Ben Rigby Archives - North West End UK

Set in New York’s East Village, Rent follows a group of young artists and friends as they deal with love, friendship, poverty and illness. The characters struggle to balance their creative ambitions and relationships with the realities of their financial pressures, housing insecurity and the impact of HIV/AIDS on their community. As time passes and their circumstances change, tensions grow between their personal choices, responsibilities, relationships and ideas about how they want to live. The themes at the heart of Rent are particularly significant when you consider the story behind the show itself. Jonathan Larson drew on the realities of the world around him when writing the musical, exploring HIV/AIDS, poverty, addiction, relationships and loss at a time whe...

It only takes a glimpse of 9/11-themed musical Come from Away or Carly Wijs’ Us/Them to appreciate that theatre and terrorism is an atypical yet resonating combination, when handled tactfully. Rough Boy Mcr attempts to do the same with Je Suis Charlie, but this verbose one-acter fails to lift any sort of new, thought-provoking interpretations from its source material. A Grindr hook-up takes an unforeseen turn shortly after the timid and youthful-looking Mike turns up to satirical cartoonist Charlie’s home; the two roles are dutifully played by Ben Bradfield and Ben Rigby respectively. Putting aside its several distracting plot holes, the serious conflict in Je Suis Charlie is interrupted by frequent, formulaic comedy that rarely sits right in the context- though Rigby’s gags and quip...

Tag: Ben Rigby

Rent – 53two

Je Suis Charlie – 53Two, Manchester