ccbway said: "DigificWriter said: "I've been trying to replay Valentina's songs back in my head to see if I can figure out why people have been complaining, and I still don't get it."
There were several instances where she was pretty off-key and her voice was weak."
ccbway said: "DigificWriter said: "I've been trying to replay Valentina's songs back in my head to see if I can figure out why people have been complaining, and I still don't get it."
There were several instances where she was pretty off-key and her voice was weak."
Valentina’s vocal limitations were shown in the vocal sections of “Today For You.” The rap/spoken sections were great but in the singing portions, oh boy. Especially those off-key attempts at riffing towards the end sections of the song. Kate McKinnon does a better job fake riffing on SNL.
DigificWriter said: "ccbway said: "DigificWriter said: "I've been trying to replay Valentina's songs back in my head to see if I can figure out why people have been complaining, and I still don't get it."
There were several instances where she was pretty off-key and her voice was weak."
I'm just not seeing it."
I'm not even one of the people who are bashing this production so harshly, but even I thought it was clearly obvious on almost every solo she sang that vocally, she was not up to snuff. You can blame illness, if that was an issue, on a lack of power, but unfortunately, that doesn't really excuse being off-key in many spots. Not sure why you can't see it - but if you re-watch it, it very clear, unless they somehow autotuned/corrected the video online since the initial airing. Not sure it's worth breaking down every place where it was off, but it was definitely off, and not just one note here and there.
Updated On: 1/30/19 at 11:04 AM
DigificWriter said: "I don't know exactly what you're ranting about, but I think you might want to, in the words of Obi-Wan Kenobi, "go home and rethink your life".
If this production of RENT was such an "affront" to your sensibilities, I wouldsuggest that the problem lies with you and not the production.
Edit: I quoted the wrong person, and have fixed my error."
I mean...you didn't even hear the vocal distress Valentina exhibited during Today For You. I mean...as a singer, I know what vocal distress sounds like and it sounded just like that. The problem is not that Valentina can't sing...it's that she was clearly dealing with vocal issues. Something that could have been helped the next day with steroids. You seem to think this live RENT is like a rock band (???) and that an understudy would not have been appropriate. You seem to not understand that when a producer or production company options the rights to a well-loved musical, they have tied that musical's brand to their own. It is in their best interest to put forward something that shows the RENT brand off as best as possible. I do not believe that the choice in showing the taped dress rehearsal where people were very much marking was the correct choice. I'm happy you disagree. I'm happy it worked for you. But...you didn't hear Valentina's vocal distress. And that's odd to me.
"If needed there were countless former Roger that they COULD have called in last minute and taught him the staging. Adam Pascal was literally there when the accident happened. "
Not an actor so I will ask the question, would it really have been that easy for Adam Pascal to step in and do it?. Wouldn't he look kind of old for the part now? When was the last time he did "Rent", would he still remember every lyric?
yankeefan7 said: ""If needed there were countless former Roger that they COULD have called in last minute and taught him the staging. Adam Pascal was literally there when the accident happened. "
Not an actor so I will ask the question, would it really have been that easy for Adam Pascal to step in and do it?. Wouldn't he look kind of old for the part now? When was the last time he did "Rent", would he still remember every lyric?"
Of course this is a ridiculous statement as if somehow performing in the musical over 20 years ago (or however long ago) makes it simple for you to just step in the day of and perform. Lin-Manuel Miranda recently was saying that he had to practice and rehearse for a long time in preparation to perform for the PR run of Hamilton because he couldn't even remember all of the lyrics, and he only stopped regularly performing it 1-2 years before (not to mention literally writing the whole thing), AND that show is for all intents and purposes EXACTLY the same. Whoever thinks that someone can just step in at the last minute and just do the show essentially cold is kidding themselves. Not only does this not account for any lyric or dialogue changes, the entire set, staging and blocking was completely different. Even getting in one or two rehearsals would probably end up with the entire cast needing to hold the replacements hand and walk him through every scene, and it would still probably be a performance riddled with errors. There is literally no way this would be possible, otherwise, why even have weeks of rehearsals? Just let these professionals show up sight unseen and blow through the whole thing "because they've done it before." C'mon.
Updated On: 1/30/19 at 02:25 PM
For some reason I assumed the soundtrack was a studio recording - the preview clips sure sounded like it. But listening to the full thing there is applause and other stuff throughout that makes it sound live. But the quality of the instruments do not sound live. Am I going insane? If anyone knows how this was created please let me know.
It sure sounds a lot better than live recordings of shows like Legally Blonde we’ve had in the past.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
I thought so. When the times shift listen to “Another Day” and “La Vie Boheme” and let me know what it is going on :).
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
"Of course this is a ridiculous statement as if somehow performing in the musical over 20 years ago (or however long ago) makes it simple for you to just step in the day of and perform. Lin-Manuel Miranda recently was saying that he had to practice and rehearse for a long time in preparation to perform for the PR run of Hamilton because he couldn't even remember all of the lyrics, and he only stopped regularly performing it 1-2 years before (not to mention literally writing the whole thing), AND that show is for all intents and purposes EXACTLY the same. Whoever thinks that someone can just step in at the last minute and just do the show essentially cold is kidding themselves. Not only does this not account for any lyric or dialogue changes, the entire set, staging and blocking was completely different. Even getting in one or two rehearsals would probably end up with the entire cast needing to hold the replacements hand and walk him through every scene, and it would still probably be a performance riddled with errors. There is literally no way this would be possible, otherwise, why even have weeks of rehearsals? Just let these professionals show up sight unseen and blow through the whole thing "because they've done it before." C'mon."
Thanks for your post, thought it was utterly impossible .
DigificWriter said: "I'm going to reiterate what I said earlier: a rock band does not go out and find a replacement lead singer "just in case" something happens to their regular frontman on the first night of a 2-night show, even if said second night is going to be preserved for release.
I also don't know what people are finding so egregiously bad about what we were shown, nor am I quite sure I * want * to know.
I'd rather enjoy what we got instead of being bombarded with negativity, thank you very much... and thankfully I did enjoy what we got."
Umm, Musical theater and a rock band are two different things. AND if the producers of RENT did what they would do if the lead in a rock band was out, they would CANCEL the show. If Debbie Harry is sick, Blondie ain't going on. If Billy Joe is sick, Green Day ain't going on. I'm failing to see your point. Are you saying they should just have cancelled the whole thing? Because that's what would have been done if it were a rock band
Finally, Rent is now streaming on Hulu. Adding to my queue for this weekend, so I can watch it from the actual start, not 5-7 minutes into it like it aired here.
"Hey little girls, look at all the men in shiny shirts and no wives!" - Jackie Hoffman, Xanadu, 19 Feb 2008
Started listening to the cast album. It appears to be a partially/mostly live recording of the dress rehearsal. Trying to determine if the prerecorded studio tracks have been interpolated or discarded.
Actually, these sound like different takes from the aired performance. I wonder if they recorded an entire vocal performance of the show (with an audience present). "Today 4 U" is obviously not what we heard when we watched. So far, I think this is a welcome addition to the recordings we have of Rent. There aren't many full recordings of the show, and this comes close, even with the edits.
I believe the studio recordings they released are incorporated, not replaced.
^yeah, 'today for you' is an entirely different performance. I'm one of the recorded it in the studio and then added the audience track afterwards? Kind of like a laugh track in old TV shows. IDK. But I will say the sound of the vocals and the band sound so Crystal clear here compared to that abysmal balance that the dress rehearsal had, it makes me suspicious. Not saying that all of it is studio recording, but some are.
It's so completely disappoint they had studio time and I have to hear these people screaming even on the album. Someone burn this audience please.
(still digging those violins in One Song Glory... also, someone please put Brennin Hunt on a theatre... on the other hand, there is an annoying instrument in Light My Candle and the quality seems... odd)
darreyl102 said: "DigificWriter said: "I'm going to reiterate what I said earlier: a rock band does not go out and find a replacement lead singer "just in case" something happens to their regular frontman on the first night of a 2-night show, even if said second night is going to be preserved for release.
I also don't know what people are finding so egregiously bad about what we were shown, nor am I quite sure I * want * to know.
I'd rather enjoy what we got instead of being bombarded with negativity, thank you very much... and thankfully I did enjoy what we got."
Umm, Musical theater and a rock band are two different things. AND if the producers of RENT did what they would do if the lead in a rock band was out, they would CANCEL the show. If Debbie Harry is sick, Blondie ain't going on. If Billy Joe is sick, Green Day ain't going on. I'm failing to see your point. Are you saying they should just have cancelled the whole thing? Because that's what would have been done if it were a rock band"
My example assumes that cancellation isn't an option, and my point is that it would be impractical for both a rock band and a production like RENT Live to have someone on "standby" who might never be called upon.
Other live tv productions have had understudies. In hindsight, this one would’ve benefited from understudies too. But can we agree that a week later we’ve had enough Monday morning armchair quarterbacking?
Having had a chance to listen to some of the songs from the show again, I feel comfortable saying that, while not quite as perfect as the pairing of Adam Pascal and Rosario Dawson, Brennin Hunt and Tinashe make for a very good pair as Roger and Mini and are head and shoulders above the pairing of Adam Pascal and the actress who originated the role of Mimi on Broadway.
I have never understood the OBC Mimi. She has one of the worst singing voices I've ever heard. It was actually the film soundtrack that made me fall in LOVE with Mimi's songs [and they are now my favorite from the show]. I've gone to watch clips of the OBC Mimi and... it's pretty ear-bleeding.
smallvillefan16 said: "I have never understood the OBC Mimi. She has one of the worst singing voices I've ever heard. It was actually the film soundtrack that made me fall in LOVE with Mimi's songs [and they are now my favorite from the show]. I've gone to watch clips of the OBC Mimi and... it's pretty ear-bleeding."
I'm so glad I'm not the only person who recognizes this.
Light My Candle became my favorite song from the show when I first heard it in the film as performed by Adam Pascal and Rosario Dawson, but the OBC version is cringingly bad because the Mimi actress and Adam Pascal have no vocal chemistry or harmony due to her being so dreadful as a singer.
Daphne Rubin-Vega is the original Mimi and was actually great. She's the only Mimi that actually felt like the part. Her voice isn't "pretty," but it sounds very authentic. She has a great 80's rock/pop sound and sounds like a junkie of that era. Rosario Dawson is also great, however, but I miss the gruffness of Rubin-Vega's voice.
I wish I could enjoy her but she sounds so piercing and out of tune I just can’t. I cringe when I think of her singing the line “there’s only us” (if I recall the lyrics correctly) in “Another Day”. But if you can genuinely enjoy that performance that’s good - it must make the OBC recording much more thrilling.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000