What's with Everyone Thinking Rent's Closing?- Page 2

Posted: 7/25/07 at 12:46am

I don't know if Maureen is just an insanely hard role to play, but I don't think too many women have done good jobs at her at all. Take Me or Leave Me is always great, but otherwise.. not especially.

IAMmyownMUSICAL-I adore your signature!

[robin3]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 1:54am

we saw Tracy play Maureen a few a months ago, she was really good. I always thought she should be on Broadway, Harley too. He was an amazing Mark. Also,I really loved Michael Ifill as Benny . I'd like to see him reprise his role at the Nederlander.

Posted: 7/25/07 at 12:44pm

Maybe this new cast will bring RENT back up. *crosses fingers*

[Weez]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 2:50pm

Just 'cos cast contracts have been signed until, say, March next year doesn't mean that the producers will wait until the very last one has run out before closing, if they decide to close. :P

Posted: 7/25/07 at 2:53pm

But with Anthony and Adam, things are sure to perk up, not including the awesome cast that comes after. God, it better not close. It's one of those shows that just wouldn't work for a revival. It needs to keep on.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 6:18pm

1. When do Adam and Anthony start?

2. Harley Jay and Declan Bennett are horrible. As I've stated before, Harley can barley sing the part of Mark which isn't a difficult part to sing at all. And his line deliveries are boring. And Declan needs to find another emotion as Roger. First, his British accent slips all the time, and he is just constantly "angry" for no reason. And his voice isn't much to be happy about either. This is not the cast that is going to "get RENT back to being sold-out." Trust me.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 6:25pm

"I don't know if Maureen is just an insanely hard role to play, but I don't think too many women have done good jobs at her at all. Take Me or Leave Me is always great, but otherwise.. not especially."

I think she's really difficult; her purpose in the story (besides merely being someone weighing on Mark's mind) isn't very easy to find, nor is an arch for the character. Put that together with the idea that she's pretty much an over-the-top character that can't come across as affected or self-aware of her own egocentrism, and she's very difficult to pull off.

[misschung]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 6:27pm

rentboy - they start on july 30

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 6:31pm

Oh, okay, thanks. I'm still bummed I never got to see Christopher J. Hanke in the role. I heard he was really good.

Jeez, Grease in previews, Little Mermaid in previews, and the new RENT cast starting, looks like Hairspray mania is over!

[misschung]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 7:38pm

No problem.
I have little or no interest in Grease, as much as I love the score. I'm waiting to hear what everyone in Denver thought of the Mermaid previews, should be interesting

[pants2]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 8:02pm

can I just say that they might as well have destroyed the nederlander? no one wants theater because the changed basically EVERYTHING about the theater. I have a friend who works for the nederlander organization, and he said it took so long to put in all those details and broken mugs in the walls and he said it'll take even longer to clean up.

Posted: 7/25/07 at 10:11pm

That won't stop the show from closing. It'll just mean that it'll take a while for another show to move in.

[Craww]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:37pm

I don't know if the role of Maureen is that comparatively difficult, but it can be highly subjective. I think different interpretations of the character are sort of built in to her material. But the idea of Maureen as someone who takes herself seriously, even when being absurd, does usually get lost. Sad to say, I don't think Tracey McDowell is much of a departure from that.

he said it took so long to put in all those details and broken mugs in the walls

Aww. The Mosaic of Domestic Violence, I love it.

As I've stated before, Harley can barley sing the part of Mark which isn't a difficult part to sing at all.

As I've stated before?


Not the same thing as barely. (Barley Jay, lol.) Harley was great the night I saw him, so I think his issue must be inconsistency, not inability. Which is also unfortunate, but contains some hope.

[courtney4]

Posted: 7/25/07 at 11:43pm

I don't know, the Maureens I've seen have been pretty good. Well in my opinion at least. I mean Maggie Benjamin was great and I think Nicolette Hart is amazing, which seems to be an unpopular opinion. I think they should bump Haven Burton up to fulltime Maureen though. She has an incredible voice and I have never heard one person give a bad review about her Maureen. But I'm excited to see Tracey.

[Becky]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:29am

And Declan needs to find another emotion as Roger. First, his British accent slips all the time, and he is just constantly "angry" for no reason. And his voice isn't much to be happy about either.

I have to disagree with you Rentboy re: Declan. I felt his characterization of "Roger" was spot on - and he was one of the people that really stood out for me. I thought he struck a perfect balance between agst, intensity, anger, sensitivity, etc. I found myself watching him when he wasn't the focus - he was constantly reacting to everything and was *always* in character. I didn't feel he was "angry for no reason". Roger is angry, and Declan played him consistently - but reacted appropriately in situations (like letting his guard down in "La Vie Boheme" and really enjoying himself, or in moments with Mimi, etc.) When he showed anger and intensity - I thought it called for it. He seemed to really *get* the character.

I've probably heard his accent slip on a word here or there, but honestly? It's never been anything that I thought was distracting or important enough to note. (When I spoke to him I could barely understand him for the thick accent - so it's amazing to me that he covers it to the point that my cousin didn't realize he wasn't American.) Not to mention I love his voice. Love it.

Guess we disagree on that one

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:34am

I personally think declan is the BEST Roger I have ever seen. And I've seen SO many. He nailed Roger to a T, and I was swept up in his performance.

Tracy is a great Maureen. And after this long break she's having, I have no doubt she'll come back stronger and better than before. she did get a little "look at me I'm playing Maureen in Rent" towards the end of her run...but she has played the role for almost 2 years.

Still...shes a fan fav, and definately has the pipes and acting skills to pull off the role. I can't wait to see her take on Broadway.

Now all we need to do is get JENN TALTON to play Mimi after Tamyra. She's the most singularly spectacular Mimi I have ever seen. DAMN...her performance was brilliant.

[Craww]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 6:35am

For me, Declan's Roger was withdrawn to a completely unreachable extent. Like he wasn't present. I don't think it was laziness, I think it was deliberate and I respect that, but I think the introverted angry moodiness was maddening overkill. He had zero chemistry with Jen Talton.

I didn't have a big problem with the singing, I enjoy his tone. His enunciation is absolutely awful, but the trade off on that is some pleasantly unique phrasing. He couldn't sing the higher parts in a supported voice, though. He went into a sort of half-assed falsetto when he should have essentially been belting.

I found Jen Talton decent, but unremarkable. I thought Harley Jay was solid and engaging, no vocal problems the night I saw him. I notably enjoyed Declan in his scenes with Harley about twice as much.

Tracey McDowell is good, but...potentially obnoxious. She reminded me of Maggie Benjamin, but I liked Tracey a hair better.

I guess I saw an opposites day performance, though. The general consensus around here seems to be that Declan is amazing and Harley is awful.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 8:50am

Harley's problem isn't that he can't cover the track vocally, it's that he can't act the part. His Mark is ridiculously comedic. For those of you who thought Matt Caplan eventually turned the role into a goofball character, you ain't seen nothing yet. Mark is not a comedic character. It is so very much an inappropriate take on the role and not even close to what the excellent actors who have been Mark have done through the years.

Declan's take on Roger is an interesting one that I wasn't sure I'd like at first but came to love. If you want a one emotion, over the top Roger, stick with Tim Howar. Declan is not like that at all, in my opinion. His portrayal was actually a pretty subtle one in many ways. I had no problem with his accent, I'm not sure why people think that's a problem.

I love Tracy's Maureen but certain individuals should not be discussing her coming to the Broadway cast at this point in time. Maureen is a difficult character to get right, to perform without turning her into a caricature, a la Maggie Benjamin. There have been a few over the years who were capable of doing this, and who had their own spin on the role. Jen Aubry, Cristina Fadale, Anika Larsen, Tamara Podemski, possibly Haven Burton, were a few who were able to carry it off well, with fantastic vocals. Tracy is another one. The little nuances which she employs in her Maureen, the feisty attitude, the sexiness, and the amazing voice, all good.

Although I enjoyed Jen Talton's Mimi, I thought she was unremarkable in terms of others I've seen, certainly nowhere near the top of my list. It wouldn't surprise me, though, for them to bring her in at some point because the other options are very limited, especially for returning actors.
Updated On: 7/26/07 at 08:50 AM

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 8:55am

I just had to jump in and say that im going to take a wild guess that the people who are calling Rent dated are kids.

Rents message is just as relevant today as it was 11 years ago. we are loosing the battle against HIV and homelessness is still rife.Rent also has a message of hope and unity and if you have been looking at ANYTHING which has been going on since sept 11th that message still needs to be heard.

Rent will always be relevant whilst the issues it challenges continue to exist.

[Craww]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 9:51am

erinrebecca, it seems we disagree on just about every point. I thought Harley did well acting it. I think I'd be sensitive to a goofball Mark, and when I saw the show, that wasn't how he played it. There were some really subtle gestures at the end of Goodbye Love that were among the best acted moments I've seen in the show.

I agree that Tim Howar is over the top, but Declan skews in the opposite direction at as much (if not more) of a detriment. Subtle is too big a word for how he came off. Some of his better moments were so avoidant as to seem violently so, refusing to make eye contact or fight back. The rest of the show, when played listlessly disconnected, seemed a little too cold. As for the accent, I didn't mind it, but warring with it definitely affected his enunciation. Knowing the score as well as I do, it wasn't a big problem for me. I also have a good ear for discerning accents. I think a lot of people seeing the show for the first time would have a problem understanding, though. Especially since he's "subtle", it comes off mumbly.

I can't claim I saw many more nuances in Tracey's Maureen than I saw in Maggie's. I did prefer Tracey's voice, and the impishness was much preferable to Maggie's ditziness.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 12:42pm

craww, nothing wrong with differences in opinion. I saw Harley a few times early in the run and then a few times late. His portrayal hadn't changed. There was entirely too much smiling, too much bobbing and weaving, too much of the supposedly funny punching Declan's arm, etc. That is not how Mark should be played, and I've never seen another actor do it. I did not enjoy his Mark, at all. Part of this may, however, be a result of how much I enjoyed Jed Resnick's Mark. His, in my opinion, was better in every possible way to Harley's.

I didn't have a problem with Declan's enunciation and none of my friends who were not as familiar with the show as I am seemed to have difficulty with it either. I think perhaps the reason I enjoyed Declan so much in the role is that he succeeds where I believe Tim Howar fails in playing the role as a very distant Roger, withdrawn, with underlying anger ready at any moment to bubble to the surface. Jeremy Kushnier was also good at this, but in a different way than Declan, in that he was much more obvious. I've probably seen close to 20 different Rogers and I'd have to say that Declan's performances are some of my favorites.

Part of the reason that I love Tracy's Maureen is because it reminds me a lot of the beauty of Cristina Fadale's early runs in the role. That sense of strength accompanied with vulnerability is of such importance to me in making the role believable. The only actor I've seen be able to successfully, and believably, play a ditzy Maureen is Jen Aubry. Maggie learned Maureen from Jen but she never quite 'got' it, in the same way. Early on, when she was Mark's mom and covered the role for Jen, she was better than later when she just let the ditzy factor overwhelm anything and everything else in her performance of the character.

One actor we haven't discussed who I would love to see join the Broadway cast is Warren. I enjoyed his Collins tremendously. What did you think of him? It would be nice to see him paired with an Angel who I liked as much. :)

s&dman, I agree with you totally about the relevance of the issues in Rent. Anyone who thinks that it is 'dated' in that regard is simply uninformed.
Updated On: 7/26/07 at 12:42 PM

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:03pm

"Rents message is just as relevant today as it was 11 years ago. we are loosing the battle against HIV and homelessness is still rife."

I'd take that a step further and say it's probably more relevant. AIDS and HIV may not be the same battle, but cancer is becoming more and more threatening--a disease that puts its victims in a similar position of having to live with their death looming over their heads and a dissonance with the very cells that make up their body. If the East Village isn't the way it was presented in Rent anymore, it's because Larson's fears for it have come into being.

And it's probably not kids who are saying it's dated. Judging from this site, it tends to be adults who consider themselves above Rent and tend to look at it as teenage and lacking insight or sophistication because of its youthfulness.
Updated On: 7/26/07 at 01:03 PM

[Becky]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 1:11pm

he succeeds where I believe Tim Howar fails in playing the role as a very distant Roger, withdrawn, with underlying anger ready at any moment to bubble to the surface

I couldn't have said that better myself. I'm with you erinrebecca - he's at the top of my list as well. His characterization seems more layered than others I've seen, and that's an interesting comparison you made re: Jeremy. I never thought about that, but you're right.....

And Craww: He had zero chemistry with Jen Talton

Jen was wonderful vocally, but I didn't feel her acting was as solid. I felt Declan was acting the show on a whole different level than Jen. I also agree with erinrebecca on some of her opinions of Harley's acting. I *really* hope he tones down the silliness a bit (like the ridiculous laugh at the end of "Tango" for instance) - because I did think there were some things he did very well and I think he has the potential to become a pretty good Mark.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 3:48pm

All I'm saying is there is a difference between playing emotion and being angry. And he just seemed to be saying "Look! I'm Angry!" If you make Roger angry from the begining, and then he's still Angry in the end, what was the point of the show? There was no arc? It's just a difference of opinion, but I thought it was horible. I guess we'll see when he comes to B'way. Which I'm really suprised he's going to B'way.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 7/26/07 at 7:27pm

I just had to jump in and say that im going to take a wild guess that the people who are calling Rent dated are kids.

The majority of the people that I've seen refer to Rent as dated are the people that first saw Rent 9 or 10 years ago and have lived through the gentrification of Giuliani's New York to witness how the lifestyle portrayed in Rent has all but disappeared and with medical advances, AIDS is no longer the immediate death sentence it once was.



AIDS and HIV may not be the same battle, but cancer is becoming more and more threatening--a disease that puts its victims in a similar position of having to live with their death looming over their heads and a dissonance with the very cells that make up their body.

At the risk of being accused of attack, I'd like to point out that the difference between AIDS and cancer is that AIDS is contracted by young people. Cancer, while it can occur in young people is usually found in middle-aged to elderly age groups. There's a huge difference between a 50-year-old facing death and a 19-year-old, which is the entire tragedy of AIDS in the first place. Cancer has been around for all time and picking off members of the population at random, but it hardly compares to AIDS popping up out of nowhere in the 1980s and wiping out an entire younger generation.

Updated On: 7/26/07 at 07:27 PM