Even in the dark before the actors take the stage, the set created at the Jewish Community Center in Bayonne for the upcoming musical “Rent” seems to exude pathos, as if the backdrop of the Lower East Side plays its own role in what some have described the first of a new generation of Broadway musicals.
In some ways, the time and place of the play are as important as any of the characters, a moment when the concept of AIDS is still a mystery, much the way the plague was in Medieval Europe.
“When this play takes place, AIDS was a death sentence,” said Director Dom Buccafusco during a brief interview before last week’s rehearsal.
In some ways, “Rent” – which is based on Giacomo Puccini’s classic opera “La Boheme” – conveys the same sense of impending doom and the story of people’s struggling to cope with fear and doubt caused by the overwhelming forces of modern life.
“We’re reaching out into the community to get as many people involved as possible.” — Dom Buccafusco
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Actor Sam Platizky said “Rent” brought musical theater into the next generation.
With its contemporary subject matter, “Rent” marks the second of what is hoped to be a number of cutting edge productions being put on by the JCC.
Buccafusco also directed “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the JCC, and will return to the center to continue this modernization of community theater with “Rent.” He said he has been involved off and on with productions here for more than 25 years.
“They called me back to director ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’” he said. “Now I’m directing this.”
A director and teacher at New Jersey City University and elsewhere, Buccafusco has been working in the field for years.
The cast has 20 people, more than half of whom were involved with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
He said the center is trying to develop an ensemble that can continue to put on productions and is revitalizing the Center Players, which was a staple at the JCC for years.
“We’re reaching out into the community to get as many people involved as possible,” he said.
This is real community theater, he said.
Most of the cast are made up of people who are not studying to be actors or involved with the professional theater, but are ordinary people with varying levels of talent who want to get on stage and perform.
The group holds workshops for drama and singing besides the usual rehearsals.
The idea is to build and maintain a local theater company.
This is a volunteer effort, and the production relies on volunteers for nearly every aspect, including the construction of the sets.
Most of the cast is from Bayonne, with a couple who are from Jersey City, one who is a former Bayonne resident.
The cast is made up of a cross section of the community – teachers, students, and workers.
“This is community theater in every sense of the word,” he said, with everybody pulling together to make the production work.
“Everybody pitches in,” said Dana Levin, a certified teacher of the arts.
“Rent” is a revolutionary musical, the start of a new generation of rock operas that better reflects contemporary times.
This is not the fluff stuff of the post World War II era when “Guys and Dolls,” “Oklahoma,” and other musicals dominated Broadway, or even the next generation that featured “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Hair.”
This play was selected to appeal to a more contemporary audience.
The play is set on the Lower East Side in Manhattan in the early 1990s, and involves a group of squatters who are living in one of the buildings.
Oddly enough, they had to tear down an existing wall to help create the backdrop for this set, since the original wall is made of cinder block, something suited for this production.
The set is a representation of a loft in one of the building,
Although sexuality and the use of illicit drugs under the threat of AIDS is at the center of his musical, Buccafusco and musical director Kindrich Norton said the ultimate message of the play is much more life affirming.
One of the most emotional scenes involves the death of Angel.
“This play is about living life to its fullest,” Norton said.
The play is about coming together as a community and relying on each other, as characters bond with each other while facing serious issues.
In some ways, the play reflects some of what is going on with the cast, Buccafusco said, noting that many of the actors are in their 20s and often rely on each other to solve issues.
Performances will be held on Thursday, April 7, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, April 9, at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, April 10, at 3 p.m. Patron seating is $18, and general seating is $15. For more information, call (201) 436-6900.