Any reviews on the current Rent tour?

[raleighpackfan]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 1:51pm

Has anyone seen the new tour of Rent, or seen any reviews??

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 1:54pm

http://www.compulsivebowlers.org/boards/viewforum.php?f=3

[raleighpackfan]

Posted: 10/31/07 at 2:05pm

aweswome, thanks.

[peterzpan1]

Posted: 11/7/07 at 2:26pm

Overall Both Nights:

Front row center seats both nights!

I saw two different shows really on Saturday and Sunday nights, because three understudies went on for the Sunday performance. And I never got to see Kristen-Alexander Griffith as Angel. He was out both nights.

This is a young, vibrant cast with great chemistry and appeal. Their performance as an ensemble was very tight, considering they just started the tour.

Except for the usual problems with the mics being turned on late, there were no major tech problems really. I did notice they don’t even bother to turn on the damn snow machine anymore, since it rarely worked to begin with. (Yes, I am still obsessed with the snow machine, get over it!)

Saturday, November 3, 2007:

Jed Resnick as Mark – I liked him a lot better this year. Either he’s getting better, or he’s growing on me. His energy level was way low in the opening number, and his “movement to music” a tad clumsy. I was terrified that it was a sign of things to come. However, he was fine for the rest of the show. He had no chemistry with Roger, but that really wasn’t his fault.

Jennifer Colby Talton as Mimi – I love this girl! Her performance and characterization was dead on. She actually made me cry in “Without You.” That hasn’t happened to me in a long time. Her “Light My Candle” was simply delightful, as was her entire performance. She can’t quite do the high kicks on her way down the stairs; but hell, neither can I.

Anwar Robinson as Collins – I always thought this gentleman was the best singer ever to appear on “American Idol,” with perfect pitch and a five octave range…at least. And when I say “gentleman,” I really mean gentle man. Anwar is a very sweet and down to earth person with a beautiful aura about him. His vocals were out of this world! There has never been a Collins with those sets of pipes. Now, I had heard really negative things about his acting, so I was expecting the worst. But, you know, considering the guy is new to acting, he really wasn’t that bad. And I really think that his characterization and acting skills will get better as the show progresses. I think the real problem here is that he is miscast. Not at all his fault! But the dude is making the best of it and giving it 200%. And I mean 200%, he’s not calling anything in! No doubt, some of you might find his acting style and some of his mannerisms a bit awkward, and you might be put off by that. But trust me, the dude totally redeems himself with the “I’ll cover You Reprise”! Wow!!! He made me cry the way Marcus used to.

Christine Dwyer as Maureen – Dead on! What a pleasant surprise to find one of my favorite Maureens this late in the show’s history. There wasn’t one false note about her performance. And her “Over The Moon” was scrumptiously halarious. It’s rare to find an actress with the knockout looks of a model, who can sing and is also a great comedienne. Christine is all that and a bag of chips. She could spend more time at the stage door, instead of rushing to the bus, but that's neither here nor there.

Onyie Nwachukwu as Joanne – I really liked her. She’s just perfect for the part. She’s a good actress and singer, and she and Maureen had good chemistry. Great job!

Mimi Jimenez as Mrs. Jefferson, SOL soloist, etc. -- Let me just begin by saying that I was talking to her before the Saturday night show for a while before I recognized her. Why? Because Miss Thang has dropped an entire person! Mimi has lost so much weight that she is unrecognizable. I always thought she was beautiful; but now she’s a skinny, sexy thing too. She was one of the few bright spots in the last tour for me, and she didn’t disappoint this time around. Her solo in SOL was incredible, as was the rest of her performance. BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!

Tim Ehrlich as Angel -- Like I said, I didn’t get to see Kristen as Angel. Instead I saw Tim Ehrlich both nights. It was his FIRST TIME playing Angel, and he didn’t get a rehearsal. You could tell he was a tad petrified in “Today For You” and some of his jumping around was weird, but he got through it and was very good. Then in Boheme he totally mangled both his little rap solos. In the second one, he literally just gave up midway and started talking gibberish. I don’t think the non Rentheads could tell, but the front row was in stitches. Again, he got through it! Then he was perfect in Act 2. Okay, he is definitely the prettiest actor to play Angel. (Yes, I was actually swooning for him at the stage door…embarrassing). Considering it was his first time and he was nervous, his performance was fabulous. I really liked him in the role. He has a beautiful tenor/alto voice, with a little soprano thrown in there. He’s a good “comedienne,” adding little things here and there (comedy “business”) to the characterization that I had never seen before. It was a refreshing, new take on Angel and a welcomed one. I can see him playing Angel permanently…with no disrespect to Kristen whom I never saw in the role.

John Watson as Benny – Slick!!! I really liked his Benny. Great voice, great comedy timing and cool dance moves.

Jade Hicks as Alexi Darling – Very cute and funny.

Devon Settles, Jr. as Mr. Jefferson, etc – He was okay, but his SOL solo REALLY bugged me! His vibrato was weak and he changed the end -- not even attempting to hit that high note. Mimi Jimenez just blew him off the stage in that number. And all I have to say is WHY? They have Aswad there twiddling his thumbs backstage. It is my opinion that they should just switch the two, putting Aswad back in the role he does so well, and putting Devon in the swing. No disrespect to Devon. He was good, but he just couldn’t hold his own with Mimi Jimenez in SOL. I’m not saying this because Aswad is a friend and I adore him, but because it’s true. You tell me when you see the show.

The rest of the ensemble was really good. Not a rotten one in bunch.

Which brings me to Heinz Winckler as Roger – Where do I begin? On the positive side, he can sing well and he’s kind of cute. His acting was okay. I think in time he could become a wonderful musical theatre performer, no doubt. The only time I saw him connect with anyone in the cast was in “Light My Candle.” He was so good in that scene -- and he was actually charming at times. I could see his characterization of Roger for the only time in the show; and like I said, it was charming. But for some reason that one scene was an isolated incident. For the rest of the show it was like he was in his own bubble and he didn’t connect with anyone else in the cast, nor the audience. He was detached! He and Mark had absolutely no chemistry together, and you could tell that right from the opening number, which wasn’t as strong as it could have been because of the two of them. He also seemed to be holding back his voice in this performance, which really pissed me off in the Finale. When Mimi fake-dies, he didn’t so much cry “Mimi” in the rock opera style it should be done; instead, he simply uttered “Mimi” as if he were finishing a ballad. There was no emotion or desperation of any kind there! Yes, I definitely see potential in him. Unfortunately, right now Heinz is doing his own show while the rest of the cast is doing “Rent” as an ensemble piece. CLASH!

Sunday, November 4, 2007:

Different show! Not only did Tim play Angel again, but Mark had an understudy, and Miss Mimi Jimenez played Joanne for the very first time, without a rehearsal either.

Please don’t kill me, but I am not completely sure if Corey Mach played Mark or Jeff Cuttler. I’m sorry! I get them confused. Whoever it was, he looked like he was twelve years old and I hear his nickname is Scout. So I will not comment a lot on the actor who played Mark. I will only say that he moves better than Jed, he ruined “What You Own,” and he broke the friggin’ projector.

The energy was definitely higher because everyone was so excited to see Mimi as Joanne. Some of the understudies/swings filled some of the empty seats in the house to watch the show.

Everyone was on their game Sunday night. Heinz was actually much better (even in the Finale), but then Mini-Mark would bring him down in all their scenes together. And “What You Own” was a train wreck!

I was very proud of Tim Ehrlich as Angel. He got all his lines and choreography perfect and he shined.

And the Pièce de résistance of the night, Miss Mimi Jimenez as Joanne. The only word that does her justice is “brilliant.” No disrespect to Onyie, but Mimi was in a different league all together. Her vocals were of course amazing. “Take Me Or Leave Me” was electric. And her characterization of Joanne was unique. She gave that character more dimensions than I have ever seen before. And her comedy timing is priceless. The great thing about her performance was that she did something close to impossible: she managed to stand out while still remaining a part of the ensemble. It was a prefect balance. Everyone cheered when she came out the stage door, and deservingly so. What a magical night for her in her home town of Miami. Again, no disrespect to Onyie, but I think Mimi should play Joanne every night. But then SOL wouldn’t be as good without her solo.

To summarize:

I sincerely believe this is a great cast that will get better with every performance. I’m going to see them again when they return to Florida in April and I completely expect them to be flawless by then.

I apologize for being longwinded and just rambling on…and for my grammar mishaps. I wrote this on the fly.

Go see this tour!