'Rent' production tackles tough topics

Last winter, Andrew Sickel of Buffalo Grove and Meghan Shanahan of Palatine both won coveted roles in the all-state production of "Parade" for the Illinois High School Theatre Festival.

Now the talented teens find themselves appearing in another musical that doesn't back down from controversy, "Rent: School Edition." The groundbreaking rock musical tackles such subjects as homosexuality, AIDS and homelessness through the stories of several New York artists.

Members of the Up And Coming Theatre are partnering with Northwest Suburban High School District 214 Continuing Education to stage the slightly amended version of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical.

However, cast members say that fans of the rock opera hardly will notice any changes.

"They've taken out some of the more inappropriate language, but it's still the same story and all of the same songs," says Sickel, a 2008 Wheeling High School graduate. "It doesn't feel touched at all."

Director Jorge Bermudez, who also directed "Miss Saigon" for the company, says the school edition has removed the song, "Contact," and all of the profanity.

"But the overall message and all of the characters are pretty much intact, as it was when it ran on Broadway," Bermudez says.

While company members pride themselves on mounting challenging shows, they say choosing "Rent" was personal. One of the founding members of the theater company, Wil Kight, died a little over one year ago, from complications related to AIDS, Bermudez says.

"So we not only love the show, but a large part of the subject matter is something we identify with," he says, "and we are passionate about representing as authentically as we can."

Sickel and Shanahan play two of the eight artists and musicians profiled in the show, who struggle to survive on New York's Lower East Side.

Other principals include: James Faust of Cary, Jacque Piccolino of Palatine, Trey Smith of Kildeer, Kevin Watson of Darien, Jazmine Reynolds of Oak Park, and Mike Danovich of Delavan, Wis.

Featured ensemble members also come from Schaumburg, Mount Prospect and Cary, and all to play a role in the iconic show.

"I love it, 'Rent' is one of my all-time favorite musicals," Sickel says. "It's why I started getting involved in theater, so I can't believe I'm playing one of the parts in the show."

Sickel plays a filmmaker and serves as the narrator in the show. He advances the action by filming his friends in an unscripted documentary, during which a series of voice-mail messages reveal many of the issues facing the cast, ranging from homelessness, to homosexuality, and confronting the AIDS virus and HIV.

Shanahan, plays the role of Maureen, a wild and outspoken performance artist, who drives much of the action in the protest scene, depicted near the end of the first act.

"I've really worked hard on that scene," Shanahan says. "She's kind of like an anarchist. She's crazy and wild, and very different from me, but that's what makes it so challenging."

If you go

What: Up And Coming Theatre presents "Rent: School Edition"

When: 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7-9, and 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 10

Where: Forest View Educational Center, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights

Cost: $18 at the door, or $15 in advance

Call: (847) 718-7702