Rent - TNT

Like Hair in the '60s, Jonathan Larson's Aids-era musical has something of an iconic status — not just because of its subject matter but also because the young playwright died suddenly on the eve of its 1996 off-Broadway premiere. The plangent tunes lingered in the memory and his updated version of Puccini's La Boheme, transported to a loft apartment in New York, is still going strong in the US. Unfortunately, for its third London outing, William Blake (Kylie's former creative director) has removed the rough, grungy intensity which gave the work its identity. The resulting "remix" is a totally sanitised affair — from the bare, whitewashed (and here far too upmarket) concrete walls to the once poignant melodies, he's stripped away the heart of the piece. As a result, beyond basic human compassion, it's hard to care what happens to these budding musicians and artists as they face the reality of what was then an almost certain death sentence.Luke Evans's Roger has a great voice (but desperately needs to expand his range of facial expressions) and Francesca Jackson's strong lesbian lawyer steals the limelight from both her bisexual lover (Denise Van Outen) and from former Sugarbabe Siobhan Donaghy's heroin addict Mimi. If you've never heard the original music, you might just salvage something from this weakly plotted story of youthful promise cut short, but if you're listening out for your favourite songs, there's a strong possibility that you won't even recognise them in this amorphous rehash.
Duke of York's, St Martins Lane, WC2 (0870-060 6623). Booking until April 5. £15- £45