Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
1. Are these shows for casting unknowns? I thought these shows were always pretty star-studded?
2. At least NPH does seem to be breaking the ReNt mold, as there hasn't been a caucasion Angel since like 1994. And Vanessa is barely hispanic. I wonder if he will mix about the other races that were pretty much set in stone with the original production. Perhaps he won't just do a recreation of the Michael Grief staging, as I originally suspected. I guess we'll see.
3. Why do people keep referring to Mark as whitebread? Is it because of Anthony "Squeaky" Rapp? The guy who played Mark in Rent 2:FLOB looked pretty Markish to me, all jewy and nebbishy.
4. I don't believe this a REAL production. Isn't it just a three night event?
5. You people need to chill.
Vanessa Hudgens? Adam Lambert? and now Lady Gaga?!?!?!?!? WTF!!!! This is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard!
snl, to respond to your "I can't believe people would actually prefer Vanessa Hudgens, who can barely even sing without autotune, over Adam, who can do practically anything with his voice!" comment, it's not because of vocal ability. Clearly Vanessa can't really sing. At the same time, I'm not going to lie, I'm not a fan of Adam's. At all, really. But I think, type-wise, Vanessa can pull off "19-year-old crackhead stripper" more than Adam can do "friendliest, most selfless drag queen you will ever meet." Angel is the heart and soul of Rent. It's much more important to get someone who can embody that than someone who has a powerhouse voice. To me, Angel isn't really that much of a singing role at all. His big number is mostly a rap. And I hate Angels who over-sing and over-riff, it's completely unnecessary. Which pretty much describes everything I've seen Adam do. So no thank you to Adam as Angel. Vanessa I can almost deal with.
~Steven
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/4/05
^I guess I can understand that :)
I just figure.. it's not like Vanessa would presumably do any better of an acting job as Mimi than Adam would do as Angel, AND Adam can sing, so it baffled me haha. But I do understand what you mean in terms of Vanessa seeming like she might fit the role a bit more.
Although, again, to an extent I've always thought Adam actually COULD possibly make a good Angel, just because he's got the sparkle and charisma for it haha. But yeah, it could definitely go either way, depending on his acting skills and stuff (which I really don't know enough about to judge).. it could either be a hot mess or it could work in an unexpected kind of way. Whereas with Vanessa, she wouldn't be a GOOD Mimi, but she would fit the role fine. She has the look and everything.
Aaanyway, I REALLY do not think there's anything to even worry about for people who don't like Adam, because I DON'T think he'll be doing it. haha. Right now he's busy doing promo for his album around the world, getting ready for a summer tour, etc. etc. And I haven't heard about this rumor anywhere else but on here, so I'm disinclined to believe it :)
I'm really disappointed. Jonathan Larson would be ashamed...it just defeats the purpose to have a star strudded cast of pop musicians sing this music. Lady Gaga, Adam Lambert, Vanessa Hudgens belong on Disney Channel and MTV and should stay there
Oh for god's sake. Keep Jonathan Larson out of it when you clearly have no idea what his intentions were. He wanted to create musicals for the MTV generation. What better reflection of his success in this than to have pop stars who "belong on MTV" in his show?
All you Hollywood Bowl panty-twisters have to do is not go, and not watch any clips on YouTube, not download any bootlegs, or read any posts about the show.
But I bet you won't be able to stay away.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07

I agree there could be a problem with casting big well known stars in the roles of young people who are struggling without a dime. You can't forget Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert are who they are, so I definitely see a problem with believing them. Larson wrote Rent to illustrate the bohemian lifestyle.
Phyllis, I will never not love that. Is it from BroadwaySecrets?
Dream AARP "RENT" Hollywood Bowl cast:
Mimi: Ellen Greene
Roger: Michael Damian
Mark: David Hyde Pierce
Maureen:Lesley Ann Warren
Joanne: Whoopi Goldberg
Benny: David Hasselhoff
Angel: George Takei
Tom Collins: Sinbad
^ funny!
Dream AARP "RENT" Hollywood Bowl Cast:
Mimi: Daphne Rubin-Vega
Roger: Adam Pascal
Mark: Anthony Rapp
Maureen: Idina Menzel
Joanne: Fredi Walker
Benny: Taye Diggs
Angel: Wilson Jermaine Heredia
Tom Collins: Jesse L. Martin
What? aren't they all old enough to be AARP members now?
Wickedbeast, you may be right.....at least pretty close.
^ that's funny too!
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
I think it would be cool to have a Mark who looks like Jonathan Larsen, sinc ethe character obviously represent's the author's voice.
Rent hasn't cast "young people struggling without a dime" for years now. I don't see why Hollywood Bowl and NPH have to be held to a standard that the Broadway production wasn't when they continued to bring back actors who were clearly hanging around for the paycheck and nothing else. If that's not the antithesis of the bohemian lifestyle, I don't know what is.
Appropriate RENT casting went out the window when they continually let 40 year olds play the leads.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/29/06
"Gaga will be on tour, so she's out."
There are actually no shows scheduled during the RENT performances. She's in Kansas City on August 3 and then in LA on August 11. It could work. I'd love to see her do some theatre to show off where she started.
I never knew I couldn't live without a Gaga/Beyonce Take Me or Leave Me until someone suggested it on bwaydaily last week.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
Lizzie, I am offended. I created it myself!
"Rent hasn't cast "young people struggling without a dime" for years now. I don't see why Hollywood Bowl and NPH have to be held to a standard that the Broadway production wasn't when they continued to bring back actors who were clearly hanging around for the paycheck and nothing else. If that's not the antithesis of the bohemian lifestyle, I don't know what is."
You are right, as usual, orangeskittles. You are ALWAYS right.I don't know what I must have been thinking.
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/13/06
LOL.
I can't believe I kind of missed old fashioned Rent drama.
Glad you've finally accepted the truth, Jane.
When, exactly, did you last see Rent onstage?
Just wondering how I missed out on this young, authentic bohemian Rent when whenever I saw it on Broadway over the past decade, it's been middle-aged ensembles going through the motions and becoming caricatures competing with each other for the biggest laugh.
Lizzie, I am offended. I created it myself!
Well, sorry, but that just means you should post it there.
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/16/07
I don't really post there, but if this picture winds up there I won't have a problem with it.
I don't think the show ever had a mission to help struggling artists out of their self-imposed misery. Anthony Rapp had been acting since he was a kid. He was hardly a struggling bohemian.
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