YAY LENNON CAST.
Just catching up, Allie is sounds like you had as much fun as I did last night.
People are idiots. I didn't even know about all this until ajayspeak2/3/4/whatever started ranting about Sherie on the boards and tried to justify booing her. But yeah, he's a true and original Renthead and he's BFF with the cast members.
Right, he and Adam had drinks. heh.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
So while I'm posting pictures of old Rent cast members...look, Giles!
He is SO TALENTED.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
<3 Giles.
Although from what I've read his Roger wasn't that great.
No, I can't imagine that worked very well.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
I heard that he was pretty good as Mark though.
More pictures.
Updated On: 3/5/06 at 01:00 PM
I love Giles.
I feel like such a bad Rent fan, I don't really know who these people are.
Heehee, Gandi.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
Giles - Played Steve in NYTW, and then Steve on Broadway and ocasionally played Mark and Roger. He left in 97.
Kristen - Mark's mom/and understudy for Maureen, then played Maureen full time after Sherie :)
Updated On: 3/5/06 at 01:18 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/26/05
Gilles! (isn't it 2 L's? If not, ignore me.)
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
Oh, I also found this today and it amused me.
How to Tell the Original Broadway Cast of RENT is Having an Off Day:
When the RENT cast is having an "off-day" and decide to do whatever the heck they want with their characters, here's what you can exect to see...
Adam Pascal:
Roger plays an accordion instead of a fender guitar; when Mark asks him if he wants to see Maureen's show he hoots, "Whee! Let's party! Let's go pick up chicks! Woo hoo!"
Anthony Rapp:
Spontaneously does the Macarena during "Tango:Maureen"; insists that the proper words to "What You Own" are "You're What You Eat"; whines that "this wool coat is itchy!"
Jesse L. Martin:
Insists that Angel purchase a pair of cowboy boots instead of the coat; line-dances during "Santa Fe"; informs Roger and Mark that the ATM's code is E-L-M-O.
Taye Diggs:
Tells the group, "This is Calcutta, Bohemia's over on 10th."
Fredi Walker:
Has a fit trying to remember which phone to sing into during "We're Okay" and hurls the cell phone into the audience in frustration, then breaks down with sobs while the cast consoles her.
Wilson Jermaine Heredia:
Refuses to dress in drag; Will not respond unless referred to as 'Queen Schunard'; skips merrily around the stage during "I'll Cover You: Reprise," singing, "Ha ha, I fooled you, I'm not really dead!"
Daphne Rubin-Vega:
Changes lyrics in "Light My Candle" to "Light My Cigar" and "I think that I dropped my Tic-Tacs"; insits that her beeper denotes a Dexatrim break.
Idina Menzel:
Encourages the audience to oink at the end of "Over The Moon"; weeps openly when any other character acts like a 'meanie.'
Gilles Chiasson:
Attacks fellow cast members with the squeegee; tries to throw Mark off the stage during "La Vie Boheme A", yelling, "That's what you get when you don't pay, Bucko!"
Kristen Lee Kelly:
Leave's messages on Mark's machine saying, "When are you going to give me some grandchildren, you worthless redheaded cameraman??"; wears a nun's habit during "La Vie Boheme."
Byron Utley:
During his solo in "Season's of Love," he sings in German; leads the others in a mutiny to sing "527,040 minutes in a leap year..."
Gwen Stewart:
Refuses to cuss as the woman with bags, instead shouting "BLEEP!" at any objectionable language; throws things at other cast members when they come to close, informing them she "needs her personal space."
Timothy Britten Parker:
Wears a shirt reading 'Just Say No!' as the man, and instead offers his clientele tofu delicacies; chants, "Go Angel, go Angel, shake that groove thang!" during La Vie Boheme.
Rodney Hicks:
Spontaneously breaks into tap routines throughout the show, challenging Savion to a tap-off.
Aiko Nakasone:
Rides her bicycle across the stage with a magnifying glass as she sings, "Roger where are you?" and searches everywhere she can; leaves an answering machine message, "Mark Cohen, Alexi Darling from CNN..."
Haha, that's kinda funny.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/11/06
Haha...Anthony should bust into the Macarena :) That reminds me a little bit of the top 10 reasons to quit the NY cast of Rent...
Yeah, the whole Sherie debate has always been interesting. I think it boils down to, as someone mentioned, a) being the first replacement sucks, and b) crazy fans. Seriously, a different take on a character is NOT the end of the world...I promise.
Updated On: 3/5/06 at 01:29 PM
I liked Wilson skipping through ICY-R.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
I think it was because she was so blatantly different. Idina portrayed Maureen as a naive artist who tried to act tough, but really was more innocent then she seemed, but she wasn't stupid. Suddenly Sherie comes on, and apparently makes Maureen into this big ditz. A lot of Kristen fans were upset that she didn't get the role, and people missed Idina, and combined with this new way Sherie played Maureen, it made people angry.
Apparently Kristen's performance was more of what Idina did, but she was a lot funnier.
Updated On: 3/5/06 at 01:35 PM
Ha, those are funny.
Some people just can't handle change well. Look at the whole Rosario/Daphne debate. It's not that anyone is better than the other, it's what you're accustomed too. And someone being "better" is just a matter of opinion anyway, there's no real measure for it. It just bothers me that people aren't even willing to allow themselves to enjoy performances, they have it set in their heads that they won't like it, so they don't.
The only one that I thought was funny was the Wilson one. Mainly because I instead imagined him dancing around singing "I am not dead yet." Hee. Spamalot.
I know I'm guilty of comparing different actors in the same role, but I try not to go in with the mindset that I prefer the other actor. I've seen 4 different Elphabas, and yes, I don't think the other 3 even compare with Idina, but I tried to go in without pre-existing assumptions of what the character should be and give them a fair chance. In the end, after witnessing their performances, I just happen to still prefer Idina.
I like seeing different people playing the roles. Change is good, and it's nice that you can always have the cast recording if you ever want to listen to the original cast.
look at this shirt I found, it's so cute (i'm obviously very bored)http://img.hottopic.com/is/image/HotTopic/215553_hi?$product$
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/11/06
I think everyone compares actors on a certain level. But at least for me, I know I'm usually impressed when someone does something different, adds something personal, a different dimension to the character than the set way to perform the character. Seeing multiple actors do the exact same set interpretation of a character is boring to me. If that makes sense?
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/22/06
Oh, here's someone's review that actually liked Marcy:
MARCY HARIELL: Phenominal! I was expecting the worse, thinking that she'd never be a good Mimi, because from what I had heard about Daphne, she had some heavy footsteps to follow. Well, I couldn't imagine anyone better in this role. She has an incredible voice! (infact after hearing it, I have to kind of admit that Daphne's sounds a little annoying when I compare the two.) And man can this girl MOVE! I have never seen such a good dancer on stage! She just looked soo good on stage! I also talked to her after the show, she is such a sweetie! And she's adorable! She's very pretty, and she's tiny! Like maybe 4'11" ish, but over all, I loved her performance.
And here's a reason why people didn't like Sherie from CB:
"MAUREEN - Especially after seeing the movie, I think that Idina has mastered the deep character connection and motivations. Going through the original process gave a Idina a lot to work with and she was serious about it. Later Maureens took Idina's very delibarate and complex character and made Maureen into a total wackjob hoping that they would sore more points with the audience through laughter. But the laughs didn't come all that more... and Maureen has been a bit watered down to this day. I also think that Idina sings better than all the other Maureens. This scenario is especially illustrative of the cycle. Idina's replacement was Sherrie (Rene) Scott.
Sherie is a woman who can sing and act. Well...ok, one of her biggest credits up RENT were Sally Simpson in Tommy, and April O'Neal in The Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles Tour. She's gotten better over the years. But her entry into RENT to relieve an original cast member was way over head. Overnight, Maureen went from being an eccentric, intelligent, artist and misbehavor, to an "airhead with a good singing voice".
Kristin Lee Kelly salvaged this to a degree. Still an emphases on funny (SHE WAS REALLY FUNNY), but Maureen was also back to being "smarter than she seems". Props to KLK for raising the bar at those shows. Kristen Lee Kelly is also master of the on stage pranks."
Updated On: 3/5/06 at 01:51 PM
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/11/06
So...my throat really hurts today. I'm blaming all of you for getting me sick
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