The Barn Theatre in Augusta opens its production of Rent this Thursday, Jul 23, marking the third time Brendan Ragotzy has directed the rock opera, whose composer, Jonathan Larson, got his start at the Barn decades ago as a "Barnie."
For Luke Ragotzy, who plays the guitar-wielding rocker Roger, the show is as much a musical challenge as an acting one. Roger is a former frontman for a rock band grieving his girlfriend's suicide and grappling with his own HIV diagnosis, and Luke says learning Larson's dense, nearly sung-through score has been demanding. "It's very daunting and in the best of ways, because it's an exciting show," he says.
Luke, who has played Elvis and other roles requiring him to perform as a musician, credits growing up around the family's theater with shaping his path, recalling that directing Disney's Frozen earlier this year fulfilled a goal he'd held since childhood: "I got to accomplish something that I wanted to do since I was like nine."
Brendan says Larson experienced New York's hand-to-mouth arts scene while working at a diner and auditioning in cattle calls of thousands. He connects the show's urgency to the AIDS crisis it depicts, noting that at the time an HIV diagnosis "was pretty much a death sentence."
The production features a cast and ensemble of nearly 30. Rent runs Jul 25 - Aug 2 for ten performances, followed by Driving Miss Daisy starring Kim Zimmer, then Jesus Christ Superstar, which Brendan will also direct. Tickets and details are available at BarnTheatreSchool.org.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
