Weston celebrates 30th anniversary of ‘RENT’ with heart-felt production

By Lorien Strange
©2026 Telegraph Publishing LLC

There are almost as many ways to measure a show as there are the 525,600 minutes of a year, as RENT reminds us in “Seasons of Love.” The Weston Theater Company’s production of the ‘90s Broadway classic, which, like the musical itself, has one of its best moments with that song.

As the lights lift on the second act, the entire cast lines the front of the stage singing in unison. Yet there’s so much individuality on the stage and sheer talent, as evidenced by Amirah Joy Lomax hitting that high note from the heart. For a moment, we forget the back-alley feeling in the soft glow of the room and earnest voices.

Like the Weston Theater Company, RENT is celebrating an anniversary, albeit of 30 years and not 90. Based on the 1896 opera La Bohème, the story revolves around a group of friends tackling illness, gentrification and the higher cost of living on the East Village in New York City.

Wannabe filmmaker Mark Cohen (Trevor James) and local has-been but still wannabe rocker Roger Davis (Christian Hopper) are behind on their rent —from last year. In the shadows of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City in the 1990s, the musical charts love and lust in their found families as they do ideological and legal battle with their landlord, former roommate Benjamin “Benny” Coffin III (Xavier Turner).

As far as its soundtrack goes, Johnathan Larson’s RENT is musically divisive. Even so, Weston’s production is a story worth seeing.

A big part of that comes down to the spectacular lighting design by Seth Reiser. In keeping with the industrial feel of the set, bare bulbs grid the outermost walls of the stage and the holiday lights hanging haphazardly around the studio apartment flicker unevenly.

But the best of the marriage between the lighting and set design is in the two giant studio apartment window panels — sometimes resembling skyscrapers, sometimes a shadow screen for a mysterious or heartfelt or sexy display.

Scenic Designer Lee Savage will not let us forget where we are (or aren’t) in New York City. The ripped-up postered walls had me constantly wrinkling my nose in anticipation of the sweet-sour garbage-urine smell of city grime. The dirty fridge in the corner buried by a pile of amps helped with that, too.

Costume design by Leon Dobkowski was equally grimy. It is the best of the ’90s meets the worst of the ’70s — or the other way around — depending on what hits your nostalgia buttons. Most everyone is clearly shopping at thrift stores. And that’s right on key with the themes of the show.

All of this is perfectly set up to contrast with the series of love stories that unfold across the city stage.

How could you not love Angel Dumatt Schunard. the drag queen extraordinaire, especially when given such life and love by Aaron Gabriel Graham? Instantly you can tell she’d be a powerful enemy or a fiercely loyal, radically accepting friend with good advice to boot.

And let’s talk about those boots — bejeweled high heels that seem impossible to dance in. And yet “Today 4 U” is an astounding number of leaping, twirling, drum-beating and break dancing. Along with “Tango: Maureen,” which is Mark Cohen’s best dance number, you can see the care that Director and Choreographer Michael Berresse has taken with his vision for the energy of the show.

Speaking of energy, Angel’s love of Tom Collins (played Stanley Martin) feels genuine from the start. And that smooth-toned baritone himself makes Santa Fe sound as much like paradise through the warmth of his gentlemanly presence onstage.

Another winning combo of epic costume design and standout talent is manifested in “Over the Moon.” Maureen, played by Caitlin Doak, shows up late to her own party — I mean, protest — in a thrilling milk-white biker suit with some surprises in store.

Doak’s stage presence is a lioness mixed with an airy riot grrrl who fancies herself a poet. And she can crack a joke to great effect while doing splits in the air.

The ensemble — Weston’s Young Company — is also chock-full of talent. Jessica Olexy and Aidan Ramirez had memorable chemistry as a couple with AIDS. David Bautista’s furious squeegeeing (“Honest living, honest living!”) and Melea Dessomes as a sleazy TV show manager will live in my head rent-free. Bella Van Bergen made me wish for more scenes featuring Mark’s mother with her musical and emotional mastery of her opera-esque voicemail monologues.

The performance I had the privilege to see was a preview, which means that some of the minor issues (the accompanying music was too loud for the cast’s voices to compete with) have likely already been fixed now that the show has officially opened.

RENT is performed at Walker Farm Theater, 705 Main St. in Weston. It runs through Sunday, Aug. 16. Tickets are $25 to $91 and are selling out quickly.  Click here for tickets.