Rent Opening- Page 2

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 1:41pm

If it sells out like crazy I suspect they will - personally, I'd love to hear a new cast recording. The old one is... well, not quite to my liking. If this is popular I'm sure it'll transfer to Broadway.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 2:27pm

LOL it wont transfer to Broadway, that's not their intention with this production at all

[ajh]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 2:30pm

While I think and indeed hope that this will be a huge hit I don't think there's any way that it will transfer to Broadway. I would imagine that the whole point of remounting Rent at New World Stages is to recreate the success of Avenue Q and 39 Steps, whereby small-to-medium size B'way successes get a prolonged life by transferring off-B'way and taking advantage of cheaper running costs. I agree with one of the earlier posters that Rent could run and run off-B'way, as it's target youthful audience will be enticed by the less extortionate ticket prices. Personally, I can't wait to see it again.

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 3:50pm

I hope they do make a cast recording, I love the original (and the film soundtrack) but, from what I've heard, the new cast sound incredible.

[benmangini]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 4:27pm

did anyone find the stage door at new world?

[dancingthrulife04]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 10:01pm

Across the courtyard on 49th.

[benmangini]

Posted: 7/15/11 at 11:18pm

anyone know if Ben Sean Corbin Or Morgan signed last night?

[CJ N2N]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 12:17am

How was Ariandra as Mimi? Seeing as everyone who saw her on the non-equity tour said that she was awful...

And are they going to start selling a souvienier (sp?) program? I love those but I don't see one on the "merchandise" section of the website.

And I can see a new cast album coming in the near future. God knows they create everything they can to drain us of our cash...
Updated On: 7/16/11 at 12:17 AM

[LFazin]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 12:40am

CJ N2N, I was just about to ask that! Wondering the same thing about Arianda...

[bwaybri2]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 1:33am

I went on Friday night. A moving rendition - safe.

What I liked: (in no particular order)

Adam as Mark. But it took about 1/2 way into the first act. I don't know the right way to say this but it is a younger Mark, a bit more immature that what I've seen before. But I liked it. Consistent and vocally strong.

Set: functional, the levels worked well, the rotating platforms.

Shortened Christmas. Does anyone know exactly what they cut.

Video: especially Over the Moon and What You Own

Subdued lighting.

Kickass pit especially the bass player in Without You.

The cast as a whole was top notch. Was more character driven than tours and bway DVD that I've seen

The space: works great

What I didn't like

Mimi's singing. She can dance till there is no tomorrow but her singing in Another Day was borderline high school. Really.

The opening 5 minutes. Pace and Delivery etc felt off.

Best of Luck to them. They should be in for a long run.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 1:42am

Why hasn't Shingledecker changed his porn name yet?
I think the new pics look decent,

[pinkyboy]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 9:17am

bwaybri2, are the videos used alot in the piece, or just for certain songs (I think the original had some in the background during the finale)?

And was Adriana better than Hudgens? I should think she is, it's kind of hard not to be (no offence to her, I still have a soft spot for HSM), just wondering?

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 10:07am

pinky, my understanding is that video is used throughout the show. I see it tonight.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 11:39am

Some posts here:
http://www.compulsivebowlers.org/boards/viewtopic.php?t=9159
http://www.compulsivebowlers.org/boards/viewtopic.php?t=9163

[Jane2]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 12:29pm

thanks Lizzy, it was great to read those reviews!

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 1:13pm

One of those reviews marks a very interesting change very early on. Instead of the opening lyric being "December 24th, 9 PM," it's now "December 24th, '91." Rent has finally set its chronology strictly.

[MeggilyWeggily08]

Posted: 7/16/11 at 4:00pm

I saw the show last night and was blown away. Adam Chanler-Berat is fantastic, and brings a lively personality to the role that I haven't seen in a while. I was skeptical about his voice but he sounded great. Matt is pretty good, not my favorite Roger, but not my least favorite. Arianda is a great dancer, as mentioned, and her acting is fine but her voice isn't anything special. Overall it's a strong company, and I loved the set.

[dshnookie]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 2:44am

Minor Spoilers, I guess.

I saw the show tonight from the lotto seats (it's $25 and they draw for 16 seats or 8 pairs, if anyone is interested). I have to say we had the best of the lotto seats, 111 and 112, they're directly in front of the rotating fire escape set piece. Everyone just seemed to be directly in front of us. Having Angel's cape almost brush our faces, seeing Mimi and Roger sing Light My Candle and being able to smell the extinguished match were just perfect, and having Mimi sing Out Tonight directly over our heads and shake the glitter out of her hair, while swinging from the set piece was thrilling - and scary! God forbid anyone were to slip they'd land directly on top of you.

The set reminded me a great deal of Next To Normal's set, skeletal wrought iron with many steps (or ladder rungs in this case) that worked really well and really allowed the characters to be the true focal points and flourish within the space. I liked the new costumes very much and I think it was needed to make it fresh (if you prefer the old ones, watch the DVD) :) Though seeing Mark with a skullie hat for a good portion of Act 1 with a bit of his hair poking out in the front was a funny look, and I missed the glasses.

I thought Roger and Mimi were gorgeous, and I really had no gripes on her singing voice. Roger was very strong too, though at times he'd sing parts of songs in a whisper-like tone which was pretty but I felt he could've given some of the lyrics real punch if he sang them more boldly. Collins and Angel were fantastic, Mark was really great too and you just cant help but love his voice.

I will say that Annaleigh's Maureen was a bit of a let down. I thought her Over the Moon was slightly too sexual, and she would do a lot of quirky things in that song and in other parts of the show that felt very inauthentic and not in line with the character, and did them more so for comic relief. Joanne was adequate but didn't necessarily wow me or leave me with an impression, so with both of them leading "Take Me Or Leave Me" which is such a great number, it just fell flat and having them run around the stage and climb on ladder rungs for no real reason just felt really forced and uninspired.

The only other two little things that I miss are Maureen's blinding motorcycle light just before Over The Moon, which is still there but in another form (more like a fast moving spotlight) and the staging of Without You with the three tables side-by-side. They staged it so there was a couple on each end of the stage and one in the middle, and I think being so close I only focused on Mimi/Roger and Angel/Collins and completely forgot about Maureen/Joanne. It wasn't until the end of the song that I remembered they're part of this and forcibly looked to stage right and they were hugging. I also don't recall the answering machine bits being sung with a filter over the reciting/singing to make them sound more like a voicemail message. I much preferred the natural voice with only the answering machine sound directly before to prompt the audience (which remains intact). Contact seemed more coherent and fit much better within the show than its original incarnation. I really loved the new choice of having Angel appear in his street clothes as we first see him with his bucket staring off into the sky, perched above the rest of the cast as they sing the I'll Cover You (Reprise) in line formation. BEAUTIFUL!

It's really in fantastic shape and I can only see it getting better. The audience was really receptive, even at the start giving the cast just a rousing applause and an almost immediate standing ovation at the end. At times the audience was so receptive, it didn't even feel like a new production was being mounted, but like some sort of one-night-only benefit concert.

I don't usually write reviews on here, but there it is. Go see the show!


Updated On: 7/17/11 at 02:44 AM

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 9:50am

dshnookie, how crowded was the lottery?

I went Friday, really enjoyed it and will definitely go again. The audience was very receptive as well, including one female who felt the need to scream, hoot during some of the performances. It was not only annoying to those around that person, but it was distracting to the cast members. I am all for cheering and applauding the performances, but there is appropriate time for it, like when the number or performance is ended (as for some entrances).

[michellek45]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 12:14pm

I saw the matinee yesterday, and I will definitely go see this again. This is coming from someone who has never been a huge RENT fan, and normally downright hates Act II. However, I found this cast to be really engaging and most of them were perfectly cast.

Mark really stood out, and I loved this portrayal of him. He really embodied the character. I know a lot of people on this board don't like Arianda Fernandez, but I thought that her Mimi was wonderful, and, like Adam Chanler-Berat, she really became the character. Her singing voice is nothing special, and definitely wouldn't be fit for another Broadway show, but for this show and this character, it's great.

Collins and Joanne were both good, but I didn't think they really brought anything new or overly special to their roles. Collins was at his best whenever he was with Angel, and Joanne was at hers when she was playing off Mark.

Angel was perfect, and his death/"I Cover You (Reprise)" was really well done. I think he had some of the best costumes, too.

I feel like people's opinions of Matt Shingledecker and Annaleigh Ashford with vary greatly, simply because they played their characters very differently than you're used to seeing them. Shingledecker's Roger was much more of a sad character than an angry character for most of the show, which made his real anger in Act II much more powerful. I also liked how he mixed his "rock" voice and his "Broadway" voice appropriately. Ashford's Maureen was also a far cry from other interpretations of Maureen, but I found it fresh and very humorous. Her Maureen definitely falls into a more comedic, bubbly character as oppose to the slightly more tough character she usually is. I really liked her as Maureen, though I can see why some people (especially purists) would be disappointed.

However, even if you don't like that portrayal, it's still worth seeing the production.

[SLeo]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 12:47pm

I want to hear more about the set!

[Luv2goToShows]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 2:31pm

(((SPOILER if you never saw Rent))

For those who saw both this and the original, Was scene after Angel died the same, specifically the way the body was handled. I do not remember it being that way, actually do not remember much of that scene because I was crying my eyes out. Anyway just wondering.

I think Annaleigh Ashford was trying to take her Maureen over the (Top of the) Moon in that number. LOL! A bit quirky, but I thought it worked, not sure about what she was wearing during that number, but I guess it worked too. LOL!

[ReggieonBway]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 4:23pm

I actually adored Annaleigh in the role. I've never understood why Mark and Joanne were both so in love with Maureen (other than her sex appeal) and I thought Annaleigh brought a perfect blend of sexuality and adorability to the role - it really explained why Mark was so into her.

Adam made for a fantastic Mark. Truly, truly, truly fantastic. I saw Anthony Rapp in the role a few years back, and his performance was essentially the straight man, but Adam took Mark a step further.

As for the comments regarding Matt as Roger - I thought he was fantastic. I liked the mix of rock and traditional Broadway in his voice, and I thought his Roger had more development and depth than that of Adam Pascal's.

For my money, it's the best rendition of RENT that I've seen onstage, and I've seen it both at the Hollywood Bowl and on Broadway - not to mention that I played Roger about two months ago. It was a much fresher rendition of the show, much newer and even a tad sexier :) I'd recommend it to anyone, even people who don't care for RENT. (my girlfriend was in this group, and she left the show with a smile on her face. She still doesn't much care for the source material, but she adored this particular production)

[Dominic2]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 6:24pm

I plan to see it sometime this week and I would like to hear how the actors play collins joanne angel and benny did

[dshnookie]

Posted: 7/17/11 at 8:18pm

Luv2goToShows, about 60-70 people.