'Rent' 'hits right where you live'

ASHLAND In the spirit of the stage play “Rent,” a family has come together to be in the cast of the show, which will be presented at 7:30 p.m. today at the Paramount Arts Center.

Catherine Cirner and her wife, Shelley, at their adult children’s urging, will appear in the ensemble, while son Tyler and his wife, Abbigail, help with Paramount Players and perform sometimes, and the youngest son, Cade Ball, has a lead role; his girlfriend, Kate Jackson, is in the show in various roles.

“Everyone’s worked so hard. It’s going to be a great show,” Cirner said.

“Rent” is a story about a group of bohemians living in New York City’s East Village and their struggle for success and acceptance while dealing with poverty, illness and the AIDS epidemic. But Cirner said she believes the story is relatable.

“It’s an every-man’s kind of show. You can relate to the characters’ raw emotion about the environment and life situations they face,” Cirner said, noting despite the serious themes make it a hard-hitting theatrical experience. “This is not a Disney type, fanciful or magical show. It hits you where you live, right in the musical heart of the matter. I believe that is why it will resonate with people. At the end of the day, we are all just people. This show says screw the labels and boxes we want to put people in for our own comfort.”