No Day But Today: Imani Williams on RENT

Few musicals have captured the heartbeat of a generation quite like Rent.

Jonathan Larson’s raw, beautiful rock opera has been moving audiences for nearly thirty years — and yet, every new production manages to find something new to say. This latest staging honours the original’s grit and tenderness while reframing its themes of love, loss, and chosen family for a modern world.

Set in New York City’s East Village during the late 1980s, Rent follows a group of struggling young artists and friends living under the shadow of poverty, addiction, and the HIV/AIDS crisis. Inspired by Puccini’s La Bohème, the story explores identity, resilience, and the power of community. With its soaring emotion and iconic numbers like “Seasons of Love,” Rent remains a vibrant celebration of authenticity and living boldly in the face of hardship.

Stepping into the role of Joanne Jefferson, the sharp, self-assured lawyer whose world collides with the chaos of New York’s bohemian underground, is Imani Williams.

Having just completed her third original Australian company tour; Imani is an actress on the rise. Making her professional debut in Jagged Little Pill (GWB) she continued on to the pop sensation & Juliet (Michael Cassel Group), where she played Lucy and covered the title role of Juliet. Having just wrapped up on the Tony and Grammy award winning musical Hadestown (Opera Australia and Jones Theatrical Group) where she played Fate, Imani is honoured to help tell the beautiful story that is RENT. She has been a proud MEAA equity member since 2021.

RENT was written in the ’90s, yet still feels urgent today. What parts of the story do you think resonate most with 2025 audiences?

Imani: I always think about the Mark Twain quote “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes” when I get asked about the resonance of this show. When you look at the world now, a lot still rings true, bad and good. People are struggling to pay rent with the cost of living crisis, themes of chosen family and community are so important, creativity as a response to destruction continues to thrive and the importance of living for today will always ring true.

Do you see any of yourself in Joanne?

Imani: I actually see a lot of myself in Joanne. This musical feels so grounded in its writing that it is hard to not find aspects of yourself in all the characters but especially Joanne for me. We both are incredibly hard workers, we fight for those we love and we love with all that we have. The fact that Joanne picked up stage managing as someone who doesn’t love theatre for Maureen feels very real to me. We definitely have different lives, only one of us is a kickass lawyer, but our hearts feel very similar.

What is the most challenging number for you to perform, emotionally or vocally?

Imani: Emotionally I feel the beginning of “Goodbye Love”. For me I think it’s Joanne at her worst, which is very messy and very vulnerable. The reality of the situations Joanne has been in leading up to that song is quite dark, she’s just been to her friend’s funeral, she’s just had a messy breakup, she’s mad at herself and she feels utterly alone and then she lashes out at her chosen family in their darkest moment together, it’s important for me to do it honestly.

RENT has such a cult following — how do you honour the original while still making Joanne your own?

Imani: It really is a balance doing justice to the original production while still making the character your own. For me I tried to avoid watching the previous Joanne’s too much, obviously I’d seen the movie and clips of past productions but I didn’t want to allow that to influence my performance. I really relied on the script first and looking at different influences from the time, in film, theater and television, as the main way I built the character up, of course with Shaun Rennies’ amazing direction.

What do you hope audiences take away from this production?

Imani: I hope audiences leave this show with an open heart. You go through an incredibly big journey watching this show but if you can leave with an open heart and love, that’s all I can hope for.

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RENT is playing now at the Sydney Opera House.

For tickets and more information, visit the Opera Australia website.

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Header image by Neil Bennett