermission to get popcorn), on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at The Ziegfeld Theater. 

Visit zigarts.com for tickets and additional information.