#1
Posted: 8/31/08 at 1:07pm
Okay, I know many people on this board cannot stand RENT - but, just leave me be and let me post my review. I have seen the show many, many times (too many to list). I have seen it with almost every cast. The last time I saw the show was last August with Anthony/Adam/Tamyra. I thought that would be it for me, but I felt it was important to see it one last time before it closed. With that said, here is my review (be warned, it ain't pretty).
It is TIME for the show to close; I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. It just seemed so dated and the cast seemed soooo old. I think Adam Kantor as Mark was the only one close to being the right age.
The cast:
Will Chase as Roger was outstanding. Although he looks way too old, he sang the sh*T out of the songs. He brought such energy to the role and I really liked his performance.
Adam Cantor as Mark. Yikes! He was really, really bad. I actually cringed a few times during his performance. He was okay with the acting, but his singing was terrible. I was really, really upset with the performance. Mark is the glue that holds the show together and well, let's just say, things were falling apart.
Michael Mc Elroy as Collins. I had seen Michael many times as Collins back in the day ('97-99) and I always thought he was good. However, he is too old for the part. By the middle of "Santa Fe," he was out of breath. He also just "phoned" in the performance. I always get emotional during the "I'll Cover You' reprise and it didn't happen for me. He sang it with no emotion.
Eden Espinosa as Maureen. I really loved her. I am not an Eden fan but I really thought she was great. Great job with the acting and awesome job with the singing. She was probably my favorite member of the cast.
Tracie Thoms as Joanne. No feeling either way. She wasn't bad and she wasn't good. She was "just" okay. I thought she would have been better then she was - but she wasn't horrible.
Justin Johnston as Angel was fine. I have seen him play the role several times and he is always consistent. He has good comic timing but I always feel that his singing is all over the place. But, I did find myself feeling for the character during the show.
Rodney Hicks as Benny was HORRIBLE! He cannot sing the role and he looked terrible. I LOVED him in the OBC and was really excited to see him play Benny - YIKES - it was SOOO painful to watch.
Renee Goldsberry as Mimi was boring. She was an over-the-top actress during all of her scenes. She was TERRIBLE in "Out Tonight." She never sang the "t" in OUT during the whole song, it was odd. She was very good during "Without You" and "Light My Candle". She also had ZERO chemistry with Will.
Gwen Stewart as soloist #1. She sang the "CR*P" out of Seasons of Love. I LOVE HER. I loved her when she played Joanne in '97-98. I was lucky enough to win a silent auction and dined with Gwen and Kristen Lee Kelly (she was Maureen). Gwen is down to earth and a really nice person. Her performance in RENT was great - although she is clearly too old to be part of the cast, she was still amazing.
The rest of the group was fine. There just seemed to be no energy from anybody. It was a bit depressing at times.
Am I glad I went to see the show? No, not really. I had better memories last August. I am sad that the show has taken such a turn and I am upset that this cast will be the one millions of people will see perform Mr. Larson's amazing piece for the last time.
Again, this is just my opinion and I am sure I will get a lot of grief for writing this.
It is TIME for the show to close; I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. It just seemed so dated and the cast seemed soooo old. I think Adam Kantor as Mark was the only one close to being the right age.
The cast:
Will Chase as Roger was outstanding. Although he looks way too old, he sang the sh*T out of the songs. He brought such energy to the role and I really liked his performance.
Adam Cantor as Mark. Yikes! He was really, really bad. I actually cringed a few times during his performance. He was okay with the acting, but his singing was terrible. I was really, really upset with the performance. Mark is the glue that holds the show together and well, let's just say, things were falling apart.
Michael Mc Elroy as Collins. I had seen Michael many times as Collins back in the day ('97-99) and I always thought he was good. However, he is too old for the part. By the middle of "Santa Fe," he was out of breath. He also just "phoned" in the performance. I always get emotional during the "I'll Cover You' reprise and it didn't happen for me. He sang it with no emotion.
Eden Espinosa as Maureen. I really loved her. I am not an Eden fan but I really thought she was great. Great job with the acting and awesome job with the singing. She was probably my favorite member of the cast.
Tracie Thoms as Joanne. No feeling either way. She wasn't bad and she wasn't good. She was "just" okay. I thought she would have been better then she was - but she wasn't horrible.
Justin Johnston as Angel was fine. I have seen him play the role several times and he is always consistent. He has good comic timing but I always feel that his singing is all over the place. But, I did find myself feeling for the character during the show.
Rodney Hicks as Benny was HORRIBLE! He cannot sing the role and he looked terrible. I LOVED him in the OBC and was really excited to see him play Benny - YIKES - it was SOOO painful to watch.
Renee Goldsberry as Mimi was boring. She was an over-the-top actress during all of her scenes. She was TERRIBLE in "Out Tonight." She never sang the "t" in OUT during the whole song, it was odd. She was very good during "Without You" and "Light My Candle". She also had ZERO chemistry with Will.
Gwen Stewart as soloist #1. She sang the "CR*P" out of Seasons of Love. I LOVE HER. I loved her when she played Joanne in '97-98. I was lucky enough to win a silent auction and dined with Gwen and Kristen Lee Kelly (she was Maureen). Gwen is down to earth and a really nice person. Her performance in RENT was great - although she is clearly too old to be part of the cast, she was still amazing.
The rest of the group was fine. There just seemed to be no energy from anybody. It was a bit depressing at times.
Am I glad I went to see the show? No, not really. I had better memories last August. I am sad that the show has taken such a turn and I am upset that this cast will be the one millions of people will see perform Mr. Larson's amazing piece for the last time.
Again, this is just my opinion and I am sure I will get a lot of grief for writing this.
Updated On: 8/31/08 at 01:07 PM
