Rent Boy Ave: A Fairy's Tale confronts realities of urban life, '90s-style

Peter Liu

Jackie (Danelle Forcier-Madeiros) was once class valedictorian. Now this jerk is touching her boob.

Details

Music by Michael Mohammed. Through Aug. 9. $18-$34; 776-1747 or www.boxcartheatre.org.

Boxcar Theatre, 505 Natoma (at Fourth St.), S.F.

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More About

• Rent (Musical)
• Nick Olivero
• Avenue Q
• Musicals
• Arts, Entertainment, and Media

Although the production gives off an air of having been conceived in a cultural vacuum, there might be a strong sense of box-office savvy underneath the apparent naïveté. A well-staged musical doesn't have to be the most original work to gain popularity. I know people who've seen Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables five times, which demonstrates the extent to which musicals, perhaps more than any other performance genre, trade in the familiar. Rent Boy Ave. is unlikely to win any Tony Awards. But it might well help Boxcar Theatre cover the rent.