Rent 11/19 matinee review
Rent 11/19 matinee review
Rent 11/19 matinee review#1
Posted: 11/19/06 at 8:53pm
I know Rent reviews have been done to death, but this was my first time seeing Maggie and Jamie Lee so I felt the need to write something.
First off, moments before the show started, some guy stood up and said, "Today is this girl's fifteenth birthday and she didn't believe that everyone here would sing to her so her name is Emma and . . . one two three" and everyone in the theater sang happy birthday. Then everyone went back to their own conversations like nothing had happened. Thought it was funny.
Anyway, on to the show.
I only saw Tim once before and it was early in his run. I have to say that while I didn't hate him then, I didn't love him either. Now I do. I feel like he has grown into the role and toned it down just enough that he is no longer screaming out every song. Much more believeable. Really enjoyed him.
Christopher. I really hope he doesn't leave for a while yet. He is such a good Mark . . . love everything about him. I had only seen him once before as well and it was when Tim was out. Was nice to see them together . . . they seem to work really well together and sound good together.
MRF: How could anyone not like him? His ICU:R is absolutely amazing. So emotional. And he had really good chemistry with Justin. They were cute together.
As long as we're talking about Justin...he is just amazing. Period. Nothing else to add.
This was my second time seeing Nicole and while I think she has grown into the role, she seemed to be coming down with something as her voice was a little rough in some spots, especially during TMOLM. Sad news: she will only be in the show for two more weeks. I believe she said that she was not offered a renewal. Last show for her will be Dec. 5. 
Jamie. I think the only song of hers I didn't really like was Out Tonight. Nothing specific that she did or didn't do, that song just didn't do it for me. She was, otherwise, very good, although I still prefer Karmine. Glad I got to see her though. Hope she stays a while.
Maggie is hilarious as Maureen. Not much more to add to that. If you haven't seen her you should.
Andy is the funniest waiter I think I have ever seen.
The rest of the cast was good...Frenchie blew the roof off with her solo once again, Haven kept everyone laughing, Marcus is amazing as always, Luther is the best drug dealer out there, D'Monroe is D'Monroe. Mayumi is always great. And Shaun is Shaun. He's kind of there in the background doing his thing.
I think that is about it. And this has gotten longer than I meant it to so I will end it at that. Not a great review I'm sure but there it is!
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#1
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:04pmGlad you enjoyed it. Was Maggie one of the blonde Maureens? I think I've only seen a couple of brunettes besides Idina (well I didn't see Idina but you know), Ava Gaudet comes to mind.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/16/06
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#2
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:08pm
I saw Ava when the tour came to Portland, Maine in '05! She's an excellent Maureen.
I haven't seen this cast, though.
"Yes, the brutalities of progress are called revolutions. When they are over, men recognize that the human race has been harshly treated but it has moved forward." - Les Miserables
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/05
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#3
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:09pm
Caren Lyn Manuel was also brunette! 
or black haired, whatever
anyways, great review, NJRae. Glad to hear Tim toned it down a bit :) i didnt think he was bad at all when i saw him, but thats good to hear not as much yelling!
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#4
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:43pm
Yes, Maggie is a blonde. And while she is hilarious, I do think that Ava is still my favorite Maureen. Maggie was great and funny and has a gorgeous voice, but part of me still missed seeing Ava.
I did not dislike Tim the first time I saw him, but I certainly did not love him, either. Loved him to death today. Its amazing. When he stops screaming he actually has a gorgeous singing voice! lol
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/29/04
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#5
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:46pmCaren was a swing first. She wasn't cast as Maureen. There have been Maureens of every possible hair color. Brunettes: Idina, Ava, Maggie and Cristina before their hair was dyed, Tamara Podemski. Blondes: Kelly Karbacz, Leigh Hetherington, Michelle Smith, Sherie Rene Scott. Redheads: Jen Aubry, Erin Keaney. And that's only about half of the Maureens over the years. :)
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#6
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:46pm
Luther's back? I thought Jay would be there until the 26th...
I'm not suprised that Nicole wasn't asked to renew. I love her though and I will be sad to see her go.
Updated On: 11/19/06 at 09:46 PM
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#7
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:51pmI wish I had gotten to see Sherie and Norbert in Rent.
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#8
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:54pm
You made me do a double take but yeah, it is Luther's name in the playbill and I am as sure as I can be that it was him I saw. I have been known to be wrong though so anyone can feel free to correct me.
I have to say that I am not shocked that Nicole is not being asked to renew. I like her and think that she is an okay Joanne, but do you renew someone who is only okay? Although the first time I saw her she was fairly new to the role and today she seemed to be coming down with something, so maybe I have not seen her at her best. I don't know. I do know that she is about as nice as nice can be though.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/29/04
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#9
Posted: 11/19/06 at 9:58pmLuther's only out for a few weeks. They wouldn't have changed the playbill. As of last night, Jay was staying til the 26th. So it's likely that it was Jay that you saw.
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#10
Posted: 11/19/06 at 10:19pm
Huh. You know, there was an insert saying that Jay had joined the company but it did not say who he was playing so I just figured it was the standard "we have someone new in the cast" insert. And I did glance at the board on the way in, but didn't look that far down the list.
Well then, Jay was very good! :)
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#11
Posted: 11/19/06 at 10:51pmtill this day ... I still think Butz kicked pascals @ss as Roger.
Joined: 12/31/69
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#12
Posted: 11/19/06 at 11:55pm
I saw Rent from the lotto seats tonight. The cast tonight was almost identical to the cast I saw a month or so ago, other than Maggie Benjamin and Mark Richard Ford. I saw Haven last time and loved her, but Maggie did not do it for me at all. "Over the Moon" was painful; I rolled my eyes at the number of times she returned to the awkward "yoga pose" in an attempt to get laughs. She was too ditzy and too "out there" - I felt like she took all of Maureen's bad personality traits to an extreme.
Ford neither blew me away nor disappointed me. His "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" was miles better than Destan's, but I didn't feel as if he was a standout in any way. In all honesty, he looks far too old for the role, but it probably didn't help that we were viewing it from front row center.
It was also Andy Senor's last show. As NJRae said, he's a hilarious waiter and a great cast member all around.
Updated On: 11/20/06 at 11:55 PM
Understudy Joined: 5/16/06
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#13
Posted: 11/20/06 at 12:18am
In all my times seeing MRF as Collins, his age never really bothered me. But, Tim's older appearance does. I don't know why I feel that way, but it just nags at me whenever I see the show.
I wish the producers would make Jay full time Roger.
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#14
Posted: 11/20/06 at 6:08am
Oh. So that explains the cake that those fans were walking with all day. Hmm.
I wish Justin could have taken the day off or something. I've never seen Andy as Angel live.
Wanting life but never knowing how
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#15
Posted: 11/20/06 at 8:41am
I love Justin but I also would have liked to see Andy's Angel. Oh well.
I have to say, MRF did not stand out for me either until after Angel died. I didn't dislike him but until his ICU reprise he was just sort of there. I mean, he had good chemistry with Justin and was better than Destan, but there wasn't anything special about him until he got to sing solo. In my opinion anyway!
And as far as Maggie goes...I did think she was over the top but I found her funny anyway. Maybe I am easily amused, lol. But like I said, watching her I did miss Ava, soooo . . .
I didn't see the people with the birthday cake but I did sing happy birthday along with most of the audience. It was really odd. But funny.
re: Rent 11/19 matinee review#16
Posted: 11/20/06 at 10:20am
Thanks for the review.
I saw the show about a month ago and I do agree with what you said. I saw Haven and while she blew the roof off the theater with Take Me Or Leave Me, her Over The Moon left much to be desired. I have not seen Maggie live but the bootlegs I have seen are not very thrilling, IMO.
I thought Nicole Lewis was good, not great, the weakest out of the three I've seen (but, I did see Natalie Venetia Belcon and Merle Dandridge so I have high expectations). I am not surprised she is leaving.
Andy Senor was the first Angel I saw, back in 2001 and he was excellent. Unlike Justin Johnson he could sustain his voice, acting, and dancing throughout the whole show.
Broadway Star Joined: 2/27/06
How was the sound?#17
Posted: 11/20/06 at 10:33am
I saw "Rent" a couple of years ago with my cousins from out of town. I didn't know the show at all at the time, and I thought the sound quality was terrible. I couldn't understand 9/10ths of the lyrics, and songs like "Out Tonight" were just completely unintelligible.
Fortunately, I loved the show enough to go out and get the cast album and memorize it 
I'm planning to take my son to see it soon and was just wondering if there have been any improvements made to the sound quality since my first visit. Of course, I know all of the songs by heart now, and so does he, so we won't be in the same boat, but I'm hoping it's been improved so newbies will be able to understand what's going on.
Karen
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