Interview | Katie Bradley, RENT The Musical UK Tour

RENT The Musical is currently on it's 25th Anniversary UK Tour. The musical is showcasing Jonathan Larson's masterpiece that inspired many of the contemporary musicals we've come to know and love in recent years, including Hamilton. It's heading to Coventry's Belgrade Theatre between 9-13 May where local girl and RENT's Dance Captain, Katie Bradley will be making a debut within her old stomping ground.

Katie is originally from the West Midlands having studied at Sutton Coldfield College. She headed in pursuit of a professional Musical Theatre career training at Laine Theatre Arts for 3 years. In a recent interview Katie mentioned that this will be the "first time that I'll have visited anywhere near home whilst on tour with a show" and the support of her friends and family is key to Katie so with it being where her family and friends are able to access the show to watch makes her excited, "I also get to spend the week at home!"

Katie's inspiration stems from watching Chicago when it toured at the Grand Theatre in Wolverhampton when she was younger, "I think I was sold from there on". She would also watch Cats on VHS on repeat before re-enacting the "dance routines in my living room..that is until the tape started jumping from wear and tear". 

RENT The Musical is a very popular music with a extremely loyal fan base, with some of them even calling themselves 'Rentheads'. The reason why Katie believes embrace it and love it so much is because "the writing of RENT is so beautiful and has such a strong message to live life to the full today and be proud of you are, no matter what people think or what sexuality you are. This will always be relatable to anyone. People who have perhaps struggled to accept or be accepted within their own skin, find comfort in the fact that Jonathan Larson's writing speaks out and tells them that it's OK to be 'different' and to embrace themselves fully, that others are in the same position and they are not alone". 

"People who have perhaps struggled to accept or be accepted within their own skin, find comfort in the fact that Jonathan Larson's writing speaks out and tells them that it's OK to be 'different' and to embrace themselves fully, that others are in the same position and they are not alone." 

As the Dance Captain, Katie has been fortunate enough to work alongside choreographer Lee Proud in preparing the show, spending a week in Iceland workshoping ideas for the numbers and she really enjoyed seeing his imagination to wild with ideas for the show. RENT's biggest challenge in bringing the 21st anniversary to the stage is as Katie describes 'keeping the storyline relevant to today'. It's highlight on the outbreak of AIDS in the musical which was set back in the early 90's is something that is still as important as it was back then as it is now.

'However, RENT is essentially, first and foremost, about relationships, friendships and the issues that everyday life can bring. Therefore all we need to do was play the honesty that Larson's writing provides in such beautiful abundance. It's all there'

Rent is performing at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry Tuesday 9-13 May 2017 and Katie hopes that from the performance audiences will take away with them that they should be themselves, that you 'Don't wait to start living. Know that you are not alone and no matter how hard life gets, live with what you have now and learn to love what you have now. Anything else is wasting time'.

You can read my review of  RENT Musical UK Tour by following the link and make sure if you haven't already you check out this incredible musical. If Katie herself was to desrcibe it in 3 words, it would be 'LA VIE BOHEME'. 

Photo Credit: Matt Crockett