RENT at Hollywood Bowl (with REVIEWS)- Page 3

[theaternut]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:12pm

In reading all this ( and with no dis respect to anyones opinions intended) I keep wondering why you are all being so kind. It was awful.

On another note.. it was really cold in the hills last night and I guess tonight is suppose to be cooler. SO just word up for those going.. Don't let the California daytime weather fool you. Layers people. LAYERS.

[Holbee]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:16pm

I'm guessing you're opinion that it was "awful" had to do more with your expectations?

[theaternut]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:18pm

Nope. I had no expectations. I was hoping for the best.. but knew it was a crap shoot. I still had fun at the Bowl. And the show is by no means intolerable.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:44pm

Perhaps people have different opinions! Many of which seem kind to you.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:46pm

'Rent' at Hollywood Bowl: EW review| Stage | EW.com

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 1:58pm

http://celebrity-gossip.net/vanessa-hudgens/vanessa-hudgens-rent-stage-debut-396942

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 3:34pm

I really don't like the orchestrations. While I usually prefer larger orchestrations, in Rent, it takes away from the rock sound of the score.

[tarquin]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 3:39pm

LOL---Here is THEATREMANIA'S review on Vanessa H. Spot on!:

"Still, the production's biggest misstep proves to be the stunt casting of High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens as the drug-addicted, sexually-experienced Mimi. Wathching Hudgens, who comes off as the most virginal stripper ever, is akin to viewing a YouTube video of a 7-year-old smutting it up to Beyonce's "Single Ladies." Moreover, her singing voice is weaker than expected. After a tepid "Light My Candle," she sounded winded on "Out Tonight." And when she's supposed to be strung out on drugs, she looks and sounds like she's nonchalantly hanging at the mall with her pals."

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 3:45pm

The MVP (most valuable performer) of the night, without any doubt, was Nicole Scherzinger’s stylistic and comical interpretation of Maureen. Don’t let the Pussycat Doll reputation fool you, because this diva brought everything she had to the plate tonight to steal the show from right under everyone’s feet. Her most powerful moment came during her number “Over The Moon”, where her vocal chops electrified the audience and her comedic timing and acting skills were surprisingly far more developed than the majority of her peers.

Unfortunately, Disney princess Vanessa Hudgens had a much more difficult time transitioning to the stage. Her vocal chops, which immediately came into question when it was announced she had been cast as Mimi, proved to be very weak and unpolished. She was out of tune most of the night, sometimes even entirely off key. She flubbed a line or two in “No Day but Today”, and completely got off rhythm during “Without You”, forcing the band to awkwardly adjust to what she was singing. Also, her acting chops were mediocre at best, completely sterilizing some of the most emotional moments in the show. She had absolutely no connection with her better-half Roger, played by Aaron Tveit, and together they displayed a very weak, unemotional pairing on stage. Whether it was just first-timer’s nerves or otherwise, watching Vanessa pull herself through this show was more uncomfortable than sitting on the wood benches we were assigned to sit on in the venue.

http://culturemob.com/blog/review-nicole-scherzinger-shines-vanessa-hudgens-flops-in-rent-at-the-hollywood-bowl

EDIT: And here's the OC Register's:
The portrayal calls for major vixen moments, and Scherzinger hits one home run after another. With her Betty Paige bangs, showgirl curves and off-kilter persona, she turns "Over the Moon," Maureen's wackadoodle performance-art number, into an event. And her duet with strong-voiced Thoms, "Take Me or Leave Me," is as deliciously sexy as any rendition I've seen.

The story's third couple, Tom Collins and Angel, is its most convincing in this production. Golden-voiced Wayne Brady brings just the right touch of pathos to Collins, an HIV-positive teacher with dreams of opening a restaurant in Santa Fe. As his lover, Angel, a flamboyant transvestite, Telly Leung's show-stealing abilities rival Scherzinger's. The diminutive actor, who's played the part before, is one of those performers who owns the stage when he's got the spotlight, and his stunning voice is worthy of the character's name.

Leung's and Scherzinger's vocal talents are a world removed from those of Collins Pennie, who plays Benny, Mark and Roger's suave but cruel landlord. The role has some crucial singing moments, and Pennie wasn't up to the task on Friday.
http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/rent-261165-mimi-little.html

Updated On: 8/7/10 at 03:45 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 3:49pm

We will probably be seeing Nicole on Broadway very soon after these reviews.

I'd the imagine the Weisslers are calling her up for Velma.

[tarquin]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 3:59pm

Nicole last night imo was a REVELATION to most people who haven't seen/heard her strut her stuff. She made Vanessa H. look like an amateur. I also predict big things for Nicole. Broadway should take heed. Glee should sign her up for next season to rival Lea!!

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 4:44pm

NPH just tweeted the following: "RENT 1st performance last night. Very, very proud. Remarkable, considering it was the first full run thru with lights, orchestra, etc"

So, that explains a lot of missed cues. I would expect tonight to be cleaner. I think sometimes folks forget they only have rehearsed a week to put this together.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:26pm

Ethan Le Phong's costume is... hmm, did they even HAVE hipsters in this time period?

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_RENT_at_the_Hollywood_Bowl_20100807

[HistoryBoy2]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:34pm

I'm keen to get with Aaron Tveit.
I trust that someone here has the power to organise that. See to it.

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:38pm

if nothing else Hudgens at least looks good in the famous "Out Tonight" costume. Although listening to the clips i've seen of her, one has to question why they didn't call Rosario Dawson up.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:42pm

I'm anxious to see Nicole's dance in "Tango: Maureen" which she said brought her back to her DWTS says. ;]

@jonartdesigns I thought the same thing. I would have liked to see Rosario perform the role again. I had low expectations for Vanessa, anyway. She sounds okay, but not great. And, yes. She does look good in her "Out Tonight" costume. lol.

Updated On: 8/7/10 at 05:42 PM

[theaternut]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:49pm

"NPH just tweeted the following: "RENT 1st performance last night. Very, very proud. Remarkable, considering it was the first full run thru with lights, orchestra, etc"

So, that explains a lot of missed cues. I would expect tonight to be cleaner. I think sometimes folks forget they only have rehearsed a week to put this together."

I don't think it would have been any better. And folks shouldn't have to be concerned with how much rehearsal time went into it. The technical difficulties gave them a pass on some other things.




Updated On: 8/7/10 at 05:49 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:53pm

If the casting weren't such a big hassle, there would have been more rehearsal time. They could've done better with more time to practice. And for the "opening night" to be the first full run through with tech, is kind of odd.

[Eki75]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 5:57pm

I saw it last night. Hits and misses.

Angel and Collins were the standouts for me. They were spot on vocally and dramatically. JoAnn and Maureen were very good, too. Yeah, she royally flubbed the "We're okay" phone song in Act II, but otherwise, NS was a fantastic Maureen.

As has been mentioned in this thread, Benny was horribly miscast. It felt like they found some random in the parking lot and said, "Hey. Wanna be in a play tonight?" He seemed self conscious, too, so he must have either been really nervous or really aware that he was eating it on stage.

I liked Mark okay, but my friends (Rent-virgins) hated him. Mark had a great voice and I though he was decent. Roger was vocally pretty good, but I didn't get him as Roger. Very superficial acting-like he was phoning it in.

VH as Mimi was pretty horrible, I must say. She looked gorgeous and puritanical, which is NOT Mimi. Her acting was very weak--like she was a Mimi Mouseketeer; and her singing was cringe worthy in many places. To be fair, a few of her more legato lines in the middle of her register were tonally pretty. Her belt was simply screaming and often miles from the pitch center. Mimi and Roger had no chemistry that I could detect. She was definitely the weakest link. I know I wasn't alone in this opinion because when Mimi died, people all around my section erupted into either applause or laughter. Probably NOT NPH's desired response.

I personally hated the new orchestrations. The brass made it sound less like a rock-opera and more like a theme park show trying to BE a rock-opera. This is not even to mention that the sound mixing was often FUBAR (e.g., a single violin line drowning out the entire ensemble).

Aside from the above moanings, the rest of the show was pretty enjoyable. It looked like Rent. It sounded like Rent. It felt like Rent--albeit a summer stock version of it.

[TheatreFan4]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 6:04pm

Um filming a show even though it's at that Bowl is still illegal right?

I don't think BWW got that memo.
https://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/videoplay.php?colid=156556

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 6:06pm

HAHAHAHA!

And I am really hating the horn section more and more with every clip...

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 6:12pm

Also, lots of nice pics of Vanessa and Nicole from the show (some better than what BWW posted) are on www.JustJared.com

Also, new CELEB PlayBlog from Telly Leung about last night's performance and behind-the-scenes stuff:
http://www.playbill.com/playblog/2010/08/celeb-playbloggerrents-telly-leung-aug-7/ Updated On: 8/7/10 at 06:12 PM

[twotrey]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 10:24pm

Not much to add (had perhaps the best seats possible last night without forking over for an upgrade, right to the left of the "super seats"), but I just have to add to the Nicole Scherzinger kudos. This was my fourth time seeing the show live (and then other, ahem, means of other casts), and that she was not only bold enough to go with a radically new spin on Maureen *and* pull it off like gangbusters was spectacular, and she and Tracie Thoms had such a sexual intensity on "Take Me or Leave Me" that I hadn't seen in that number before. Although she's not Latina, I would definitely like to see Scherzinger maybe get a shot at playing Vanessa in the In the Heights movie. I think she could really nail that role and be cute opposite Lin-Manuel Miranda.

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 8/7/10 at 10:38pm

@ Twotrey:

I never thought of that, but I agree completely! She'd be epic

[uncageg]

Posted: 8/8/10 at 12:07am

Looking at clips. What I am seeing is quite wonderful. It is not going to be what "everyone" wants it to be but it is what it is. I would have killed to be there and probably would not have judged it or compared it to the stage show or the movie. I thought Hudgens, based on what I saw, did a fine job. It is never going to be the "original". I loved the additions to the sound of the band. It is a new take. Let the original go and enjoy what someone else has to bring to it. Just my random thoughts.

Updated On: 8/8/10 at 12:07 AM