Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp back to RENT starting 7/30- Page 4

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:13pm

This entire age issue is ridiculous. There have always been actors older than 30, and some MUCH older, in Rent over the past ten years. Why all the moaning about Adam and Anthony when Tim Howar is even older? How about Karmine? Owen? Luther? D'Monroe? Tonya? Shaun? Justin? Nicolette? And, yes, Chris. Good lord. Give the age issue a rest. I'd hate to see the complaints if some of you were around back in the day of Byron Utley!

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:16pm

I'm not playing the victim at all. But I've been on a few threads that discuss RENT and I inevitably get angry messages directed at me for saying that I don't like the show and why. I'm just trying to head people off and show them that I respect their opinions and that they don't need to question that.

ETA: I wouldn't really call a post like the one above "a respectful discussion." One can't discuss and be dismissive at the same time.

Updated On: 5/3/07 at 12:16 PM

[gymnastdzb2]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:16pm

Hm...I didn't really realize that compared to the rest of the cast they are not any older. too abd Gwen won't still be in it when they come (that would have been a real reunion!).

oh, and speaking of Hanke I love him and think he is great.

Personally, I would rather see Idina or Jesse come back over Anthony or Adam. But...I'm getting psyched up now to battle the lotto crowds starting on july 30th!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:28pm

Now I thought Pascal and Rapp were too old to play the roles in the realistic film and was very vocal about it, but I don't have a problem with them recreating their roles on stage a decade later.

On stage I doubt they look much different than they did ten years ago, and there is always a certain suspension of belief in the theatre anyway.

Yes it would be nice if they aren't playing opposite a 20 year old Maureen and Benny, but as others have said, they certainly aren't the only people to have played these roles on Broadway who are in their mid-late 30s.

I do think RENT is gearing up to close within the next year and this is a nice chance for them to have one last fair well. I have no problem with it.
Updated On: 5/3/07 at 12:28 PM

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:28pm

SorryGrateful - I'm sorry that's apparently happened to you on other threads, but keep in mind that the majority of people sending those messages are probably quite young and immature. I really haven't seen too many intelligent posters criticizing others for not liking Rent.

Additionally, I'd liken erinrebecca's post calling the arguments regarding age "ridiculous" with you calling Adam and Anthony's presence in the movie and on stage "absurd." I'm not sure how one is any more "dismissive" of the other. At any rate, I think discussions involving a show that many people love are bound to get heated, but I haven't seen anything completely out of line on this thread.
Updated On: 5/3/07 at 12:28 PM

[fishergirl819]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:29pm

Just bought third row tickets for a weeknight in August - perfect birthday present for my brother (who stole my copy of the movie and won't give it back, lol)! Very excited.

[jimnysf]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:31pm

I hear Carol Channing is also going to be in the show at the same time as Adam and Anthony. She is going to play the role of Maureen and she will be awesome!

[misschung]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:35pm

Oh I am so lotto-ing for this. Or standing room, if I get desperate. As long as Adam doesn't have the hideous hair from the movie or his Aida man-boobs, I'm all good.

wow. Now I understand why he was nervous about taking off more clothes in Aida, lol

[Becky]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:36pm

I realize that I'm going to get hell for saying all of this because heaven forbid anyone should criticize RENT.

Not at all. But I was responding to your criticism that people look differently at artists in their 20s compared to their 30s - and that older actors matter with regards to the characters in this show. I simply pointed out that the author himself was about the age that Anthony and Adam are now - so potraying "Mark" and "Roger" at their current age isn't a factor for me. If Jonathan could be a starving artist in his mid-30s and people accepted it - why can't they accept "Roger" the same way?

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:47pm

I will narrow it down to myself, since I'm the only one I can really speak for. I personally find it hard to accept people who are starving artists and who are in their thirties then. I myself am a writer, but I also work as an administrative assistant. I don't expect people to help me just because I'm creating beautiful works. So my complaint has to do more with the the characters themselves rather than the age of the characters. But I could accept it more in a younger person who hasn't had a lot of experience yet.

I hope that answers your question. I do understand what you're getting at.

ETA: This is not to insult anyone who currently is a "starving artist." I only have a problem with the ones who feel entitled to something (as I feel the characters in RENT seem to portray), not the ones who are working very hard in every direction they can. I know I am and I respect the rest of you who are doing it as well.

Updated On: 5/3/07 at 12:47 PM

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 12:53pm

Wow. I'm totally gonna try and go!

Gradutation/Birthday present maybe?

?

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:08pm

SorryGrateful, I totally agree with everything you said. I dragged some friends to see Rent with me, and none of us are rich or privileged. They all go to school full-time and work at least part-time and have to commute to school and work. The people that Rent was supposed to speak for were actually angry at the characters. They felt that the characters had major entitlement issues who whined too much about things that could have been solved once they found jobs. It wasn't the fact that they needed help that bothered them but it was their sense of not having to find work and not having to do anything but them wanting it anyway.

Why Adam and Anthony doing this is sort of sad to me is that I would think that they'd be bored with these roles by now. You sort of wish that Adam and Anthony were past that stage of their lives where they felt they needed to be bohemian starving artists and were in a stage where they could still represent what they believe in and yet do it in a way that isn't self-indulgent and immature. I know that they're actors and they need money, so it'll be stupid for them to not take advantage of the situation. However, I think it's a bit ironic considering the message of the show.

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:12pm

I'd imagine (and in some cases, I've heard directly from the cast members themselves) that many of the long-time current cast members in Rent are mainly doing it for the money as well at this point. Do you think Tim Howar would still be playing Roger if not for the fact that he has to support his family? As long as cast members don't show their boredom on stage, I don't see the problem with it, regardless of Rent's "message." Ultimately, it's a job.

[misschung]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:37pm

yeah, I don't really get that either. I understand where you're coming from, but does that also mean that Luciano Pavarotti can't play Rodolfo, the starving artist, in La Boheme?

[misschung]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:37pm

double post, sorry

Updated On: 5/3/07 at 01:37 PM

[Becky]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:42pm

The people that Rent was supposed to speak for were actually angry at the characters.

Would those same people be upset at the barber in "Sweeney" for killing people to make meat pies?

You sort of wish that Adam and Anthony were past that stage of their lives where they felt they needed to be bohemian starving artists and were in a stage where they could still represent what they believe in and yet do it in a way that isn't self-indulgent and immature.

What exactly do they "believe in" that would hinder them from recreating a Broadway role they helped make famous? Also, what is self-indulgent and immature about accepting the job, and what is it about this particular Broadway show that makes you feel this is beneath them?

[Jonny boy]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 1:51pm

I wouldnt mind seeing Anthony As mark.... but I would pay NOT to see Adam Pascal........... I would rather not hear him scream!

[VIETgrlTerifa]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:07pm

Also, what is self-indulgent and immature about accepting the job, and what is it about this particular Broadway show that makes you feel this is beneath them?

The sentence you are responding to is horribly written and I apologize for causing confusion. I was editing it, and in terms of what they believe in and being self-indulgent, I forgot that I was no longer talking about the characters of Rent but Adam and Anthony in the sentence.

What I meant to say was that not that they can't believe in the message of the show, but as 30-something year-olds who originated the role more than 10 years ago, had success since then, and were able to play the characters on film two years go, I would think that playing these characters would be tiresome. It gets to the point where it's ridiculous to be screaming about not wanting to pay rent when you're taking this job to do just that. Yes, again, I know they aren't their characters and that they're only actors. However, people take jobs that interests them and that they can relate to, unless they're starving actors who'll take whatever they can get. Many Rent-fans have established that Adam and Anthony are not those people. So either Anthony and Adam are recreating these roles because they enjoy the characters and love the message, doing it to take a job and get paid, or believe their doing Rent-fans a favor by returning to these roles.

What ever the reason, I think it's funny. One is that they still believe in the message and like the characters, which is what I personally find sad. The other is that they're doing it to pay their rent which is funny considering what the show is about and what it means to people. And the third is them being self-indulgent.

Of course, the fourth reason could be that they actually like the music and material of Rent. If that's the reason, then there's nothing I can really say about it.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:16pm

Ok, officially confirmed, yay!

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:18pm

Great! Now if only Idina would come back during the same time period, I'd be thrilled. Not holding my breath! I saw the original cast many moons ago, but am taking some relatives who weren't old enough to see the show back then.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:22pm

Adam deleted his entry, didn't he?

[MotorTink]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:24pm

Yes, and now Anthony has posted one saying it is confirmed, as well as the new article BWW just posted.

[TimeSuckage]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:34pm

Massive word to everything SorryGrateful and VIETgrlTerifa have posted in this thread. Boy, is this depressing. I know Adam and Anthony are gifted performers, and I saw them both TEN YEARS AGO and they were fantastic. But to come back like this really dents my love for them. It's a sell out, suck up move that reeks of desperation. Adam's got kids, maybe he needs the money. Maybe the Powers That Be are not rewarding Anthony with offers he deserves for other projects. I'm sure their reasons for doing this are good, but it's still depressing.

I could justify this if the movie had not been made. It's the same logic behind revivals - let's bring something back so a new generation can experience it. But their performances have been committed to film, they are there for posterity, everyone who wants to can experience them.

Oh, man, Adam back in those plaid pants...yikes, I don't know how to feel about that. Oy yoy yoy. I hope his voice is ready for this. He was pushing it to the limit when he was ten years younger.

And please correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Jonathan Larson working menial day jobs to try to support himself while he waited for his big break? Not quite the same as squatting in a loft refusing to pay rent. That's the difference between being a realistic artist and a whiny brat with entitlement issues.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:38pm

However, I hope that you had the same complaints when Will Chase, Tim Howar, Christopher Hanke (who is in his 30s despite his given age), and various other mid-30s actors were hired.
Exactly. Tim Howar, Luther Creek, Karmine Alers and Shaun Earl are just as old if not older than Adam and Anthony, and there has yet to be a thread whining about them. Don't claim it's about RENT and not Adam and Anthony if you've never once objected to older actors in Rent before now.

You sort of wish that Adam and Anthony were past that stage of their lives where they felt they needed to be bohemian starving artists
It's not like these are the only roles they've ever had. They have worked since Rent. Besides, they're actors. Actors rarely grow out of the "starving artist", working paycheck to paycheck routines. Ever seen A Chorus Line?

[RobbO]

Posted: 5/3/07 at 2:44pm

woo-hoo!