Geordie Brown, Kelly Holiff & Chariz Faulmino
Kelly Holiff who plays Maureen Johnson in Neptune Theatre’s production of Rent, onstage now until August 30th, has something in common with a large segment of the musical’s audience: she knows every word of this show by heart.
“It was the album I listened to constantly… I’ve known these songs off by heart since I was in High School, so they’re significant to me. It’s the [music] that got me into [the theatre],” she tells me during a conversation at the Media Call at Neptune Theatre a few weeks ago. “I couldn’t believe that songs could be so story-driven while also being pop/rock anthems.” Like me, Holiff says that she wasn’t listening to the kind of grunge and alternative rock music back in the day that creator Jonathan Larson infused into musical theatre for the first time, giving it its distinctly ‘90s sound. We were both listening more to the Spice Girls, but for Chariz Faulmino, who plays Mimi Marquez in the show, that genre of music was more familiar to her. “Seasons of Love” was her introduction to Rent.
“I didn’t know where the song came from”, she says. She was introduced to the rest of the musical later when she was in theatre school. She says that that was when she was introduced to “Out Tonight,” one of Mimi’s powerhouse songs. “Obviously I fell in love with the whole album when I got into it,” she says. “It’s such a beautiful story, and even Jonathan, he’s such an inspiration to a lot of the theatre kids and theatre makers in general.”
Larson’s life story has achieved almost mythic proportions within theatre circles since his death in 1996. He was an extremely tenacious and talented musical theatre composer who wrote two shows before Rent and dedicated his entire life to hustling for his big break. Sadly, that break didn’t entirely materialize until after his sudden death from an aortic dissection on the morning of Rent’s first preview, while it was still in the development phase off-Broadway. The Original Broadway Cast Members, especially Anthony Rapp who originated the role of Mark, have dedicated their lives to keeping Larson’s spirit alive, and weaving that spirit into the bones of the show, so aspects of Larson continue to live on in productions of the musical all over the world. His earlier work tick, tick… BOOM!, which never reached wide audiences in his lifetime, was posthumously reworked into a successful off Broadway show, and was recently adapted into a film directed by Lin Manuel Miranda in 2021 starring Andrew Garfield as Jon.
“I learned about Rent through the soundtrack,” says Holiff. “I didn’t even know what it was actually about until later. I didn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend, how heavy it was, and that it was about AIDS and the homelessness crisis. That came later. There were so many levels of falling in love with this musical.” She also tells me that there was a long stretch of time between when Rent fell out of the rotation of music she was listening to all the time and when she was cast as an ensemble member and Maureen’s understudy in a production of the show at the Stratford Festival in 2023. “What stuck out to me getting back into Rent for the first time in a long time was actually the story of it- how community-based it was. It wasn’t just about being a superstar, like everyone being their own superstar; it was about a very important crisis and moment in time. It totally shifted the way that I see Rent, and hear Rent.”
“It’s so tragic, and what’s tragic about it is that it’s still so relevant. Many of these themes- houselessness, starving artists…- are still around… in the Philippines same-sex marriage still isn’t a thing.” Both Faulmino and Holiff say that while there are superficial elements of the show that, obviously, date it in the 90s, such as answering machines, pay phones, and a complete lack of today’s ever-present technology- the important thematic elements of the show seem, in a way, more relevant than ever.
Holiff says that looking at Maureen through a modern-day lens she could be considered “a really annoying Karen type because she is sort of acting like the white saviour. But actually,” she says, “I don’t believe that anymore. I believe that she’s genuinely fighting. She believes that she is fighting for real causes, even though her ego and her sense of neediness and exposure gets in the way of her goodness. I think she is genuinely trying to fight for the good of what she believes is right. She’s a fair person. But her extra-ness gets in the way of that.” Maureen is organizing a protest against corporations renovicting folks from their tent city, which doubles as the debut of her performance art piece called “Over the Moon.” She takes herself as a performer very seriously and in a way that complicates her relationship to her more philanthropic nature.
“What I love about your character is that she fights these causes through her art,” says Faulmino. “I think it’s a smart move because it catches people’s eye. Kelly’s amazing in the show.”
“I love you; so are you,” says Holiff.
Chariz Faulmino and Kelly Holiff as Anna & Elsa in Frozen at the Grand Theatre in London. Photo: Dahlia Katz
This is not Faulmino and Holiff’s first time working together, in fact they played Princess Anna and Queen Elsa respectively in Frozen at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario last year. “Isn’t that so cute?” asks Holiff. “And now we’re like, ‘we need to pay our rent!” She and Faulmino laugh delightedly. “What a trajectory,” says Holiff. “It’s hilarious, actually,” agrees Faulmino.
“What I think Anna and Mimi have in common is their heart,” Faulmino says. “They’re just searching for love in all the wrong places- in addiction, in toxic men… it’s really tragic. At first I thought [Mimi] was just the party girl who gets high every once and awhile, but, actually her story is so tragic because she just can’t get the help that she needs. And she also has AIDS, so she’s fighting for her life. She’s so young. She’s 19 [years old].” “She’s one of the most high stakes characters I’ve ever seen,” says Holiff. “Everything is life or death, and it’s actually life or death. I do think this part was written for [Faulmino]- the music.” “I love that I get to dig that deep. It’s a real challenge. But it’s so fun,” Faulmino says.
“Rent is fearless. It’s a fearless show. You have to go in. There’s no marking [it],” Holiff says, referring to how sometimes actors will do the show at diminished energy levels during certain rehearsals to conserve their energy. “As soon as [you get on the stage] you give your blood, sweat, and tears every time. You die on the stage,” she laughs. Both say that they have bruises everywhere from how passionately they have been pushing themselves in playing these characters and creating this world.
It’s a long way from Arendelle, but also worth noting that it is not a coincidence that Idina Menzel originated the role of Maureen in Rent and then went on to voice Queen Elsa in Frozen too. This says a lot about Kelly Holiff’s musical theatre prowess, and for Chariz Faulmino going from Anna to Mimi showcases the impressive broadness of her range. They bring a deep love of the musical, its legacy, and working with one another to this production, which is on now until August 30th.
Tickets have been selling quickly, so if you haven’t gotten yours yet you might want to moooooooooove it. (Sorry).
Jonathan Larson’s Rent directed by Jeremy Webb plays at Neptune Theatre’s Fountain Hall (1593 Argyle Street, Halifax) until August 30th, 2026. Performances run Tuesday to Saturday at 7:30pm with 2:00pm matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range in price from $40.00 to $99.00 depending on seating. They are available online here, by calling the Box Office at 902.429.7070, or going in person to the Box Office at 1593 Barrington Street.
Run Time: Act I: 1 hour and 20 minutes, Intermission: 20 minutes, Act 2: 1 hour.
Content Advisory: This production contains mature themes including HIV/AIDS, bereavement, drugs and addiction, suicide, and sexual content, alongside coarse language, flashing lights, and theatrical fog/haze.
Neptune Theatre has a range of Accessibility Options for folks (Both Fountain Hall and the Scotiabank Stage are accessible for wheelchairs. Patrons can now purchase wheelchair seats for individual shows online with the promo code WHEELCHAIR. For more information, please contact the Box Office.). Click here for more thorough information.
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