THEATRE // RENT
THEATRE // RENT BANBRIDGE MUSICAL SOCIETY’S PRODUCTION of RENT is running from 31st March to 4th April in the IMC Cinema, Banbridge. RENT is set in New York City’s gritty East Village, and this revolutionary rock musical is an imaginative retelling of the classic Puccini opera, La Boheme. This unforgettable and timeless story of a group of starving artists, who, despite poverty and illness, learn to fall in love and find their voices, brings a universal message of hope for everyone. BMS’ cast includes Jordan Walsh as Roger Davis, a songwriter who is HIV positive; Sean Harkin as Mark Cohen, an independent filmmaker and Roger’s roommate and Amber Dixon as Mimi Márquez, an exotic dancer with HIV. GNI’s very own Daniel May will make his debut with Banbridge Musical Society playing the role of Angel Dumont Schunard, one of the show’s most controversial characters. Speaking to GNI, Daniel said “I am so looking forward to taking to the stage with Banbridge Musical Society. The role of Angel is such an iconic one for the gay community and it is important that I tell her story well. Angel was a transgender woman living with HIV in the early 90s. This is a huge challenge for me as an actor and one I don’t take lightly”. He continued, “Rehearsals have been a blast. The company has been so welcoming and everyone is so excited to take on something fresh and new. I really commend the society for having the guts to put on a potentially controversial musical and hope the GNI readers support them by attending”. The cast also features Sean O’Neill as Tom Collins, a gay philosophy professor and anarchist with AIDS; Emma Kelly-McGuckin as Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist; Ruairi McAlinden as Benjamin ‘Benny’ Coffin III, the local landlord and a former roommate of Roger & Mark; and Maille Conolly as Joanne Jefferson, a lawyer, who is Maureen’s partner. The production team is composed of Director Ian Milford, Musical Director Niall O’Flaherty and Choreographer Jordan Rosborough. RENT runs from 31st March to 4th April in IMC Cinema, Banbridge at 7.30 pm nightly. Tickets are on sale now at www.gr8events.ie/banbridgems or by calling 07857 137011.
SEAN O’NEILL & DANIEL MAY
NINETY EIGHT // GNIMAG.COM
