"RENT!" is hot ticket for Shelterbelt Theater

Omaha will be living "La Vie Boheme" as SNAP! Productions brings the Broadway smash hit "RENT!" to Omaha for the first time in an off-Broadway production at the Shelterbelt Theater.Based off Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Bohéme," the Tony Award and Pulitzer prize-winning musical, features a group of young, self-proclaimed Bohemian artists and musicians that struggle to make a living in the face of poverty, illness and social revolution in New York City's Lower East Side.

Director Todd Brooks said he has high hopes for the show, which opens Nov. 19 and runs Thursdays through Sundays until Dec. 13.

"There were over 70 people who tried out and I'm working with some of the best people we have in Omaha," Brooks said. "The reason that we are putting on 'RENT!' is that I'm with a theater called SNAP! Productions, whose mission is to promote art and entertainment [and] to celebrate tolerance and diversity, and of course 'RENT!' kind of hits that mission right on the nose as far as embracing a community despite our differences."

Though the Shelterbelt Theater is a smaller venue than the Broadway show is accustomed to, Brooks said he feels that the more intimate setting opens the door for new opportunities.

"'RENT!' is more of a performance piece, which means that you don't have to have huge sets and you don't have to have huge things coming in and out and fly spaces and enormous set changes and things like that," Brooks said. "Ours is a real modular set where we have three different tables and chairs and that's basically all that's out on the stage besides a few other pieces We kind of manipulate the environment to simulate certain areas of New York City."

UNO Graduate student Tim Vallier and senior Mallory Vallier have roles in the show. The couple is actively involved in Omaha theater and has been fans of "RENT!" for years.

"'RENT!' is an amazing show that I've been following for some time," said Tim, who's getting his master's degree in vocal performance and music composition. "I think one of my favorite moments was the very first rehearsal. We all got up and the first thing we did in the first rehearsal was we learned the song 'Seasons of Love,' which is a very iconic song for the show and I just remember thinking, 'This is unreal.' One of my favorite shows that I've always sort of idolized and never thought I'd get to be a part of was happening."

As a music composer, Tim said he can definitely relate to his character, Mark Cohen, as a creator striving "to do something new, to reinvent himself and find his own style."

"Mark is also sort of geeky, and a little trendy and he's also kind of a loner. I can identify with all of those on some level," Tim said. "I think the most fun part about playing Mark is how alive Mark gets to be on stage. He actually gets really fun interactions, such as, there's a number where Mark gets to tango, there's another one where Mark kind of goes crazy and gets to dance on this huge table, and I think that's really opened me up as an actor, those are two challenging things for me and it's been a lot of fun."

Mallory said her draw to the show was its overall message of hope and endurance.

"You hear about people, different characters having AIDS and you'd think that it's a really sad story but the message of the overall musical is really uplifting," Mallory said. "The main line of the show is 'No day but today' and just really living for today, no matter what obstacles you might have to overcome."

As the youngest member of the cast, Mallory loves working with a diverse and experienced cast. In the company, Mallory said she is everything from a character's mother to an AIDS sufferer to a "yuppie."

"It's just kind of putting yourself in that area, and I've never lived in New York City, I don't know anyone who suffers from AIDS, so you just kind of have to find something, a similar experience that you've had to make you feel those feelings and draw those emotions out," Mallory said. "It's funny, there's some numbers where the song actually represents people having sex, so you can't be shy, and so you just have to come out of your shell."

Both Tim and Mallory said the show has the advantage of a devoted cast familiar with the show before auditions even began, saving time in memorizing but adding unique challenges.

Tim said a critical part in the show for him has been unlearning everything he's taken in about the musical before and focusing on making the raw character of Mark his own. Mallory emphasized that as everyone tries to do the same, despite close bonds awkward moments arise.

"I think the hardest thing is that everyone who is in the show really knows the show very intimately and they treat it as if it's their baby, but there's a director, and it's almost like 14 people trying to decide how to raise a child, and you're going to have different opinions," Mallory said. "It's hard because this musical is so sensitive with its subject matter and also the fact that Jonathon Larson, the creator of 'RENT!,' died before it even opened, you feel like you need to honor it more for his name."

Brooks acknowledges these moments, saying that while he holds the "veto power" he view the show as a group effort.

"We kind of say, 'Does that work for you? How does that feel?' and we talk more about where that scene goes, and some things get reworked until we both come to an agreement and we feel that it really conveys the idea of what we're trying to get across," Brooks said.

He also remembers the first time the cast sang the show's signature song, "Seasons of Love," which he initiated as a way to highlight the cast's journey through the production.

"I call them the 'Aha!' moments when it seems like the first time that everyone's on the same page and something really clicks and you're seeing it come to life for the first time," Brooks said. "Those are kind of my favorite moments when I'm developing any kind of theatre. when I finally see that realism come through, and I know it's going to work."