RENT/London Photos- Page 3

[Wickedfan18]

Posted: 10/17/07 at 6:01pm

what does angel wear...

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/17/07 at 7:59pm

It's funny that they put Mark in an A&F jacket when Oliver said that they were not going in that direction for the character. I guess they changed their minds. Though, in all fairness, the sweater Mark wears on Broadway, at least today, has to be specially made and can cost upwards of 100 dollars. Though, one could argue that it was perhaps a gift from him mom or something. The same could be argued with the jacket. Mark's parents have never been poor. Updated On: 10/17/07 at 07:59 PM

[joshy]

Posted: 10/17/07 at 8:16pm

I can't wait to see this (in a few weeks) because it looks/sounds like such a disaster!

[ByTheSea920]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 12:34am

Um....ew. This looks kind of gross. No, no, wait....really gross.

So apparently Maureen is a porn star, Mark is an A&F pretty boy, and Mimi is just god-awful in every sense of the word.

I wish I could go to London, just so I could say that I actually got to see this trainwreck of a production.

[Craww]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 1:01am

Joanne looks hot in the S&M Tango Maureen. I think I'm immune to finding pretty boy Mark attractive, sadly. He's just too impossible looking for me.

I have to wonder about the Collins, because he hasn't been getting awful reviews, and he's attractive. The only shallow complaint I really have about all the times I've seen Rent is that I've never gotten to see an attractive Collins. I know Jesse L. Martin set a high standard, but seriously.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 1:48am

Finally got to see this much talked about production.

Loved it! As for the new looks...why not? Thought it was fab and refreshing after the seeing the tired original production last year.

Oliver Thornton was not camp in the slightest in this role. For the first time I actually liked the character of Mark and CARED about what happened to him. The new arrangement of "What You Own" brings his arc to a poignant climax. Denise Van Outen surprised me with a much stronger voice than I recalled. Overall a great cast and in a tight production that has given Rent a new lease of life for me.

[ruthiefan_felix]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:57am

I think that the pics looked GREAT! The cast look SO good! But this is a person who wasn't a particular fan of the original show talking.
I need MORE pixs of Ollie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! or Luke ~

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 10:18am

mrkringas i normally agree with everything you say but if you didn't think Oliver was camp as tits in that role im very surprised since everyone else i have spoke to thought the same thing.

For the person who asked what Angel wears

First outfit was tight jeans, denim jacket, crop top, covered in red sparkly things, he also wears a black mini skirt in once scene and something what looks like an outfit from Starlight express (american football shoulder pad things covered in red glitter)

[WickedRentEder]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 2:27pm

Not to mention the guy who plays "Benny" looks like Ludacris! LOL!! I was SO turned off by the 'casting'. Judging it only from what I see of course. The hand held around Mark's neck looks out of place, IMHO!

[mrkringas]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 8:15pm

Thanks songanddanceman for that I feel quite validated as you usually talk a lot of sense too!

However on this one we must disagree. Did I believe that Mark was straight? Absolutely. There may have been a touch of camp but not in the way that some are suggesting. As I have said elsewhere I spend quite a bit of time with people more camp than this Mark at Uni and (sadly) they are all straight.

But yeah I know where people are coming from with all these comments. I guess I find his casting more credible than the majority.

[Becoz_i_knew_you21]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 8:22pm

I'm at a loss for words. This whole production is just one big WTF.

[exedore]

Posted: 10/18/07 at 9:02pm

And because it's 2AM, the site needs exposure, and I had to stop slamming out my extended analysis and review, the miniature version is up on RZ.

Enjoy!
An American Look at Rogue Zentradi

[UglyBetty]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 5:33am

hello mark!

seriously, oh rent. I dont even know what I think of this.

Is it wrong? Yes. But atleast someone is breathing new life into something that has become a dusty relic. Perhaps it could be a pre-Giuiani New York. A time when there were seedy S&M rock and roll bars haunted by raunchy strippers and New York trannies.

It cant be any worse than watching the film and watching Mimi perform in a club that looked like it had come out of a 2007 Times Square gentlemens club and not the dive bar it should have been.

BARF.

[exedore]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 6:39am

Ugly Betty Wrote:
"It cant be any worse than watching the film and watching Mimi perform in a club that looked like it had come out of a 2007 Times Square gentlemens club and not the dive bar it should have been. "

Actually, they copied that scene completely for this production. It even ends with Mimi standing downstage and Roger nowhere near her for Another Day.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 7:12am

And trust me the film is 100 times better than this version, at least the film has some great orchestrations, great acting (dawson etc) and sticks to the story

[UglyBetty]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 7:44am

If the film is better than we're in trouble!

I dont care about how far Mimi is from Roger, but its about the look of the club. SEEDY SEEDY SEEDY!

Still I ask where was John Waters or John Cameron Mitchell when they were looking for a director for RENT?!

[Janki]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 8:27am

Ok...Oliver: I'd love to be with him (in a veeeeery rude way..yum) but if I ever have to watch him again I'd rather die...Starlight in Germany, Les Mis, Chicago and Phantom in London NO!!!! He is a great singer, but if he was just a bit more camp, he'd BE a Gucci-Purse!!!!
Went to dramd school with Jay (Angel) and he is the sweetest guy, and an amazing dancer....Wish him all the best!

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 9:40am

"It's funny that they put Mark in an A&F jacket when Oliver said that they were not going in that direction for the character."

Actually in his blog he mentioned that they WERE... let me see if I can find it... here we go:

"Hello everyone!

I've decided to use my blog in a slightly different way...I thought it might be fun to let you know how we are slightly changing the character of 'Mark', so that when you come and see the show you'll have some idea of how we rebuilt characters for the 'remixed' version.

When I was offered the role of Mark, all my friends said things like 'Is that the one with the camera?' or 'Is that the one with the scarf?'. Having seen the original Broadway company, we all have total respect and admiration for Anthony Rapp, but Will felt out of all the characters, Mark, seemed to have a smaller emotional arch and was remembered for his camera rather than his 'journey of self discovery'. In this way we decided to make a 'remixed' Mark, so that the audience will hopefully follow his story as much as Roger's.

I know a great deal of people are surprised that I'm a little more 'High School Musical' rather than 'rock and grunge Rent', but we thought it might be interesting to make Mark more 'middle class' - from the text it's evident that he is from a different upbringing to other characters such as Roger or Mimi. It would seem that Mark makes the choice to live in 'poverty' and 'bohemia' (he could go home at any point and has a healthy relationship with his family, they even send him a hot plate and call him regularly throughout the show), whereas characters like Mimi are trapped due to their drug addiction and so forth. I think in this way it highlights how removed and different Mark is from the rest of the group. In some ways he appears the leader, in other ways he is completely detached, alone and isolated. This makes for an alternative and interesting new way of defining the character.

I'm aware people who know the show well, might be worried that characters will be changed too dramatically, but don't worry Mark hasn't become a bare chested model, just a little more 'preppie' than 'geeky' due to decisions on his upbringing, but I can assure you every choice has been carefully thought out. So, get ready for abercrombie, no glasses and ooohh there's a fierce tango. Anyway we open reallllllllly soon...so you can decide for yourself. I hope you all have a great time and even if you don't, I think it's always good to experience alternative ideas.

bye!! X "

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 9:53am

"Actually, they copied that scene completely for this production. It even ends with Mimi standing downstage and Roger nowhere near her for Another Day."

See that doesnt even make sense. How can he accuse Mimi of barging in on him and his guitar if she's... not.

And if you read the libretto, Mimi is supposed to be in her apartment getting ready during out tonight, not at the cat scratch club. Apparently in an interview Tamyra mentioned that she thought out tonight was in fact at the cat scratch club and that she studied the movie to learn about her part, which explains a LOT about her performance

[exedore]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 11:58am

"Apparently in an interview Tamyra mentioned that she thought out tonight was in fact at the cat scratch club and that she studied the movie to learn about her part, which explains a LOT about her performance"

I actually liked Tamyra's Mimi quite a bit.

As far as the club goes, the only other performance besides New!London and Tamyra's head that I know of to use the club as a location was the original Norwegian cast, where Out Tonight supposedly led into Contact (something I could see working). This was ages ago, though, and sadly the official site no longer keeps the photos up.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 12:02pm

Apparently in an interview Tamyra mentioned that she thought out tonight was in fact at the cat scratch club and that she studied the movie to learn about her part, which explains a LOT about her performance

I remember reading that as well. How do you NOT know what is going on during Out Tonight? I understand how certain aspects of the show can be confusing, but that number is so literal. I think she also said she didn't understand Without You, which I'm somewhat baffled by as well.

[misschung]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 12:42pm

Well, did she see the movie first? That might explain it

[Mealz1042]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 2:19pm

"Well, did she see the movie first? That might explain it"

yes, and she said she studied it to get an idea of her character. I wasn't saying she's bad (I don't particularly like her performance as Mimi but that wasn't what I was getting at) I was just saying it makes it clear why she acts the way she does good or bad.

You would think though, if you were in the role you would go out of your way to figure out what exactly it's about, that means reading the libretto (with helpful stage directions) and asking the director any questions. Also a stage version is always different than a movie so I wouldn't reccomend studying a movie to get an idea of the character. Imagine if a Joanne did that? That's just my opinion anyway.

[cunegande2]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 3:05pm

This looks spectacularly bad

[Craww]

Posted: 10/19/07 at 11:12pm

I wouldn't reccomend studying a movie to get an idea of the character. Imagine if a Joanne did that?

...I think I'd actually end up liking more Joannes if they did do that.

I don't know. Tamyra's cluelessness didn't really show in the performance for me. I didn't watch her Out Tonight and think ""oh, she totally thinks she's doing this for the Cat Scratch!". Whether she watched the movie to inform her opinion or not I'm sure she was still inspired by the stage version and the direction she received before she officially began performing the role.

I can understand not understanding Without You. I think a lot of Mimis don't get Without You. Literally, surface wise? Sure. But I think really understanding what the song is trying to accomplish can elevate it from boring and sappy to riveting and off kilter. For me, anyway. I just know that sometimes it makes me want to gouge my eyes out in boredom, and sometimes it's really wonderful, and the performer getting it certainly has to be a factor in that.