RENT at Adelphi: Lytemycandyl's Review 9/25 and 9/26

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 9/26/08 at 2:16pm

I just got back from today's matinee. I also saw last night's show and I was really impressed! I wasn't expecting anyone to be able to pull this off, but lo and behold, Adelphi did!

Their interpretation of the play was refreshing and innovative. (Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD) Mark's camera is a live feed that it projected across the stage and on the walls. Other projections during Contact (phenomenal) and What You Own (a little cheesy for my taste) were used, as well.
The choreography for Tango: Maureen was astonishing. Mark and Joanne have their wrists in the tangled cables Joanne can't set up. Behind a sheet, we see a silhouette of Maureen acting as the puppeteer, jerking both her current and ex-lovers around.
Angel's death was fabulous as well. During the reprise of I'll Cover You, Angel lies dead on the stage. The cast goes to cover him with a blanket and the audience expects to see Angel's lifeless form underneath. Instead, the blanket lays flat on the ground, as Angel's disappeared.
Take Me or Leave Me was also imaginative. Maureen and Joanne have their spat as they get into bed, have a pillow fight and make up by the end of the song, jumping under the covers giggling as they say "Guess I'm leaving. I'm gone."
The ending was very well done, as well. As the finale is sun, a quilt comes down to cover the stage; each piece has the name of someone who died from AIDS, including all the characters in the show as well as Larson's friends (Gordon, Ally, Pam, Sue, etc.) along with their days of birth and death. Each character stood on their characters square to sing the final "No day but today." So moving!

Now, on to the cast.
Jim Kelly doesn't look like your typical Roger but his acting and singing were spot on. He is the quintessential Roger.
Joey Elrose's Mark was lovably quirky, yet he craftily managed to highlight Marks solitude even when on stage with others.
Katie Murphy as Mimi left much to be desired. She wasn't sexy or sultry. Her voice came in and out. She nailed the drug addict aspect but failed to deliver anything else. Her Out Tonight was more of a pathetic plea than a seduction.
Natalie Margiotta's Maureen was hysterical and her Over the Moon had me in stitches. She made it a very comical song, including accents and props.
Jennifer Susi was an amazing Joanne; I found her to be far better than Fredi Walker, herself. She has Joanne's austere confidence mixed with a sensitive soft side. Her voice was amazing, by far the best of the females. She blew her songs out of the water!
Chris Caron as Benny was a good choice, as well. Both his acting and singing were very smooth.
Ben Farha's Angel was incredible. His voice is deeper than it should be so the songs had to be changed up a bit, but it was fabulous! His death was poignant and wonderful. He really embodied the character.
Finally, Craig Fox as Collins stole the show. His rich voice captivated the audience and his acting was impeccable. His I'll Cover You Reprise had the entire theater in tears, and not just a wet eye. Nearly everyone was bawling. I've never cried so hard at RENT as I did when Craig sang that song. His Collins was lovable and compassionate and his performance was heart wrenching.

Over all, a fabulous job. The changes were clever and upheld the integrity of Larson’s original work. Stand outs in the cast were Craig Fox (Collins) and Jennifer Susi (Joanne). Congrats, guys! You did Jonathan proud!

Updated On: 9/26/08 at 02:16 PM

[winter_sky]

Posted: 9/26/08 at 2:24pm

That sounds really interesting. Wish I could see it.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/26/08 at 2:36pm

Also noticed Jim Morgan - composer of Naked Boys Singing - on the quilt, and a few other names I can't place.

The concept is far stronger in the second act, and the only real imaginative differences in the first act are, as previously mentioned, TANGO MAUREEN and OVER THE MOON. There's a giant oversized cardboard clitoris that Maureen sucks from (the swollen udder) during OTM. Hilarious.

Cast is OK; standouts were Collins, Angel, and Maureen. Mimi was a disaster. Set was severely raked; more in tune with something you'd seen in La Boheme, lit by a gigantic skylight clock.

[Gobstopper]

Posted: 9/26/08 at 8:50pm

That sounds really cool! Tango: Maureen sounds quite intriguing.

The Take Me or Leave Me concept is lame though...

[hermionejuliet]

Posted: 9/26/08 at 9:10pm

Sounds awesome. Gives me hope of a wonderful revival one day with some differences. Thanks so much for sharing.

[hamkap]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 2:16am

Lytemycandyl said: "Katie Murphy as Mimi left much to be desired. She wasn't sexy or sultry. Her voice came in and out. She nailed the drug addict aspect but failed to deliver anything else. Her Out Tonight was more of a pathetic plea than a seduction. "


Understanding all too well that who am I to knock the 7th longest -running Broadway musical in history, the general buzz on RENT from a dramaturgical aspect has always been that it is poorly constructed and is a show without any sub-text.

You have a show that was basically hermetically-sealed after Jonathan's passing. Productions don't normally go from a 45-seat house to Broadway overnight. There is a process of writing and re-writing and tightening and making things clearer, etc. One would like to think that had Jonathan not passed, this would have been an even better production and the construct would have been clearer.

Mimi IS a drug addict. That song is NOT about seduction. It is about a young woman who is badly in need of a fix. In musicals, actors are sometimes asked to play one choice to help define their character. It seems this Mimi chose being an addict as what drives her. It's clear and it's strong. She is pathetic.

Having seen many Mimi's come and go over the last 12 years, and playing it the same way, it seems to me that this is a refreshing choice. This production at Adelphi sounds darker. Based on your review, it sounds like I would have like to have seen this one running on Broadway instead of what we've all come to know and love.

It's fair to critique her voice quality, but considering how much of this show you DID like, I'd be curious to know how much of the Mimi you saw came from the actress and how much came from the director.

The use of the AIDS quilt sounds like a brilliant choice

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 8:38am

Yeah, this production did nothing to help look past the flaws of the show.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 8:50am

I wish I had bought tickets to this.

[oohshizz146]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 3:06pm

How was the ensemble? I did a show with someone in it this summer, I'm curious how he did.

[shabadoo]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 3:52pm

There was a production in the UK a couple of years ago that used footage projected on the wall in other scenes. It wasn't a live feed but they had filmed a riot that they played at the end of "LVB B" as if it was from Mark's camera. They also had footage for "Without You".

I didn't see the show at the time (I don't even know if it was legit) but I've seen videos and it was the best production of RENT that I have ever seen. They also filmed scenes for "Contact" but they didn't use it. I saw what they filmed and that was brilliant too. I thought the footage was a bad idea when I heard about it but it really worked.

They also had footage of Roger looking for Mimi after "Voice Mail 5" (the parent one) which was really weird but also really effective.

What was the Adelphi footage like?

I wish I could find out the names of the cast (especially Mimi and Roger) because they were perfect.

[bwayfan9]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 6:33pm

are the sets and costumes diffrent. Do you have some pictures??

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 7:15pm

Costumes are entirely different: looks like they were pulled out of a costume closet - though Angel's outfits are outrageous.

Set is a long platform slanted downwards from the top, which is a skylight clock. No set pieces at all. They sit on the stage itself. The La Vie Boheme table is a red carpet.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 7:29pm

Im confused. Where is this? It sounds great, but I wasn't aware of it at all. What is the Adelphi? The only one I know is the one in London.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/28/08 at 7:36pm

Adelphi Univ. on Long Island

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/29/08 at 12:15am

Oh, cool. Well its nice to know that the show can sustain other versions. I hope it doesn't pull a Chorus Line and come back in the same shape and form in a decade or so.

[LyTeMyCanDyI]

Posted: 9/29/08 at 5:34pm

From what I've heard from those I know involved in the show, in regards to Mimi, she was directed to act sexy and seductive and just couldn't grasp that.

oohshizz146, the ensemble was awesome!!


shabadoo, the videos were really good, for the most part. What you own was a video of an orgy just shot from very close. Will I? was a shot of all of the Life Support Membners walking and interacting with each other and a close up on their faces. It ends on a pan out of Roger's face. What you own was a montage of the American flag and 1990's things. It was bad. All the others, unless I'm missing something, was a live feed from Mark's camera.

My roommate did the costumes so I'll try to get some pictures, if I can.

[shabadoo]

Posted: 9/30/08 at 10:23am

The version of Contact that I saw took away from the orgy idea and showed the couples. It was like they were trying to make it clearer to the audience what was going on (makes sense because I'm pretty sure most of the audience didn't know much about theatre or techniques). I really liked it because it showed the problems that the characters face, like Maureen and Joanne fighting for control and Mimi choosing pain (S&M) over letting herself feel anything real. I wish they had used it. Instead they staged it differently so that the audience didn't believe they were seeing an orgy. Updated On: 9/30/08 at 10:23 AM