RENT 6/14 Matinee in Denver

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 12:32am

Where do I start? I met the cast on Tuesday and was thrilled. I saw the matinee today.

This tour stays true to the original but gives it its own "flair". A lot of us know this score by heart. What this cast brings to and adds to the score is nothing less then phenomenal, for the most part. Pascal and Rapp are in EXCELLENT voice.

For me though, Pascal kind of "walked" through the part but more than made up for it with his vocals. He was just mesmerizing with his takes/changes with songs he has sung over and over again and is VERY familiar with.

A freshness was brought to the score. The notes you may have expected, but didn't get, were replaced by a fresh take on them.

Let's talk Lexi....Vega "OWNS" "Out Tonight". IMO Lexi sang it well but it was her performance outside of that song that blew me away.

Nicolette Hart...Where did this women come from?! She was fabulous. Her "Over the Moon" was incredible. And vocally during "Take Me or Leave Me" she knoocked it out of the park!

Rapp...He turned in a very solid performance. Vocally and acting wise...perfect!

Justin...well, this man has the vocals of death, doom and destruction! While "Today 4 U" was okay visually, his vocals were STELLAR. And the man can move! Some of the notes he hit were insane. And he brought a playfullness to the part I don't remember from the last time I saw the show.

McElroy...What a voice. And what a presence. He was excellent. I have to sat that the "I'll Cover You-Reprise" is OWNED by J.L. Martin (IMO). McElroy did a wonderful job with it and my eyes welled up. But nobody makes me break down with that song like Martin.

All in all a great afternoon at the theater. I guess since I know the score so well it seemed to be a bit "rushed". Also some notes that we are used to be hearing held on the cast recording were not held. But it was all good.

Oh, and the "seasons of Love" "note" was INSANE!

So Seattle is next. Get ready, you are in for a wonderful production!

Updated On: 6/15/09 at 12:32 AM

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 1:30am

bump. For the heck of it.

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 6:26am

Did you mean to review Anthony Rapp twice or did you forget Adam Pascal?

Otherwise, thank you for the review!

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 8:58am

Thanks for pointing that out! I was tired when I posted! I meant Pascal in the beginning of my post. I corrected it.

[massofmen]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 12:27pm

why do people care about this tour?
the show is so outdated its depressing, and its leads are 15 yrs TOO OLD for the parts they are playing!
They are there for the paycheck and don't realize they are doing a bastardized version of the original intent.
they cannot go over seas soon enough.

[lusciouslace]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 12:30pm

Because a lot of people never got to see the original cast members and have sentimental connections to the show. I would have loved to see it. I don't really care about their ages. Hey people loved Grease the movie when it had 30 somethings playing high school kids, same goes with 90210...same thing to me.

Uncageg, I'm jealous! I was broke when it was here, so I couldn't see it, but I'm glad to know it was awesome.

[uncageg]

Posted: 6/15/09 at 1:50pm

massofmen, have you seen the tour? The age thing ran through my mind but I still wanted to hear them sing it live. Then I met both of them last Tuesday and I thought "wow, they really haven't aged much"! They look fine and both sound great. As far as it being dated, yes, some of it is. But the message it sends is timeless. And "why do people care about this tour?" ask the people packing the theaters across the country to see it. They packed the 2400 seat Buell for all 8 performances here in Denver. There were lines for the lottery tickets every night and day.