Best Maureen from RENT- Page 2

[MyDreamsRecurring]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 12:04pm

Idina Menzel most definitely
She's amazing in that role..no matter how many times i listen to it
Over the Moon makes me crack up

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 12:15pm

Gotta agree with the comment that most here who say that no one could be better than Idina probably never even saw Idina play Maureen. I saw her, she was good, but not my favorite. And no, it's not true that every Maureen since Idina has been blonde. Tamara Podemski and Ava Schlink are brunettes, Jen Aubry and Erin Keaney are redheads, and even those who were blonde Maureens were probably not natural blondes. Several, including Maggie and Cristina didn't start out in the role as blondes. I've seen probably 12-15 different actors play Maureen and my favorites are Jen Aubry, Cristina Fadale, and Tamara Podemski.

[lamentingenvelope]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 12:19pm

The only Maureen I've seen was Leslie Diamond (?? I think.) on tour... and for some reason I remember being disappointed when I got the cast recording with Idina Menzel's Maureen. I didn't find it nearly as funny. I don't know if this is the result of seeing it in theatre vs. hearing it live, hearing it the first time vs. hearing it the second time, or because Leslie was actually a better Maureen.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 12:22pm

I feel like listening to it just isn't as funny. So much of the comedy is in the physicality, that you just can't get the same laughs from listening to it. You can think that someone is vocally better than someone else, for sure, but you can't really tell much about who was funnier by just listening to that song, IMO.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 1:01pm

"And why am I not surprised that the kiddies all insist on Idina being the best Maureen although they most probably never saw her in the role (except on a crappy bootleg)."

That performance on that crappy old bootleg was more magical than the performance of a different actress live. Are you trying to tell me that if anyone who only saw her on this video saw Idina live they would've found her performance LESS brilliant? It's not like one can't see her couldn't see her performance on a video. To me, it was the definitive Maureen performance.

lamenting...there is no way you can compare a live performance to one on a cast recording. There is so much more to be seen and felt when you can view it.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 1:08pm

To you it may be the definitive Maureen performance, but how many have you seen play the role live? Your point about it being unlikely that someone's performance on a bootleg being better than live is a point well-taken. Although, I don't think any bootleg, no matter the quality (and in most of them the quality does not compare to a live performance), can give you a real appreciation for any actor's performance. Just as you say that you can't compare a live performance to a cast recording, I don't think you can compare a live performance to a bootleg. :)

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 1:20pm

I've only seen one actress play the role live...I've seen three total including video, so I'm not pretending to have a wide range of people to compare Idina to (though, I have to say, I've heard many MANY Maureens on audio, and couldn't stand even the way they SAID the lines, lol). My point is that I found her performance to be remarkable even on that crappy bootleg, and if that diminishes the quality of performance at all yet I still thought it was better than who I saw live...well, then it's almost irrelevant that I saw it on a crappy video because I still thought it was better.

And I say Idina's performance is the definitive performance because it is real. Her performance was not about this choreography they have in "Over the Moon" now or doing everything over-the-top for laughs, but it was really about the character. Even when I've seen other actresses sing "Take Me or Leave Me" at Bryant Park or something, I get a feeling that the actress is aware of Maureen and what she is supposed to be, rather than just BEING...if that makes sense. And I think that's what difficult about Maureen. Many of the people who take her on see how she's supposed to come across, but they're too aware of it in their performance and it doesn't work.

Just a thought, lol.



Updated On: 6/12/05 at 01:20 PM

[Jwei123]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 1:25pm

EASILY, the top two are Caren Lyn Manuel and Maggie Benjamin. I don't even have to THINK about that.

Cristina Fadale and Idina Menzel tie for 3rd because I felt like their portrayals were so similar, and very well done.

[Kringas]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:22pm

I've only seen two, Kristen Lee Kelly (a non-blonde) and Maggie Benjamin. I preferred Kristen.

It's funny that I see everyone raving about Sherie Rene Scott (who I think was going just by Sherie Scott then? I could be wrong?) I remember a lot of Rent-heads going on about how terrible she was. I never saw her, so I don't know, but when she was suddenly everywhere a few years later and everyone's darling, I wonder if some of those same detractors ate their words.

This should not in any way be construed as a slam on Sherie. Just repeating what I remember others saying.

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:27pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:27 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:27pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:27 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:28pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:28 PM

[sassypanz]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:29pm

Updated On: 3/13/12 at 02:29 PM

[Aigoo]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:33pm

Wow.

[ikmbway]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:40pm

I love Idina's Maureen but I actually saw Maggie and Kelly. I didn't like Kelly and thought Maggie was awesome. I do love Idina on the OCR and can't wait to see her in the movie!!

[MarkCohen]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 2:50pm

I think the reason lots of people disliked Sherie was because she was replacing Idina. It's like with Shoshana, lots of little wickedites hate her for the single reason that she isn't Idina.

[Kringas]

Posted: 6/12/05 at 3:34pm

Good point, Mark. It's probably often hardest for the first replacement. Regardless of what people thought of her, it's safe to say that Sherie's doing okay for herself now.