OMG -- Paris Hilton in talks to go into RENT! See article inside. — Page 2

it is VERY obvious they don't give a hoot...... the show is a joke now

::bangs head against wall::: Make it stop!! ugh calling the show a joke is the worst insult ever...the material is too strong for it to ever be a "joke" no matter what you think about the producers.

When Britney is cast as Maureen, then we can talk about jokes. But right now thats an insult.
And now im really done on this thread, i promise!!!!

"When Britney is cast as Maureen, then we can talk about jokes."

That already happened. And his name was Joey Fatone.

"[Paris Hilton] can barely walk and talk at the same time never mind sing...."

Fran & Barry, meet your new Roxie Hart!

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Updated On: 11/18/03 at 10:22 PM

"I dont see how anyone can say Britney being cast would be the same as when Joey was cast."

As Laverne DeFazio said to Miss Feeney, "Shirl, does your balloon ever land?"

If you don't get that, you have permanent blinders on.

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MimiChica, you lost me the moment you named Sebastian as one of the talented ones! I felt he was one of the worst RENT disasters of all time, and my only complaint with the casting people is that it took way to long to fix that situation. They finally did wise up though.

As for the current cast? I couldn't care less if some of them have been in the show for a while or if they've been called back as long as they're good, and I feel they are. I *have* seen them recently and I enjoyed them very much - and I've seen the original cast and just about every subsequent cast and tour since. Naturally that doesn't make me an expert, but I do have a frame of reference and I've been very critical of the various casts (I expect a lot from them) so I don't think I'm the type to settle for mediocre in this particular show. Having said that, I simply don't see the disaster that some people here do. I'm certainly not going to say I agree with every casting choice, and please don't think I'm blind to the changes over the years that haven't really been positive. I just wanted to point out how subjective judging the cast is - so I certainly can't pretend my opinions are any more valid than those that disagree with me...and vice versa. I still tend to think people who have become bored with cast members who have been around for a while have a hard time looking at the performers through the eyes of first-time viewers. A family member saw the show for the first time recently and was floored.

I also wanted to say that regardless of how cheap Matt Caplan was/is to hire, next to Anthony Rapp he's been my favorite person to perform "Mark". Matt has received a lot of attention from critics and forum posters here and elsewhere, so say what you will. I think the show is lucky to have him. D'Monroe is back as Benny - and he's also the strongest "Benny" I've seen to date. There are many others , but you get the point. I am disappointed that they demoted Karmine back to a swing, but as far as everyone else? I've never taken issue with them bringing in people familiar with the roles past or present. It's just not that big of a deal to me.

What do you people think of Adam Pascal?
I saw him in Cabaret and thought John Stamos was better.
I also think Alan Cummings was the best in the role.

Updated On: 11/19/03 at 12:18 PM

Ok... I agree that a lot of RENT fans overreact about just about everything that has to do with the show. Some of us have points and others pretend that they do. This is a forum where people state opinions.. so here's mine.

The producers suck. I despise them and how they implement their decisions. Some of the crap they pull is completely unnecessary and is done simply for dramatic purposes. I agree that their casting of B list celebs is a tad ridiculous but to point the finger at RENT as the only show who does this is even more ridiculous. Look at Aida... they went from Toni Braxton to Michelle T. Williams. One after the other. In RENT they at least took a break after Joey, (though I suppose they wouldn't have had they had a choice). As somebody else mentioned before, there are tons of fake celebs popping up all over Broadway. So to make it seem like it's just RENT is wrong.

On the other hand, some of the casting in RENT is horrible. I agree that many of the swings are the most talented people in the cast but the casting has improved dramatically lately. Jeremy Kushnier is back as Roger and he's fabulous. D'Monroe is back as Benny and he is supposed to be great as well though i've never seen or heard him. Gwen Stewart is back from the OBC and that has everybody giddy because Gwen is amazing. Some of the casting sucks, but that is true in just about any cast of any show. To single RENT out is wrong.

someone sounds bitter.

Yep.. she is HORRIBLE because she is not Karmine.. she isn't all lovey dovey with the psycho fans out side the Neder AND she can pass for the sick drug addict that Mimi is onstage AND she does more than just riff when she sings.. yep.. that maes her horrible alright.

Actually, she is obnoxious, rude, and snobby, thinking her **** doesn't stink. Even if she was nice, that wouldn't make up for her unexcusable performances.

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Unless you've met her, I don't think you can really argue with me.

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What somebody is like at stage door, unless unnecessarily rude (i.e. Frenchie) shouldn't effect how you rate their performance. I've never met Krystal and don't care about her skipping out on stage door. All I know is that performancewise she's lacking in my book.

I'm not saying I don't like her just because she's rude offstage. Im saying that ONTOP of her ear-shattering performance, she's a bitch. And I was told that the reason she doesn't come out often is because people tell her to her face that they disliked her performance.

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