Hit musical Rent coming to Letterkenny

Musical theatre fans are in for a treat as Letterkenny Music and Drama Group brings the Jonathan Larson musical Rent to An Grianán Theatre for two nights only on Friday, August 2 and Saturday 3, at 8pm.

Set in the East Village of New York City in the mid-1990s, Rent is about falling in love, finding your voice and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Rent has become a pop cultural phenomenon. With songs including smash hits Seasons of Love and Take Me or Leave Me, a story that resonates with audiences of all ages, it reminds us of the importance of following our passions, taking risks to pursue our dreams, and just being who you are.

Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson’s Rent follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists, musicians, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS, an epidemic that had its origins in the 1980s. Rent beautifully captures the ultimate sacrifice of a life of stability for the sake of art.

Under the direction of Mary Lane, with Ryan Quinn as musical director, the cast have been working overtime to bring this very special story to the stage over the summer in a relatively short period of time. Having previously played the role of Joanne in “Rent” back in 2011 with Greasepaint Productions, it has been a dream of Mary’s to one day direct the show herself.

“I’m very honoured to be trusted with this production by the Letterkenny Music and Drama Group, and have loved bringing this beautiful story to life,” she said. “I can’t wait for the audiences to see what we have created for them. I’m so proud of the entire cast and crew and all their hard work over the past few months.

“It’s such an important story to tell. It gives an insight into the frightening experiences of people with HIV/AIDS when it was still new and treatments were very limited, as well as the difficulties and stigmas for people in the LGBTQIA+ community.

With a talented cast including existing LMDG members Ciaran O Gallachoir, Caolan Kelly and Maire McGinley, the award-winning group are thrilled to also have new members in the principal line-up - Mary Corpus, Ciaran Brooks, Davin Coyle, Emily Harte and Daniel Browne.

“The ensemble has several LMDG stalwarts,” said Mary, “and we have loved welcoming a whole cohort of new members of all ages and backgrounds. The cast have really immersed themselves into the preparations for the show, and are so looking forward to bringing their hard work to the stage at the start of August.”

The Letterkenny Music and Drama Group are delighted that this production of “Rent” will be staged during the Letterkenny Pride Festival 2024. Performances are for two nights only, on Friday, August, 2 and Saturday 3 at 8pm nightly. Tickets are €24 (€22 concession), inclusive of booking fee. The cast might even make an appearance at the Pride Festival on Saturday 3. This is a limited run, so early booking is advised via the An Grianán Theatre website or 0749120777.