RENT in Cincinnati- Page 2

[WolfieMan]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 8:07am

My partner and I saw the Sunday Matinee and it was okay better than I expected.They were ALL very young though and looked it. Had a hard time beliving that any of them had had a hard life and lived in the East Village. The Mark was AMAZINGLY good. But "Rogers" Understudy DUSTIN BRAYLEY just down right SUCKED. I mean he was Summer Stock worthy but not Tour worthy. There was absolutely NO connection between him and the rest of the Cast onstage and his voice was really straining for emotion sometimes and he almost blew "In Your Eyes" BAD UNDERSTUDY choice. He really was the weak link and almost ruined the show for me. Everyone else was fine though. The threatre was a very big venue though and I wish they would have tweaked the lighting system a bit but other than that and Roger US issue it was pretty good.
Updated On: 12/18/06 at 08:07 AM

[benjamingullett]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 8:44am

I saw the performance on Sat @ 8 and let me tell you, Mark was awful. He could have been easily better... had he known his lines.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 8:48am

IAmMyOwnMusical,this is what you posted initially:

"The only headlining members that are staying on this stop are Harley (mark), Krystal (mimi), and Melvin (angel). Everyone else is going to be at a wedding."

That wasn't correct because people who actually attended the shows did indeed see Declan, Tracy, Michael, Warren and Chante. So, yes, you were wrong. None of them is an understudy.

[WolfieMan]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 8:59am

Did you have an Understudy for Mark on Saturday? Because I know they switch off to give leads a rest because its such a vocally demanding show. Our Mark at the Sunday Matinee was GREAT it was our ROGER who blew Chunks. I know its a Non-Equity Tour but considering its the "Official" Tour you'd think they could do some better Casting. I was involved in the Theatre in NYC foir a very long time and can assure you there are much more talented Non-Equity Singers/Actors out there. Just go to Rose's Turn. The Duplex or Marie's Crisis Piano Bars in NYC and they could cast a few of those roles better. The Understudies really need more rehersal.
Updated On: 12/18/06 at 08:59 AM

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 12:09pm

Erin:

I sent you a PM.

[joanna2]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 7:27pm

Erin, Declan was gone for the entire Cincinnati stop.
Wolfie, I was at the same show you attended. I didn't think I'd be able to handle Dustin, but he wasn't as bad as I thought. He did look a little bored, though!

[CJWesselman]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 4:38am

Dunno if anyone's still even reading this post, lol, but I'll try and help clear some confusion if there still is any:

Aaron LaVigne (Swing, Roger/Mark US) went on as Roger for the first threee shows of the weekend, Dustin (Gordon, Roger US) went on as Roger for the last two on Sunday. Declan was indeed out the entire weekend. Harley Jay made all his performances as Mark except for Saturday night when there was apparent vocal issues.

Despite being biased, I feel as though it's a solid cast. Throwing the non-eq label out the window is a must. The nat'l tour's casting company was changed and it seems like they're aiming to improve the quality of the touring production. I've heard many people say that this was the best Rent tour to come through in a number of years and I agree. It's a very talented group of people and I wish them all a great second leg of their tour!

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 8:41am

You're right, I did post Declan's name by mistake. He wasn't in Cinci at all, he'd returned to London to attend a friend's wedding. What was initially posted by IAmMyOwnMusical was, as I said, incorrect. Declan was the only one off at a wedding, not the others as IAMOM stated. Harley and Aswad did call out for individual shows in Cinci but that had nothing to do with a wedding!

CJ, Networks has handled the tours for several years now.

[benjamingullett]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 11:53am

No... this is by far the worst tour I've seen. Very disappointed. And there weren't "vocal issues" there were ... "he doesn't know his lines" issues.

[joanna2]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 1:38pm

That's odd. What shows have you attended? I saw three on this tour, and the only time someone flubbed was the one time Melvin tripped over a couple of words.

[IAMmyownMUSICAL]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 1:39pm

Yea, its because that understudy had NO idea what he is doing. Even people from the cast will tell you that. He has pitch problems, and has no idea what too do.

Sad thing is, they had 3 weeks to prepare, because they were told they would be going on.




*edited for spelling*

Updated On: 12/19/06 at 01:39 PM

[CJWesselman]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 4:18pm

"And there weren't "vocal issues" there were ... "he doesn't know his lines" issues."

Benjamin, if you're referring to Harley (Mark) here, you couldn't be more wrong. I saw him three times over the weekend and thought he was one of the stronger and more solid performers. Even for the Sunday Matinee when his voice was going out (and, it was clearly going out) he pushed through and still put on a good performance. He only missed the Sat Night show. If you aren't, well...I have no clue who you're referring to. lol

IAM, who are you talking about in regards to having three weeks to prepare?

[benjamingullett]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 6:02pm

I, unfortunately (apparently), saw the Sat. night performance. And I've see various tours, multiple times, in multiple cities, since '98. And please don't tell me to feel bad because they only had three weeks to prepare. If they're an understudy for a tour... then they should have been prepared for a while.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 6:30pm

You're right, Benjamin. The understudies have known their covers since August/September, and there are regular understudy rehearsals conducted by the dance captains. They should have been absolutely ready to perform the roles, otherwise what's the point of understudies?

[Craww]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 6:44pm

I guess I'm definitely glad I decided to skip this one. Hope everything's more together when they come back to the area in April.

[CJWesselman]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 9:45pm

I still don't understand why everyone seems to be saying/thinking that all the understudies were falling apart on stage? Aside from the one time Harley was out and his US went on (Sat Night,) where are there any complaints about US flubbing lines or songs? Quality of performance is different from an actor not being prepared. I didn't see the sat night show with the Mark US, but I did see three others and never saw anyone self-destruct on stage.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/19/06 at 10:54pm

Maybe the tour could hire trained, experienced, professional union actors and there would not be this problem of the apparent lack of preparation by the understudies?

[joanna2]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 12:31am

I've said it a million times and I'll say it a million more, the tour cast is very good. There have been slight problems, but if you show me a 100% perfect cast that NEVER messes up, then I'll cry...because it doesn't exist.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 12:41am

Hmm, Joanna, I saw Rent and Wicked in Chicago at about the time. I paid $25 for both shows with great seats. I do not recall the Wicked actors looking out into the audience to see if their mother was in the fourth row!

You kids should demand more!

[joanna2]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 7:34am

Hmmm...ok?

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 9:35am

j2, when I saw Rent here in Chicago from the first row I literally noticed the actors ignoring the action of the play to look out into the house. That is riciculous for a major musical tour playing in a prominent Chicago theatre!

Ok?

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 11:27am

Joanna, don't let brdlwyr bait you. His one purpose in life is to criticize the Rent tour. Have a look at his previous posts and you'll see my point.

[Copeman63]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 1:09pm

I worked with Melvin on a cruise ship, and if this post is true, it appears he has improved immensely.

[joanna2]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 7:41pm

Gotcha, erin...I couldn't figure out if he was being sincere or sarcastic...which means the sarcasm wasn't good enough!
But, by the way, brdlwyr, the cast has changed a lot since Chicago.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 12/20/06 at 9:26pm

I have a simple point - Jonathan's Pulitzer Award winning musical deserves better treatment than this crappy non-union tour. I posted after reading that some of the understudies seemed to be unprepared to perform. In that context my point should be well taken.

Erin, I have also posted that if this tour is the ONLY chance for a fan to see the show - then see it. But, I would hesitate to recommend it at $60/seat.

Erin, Happy Holidays! I appreciate and respect your loyalty to Rent!



Updated On: 12/21/06 at 09:26 PM