Rent Tour (Chicago) Oh My!- Page 5

[sheila2]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 11:32pm

No worries, brdlwyr. Just don't like it when people seem to be losing sight of the forest for the trees. A little perspective is a good thing- theater is supposed to be fun!

it's all good!

[Over_the_Moon]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 11:44pm

Just saw it today.

Was not pleased.

Mark was good. Roger was okay, but as someone mentioned earlier, bland. Mimi annoyed me. Her Out Tonight was horrible. (Did they make the dance less elaborate?) By the end of the show, she sounded like a man.
Angel, not much better. He/she wasn't cute, endearing, or very talented.
I really enjoyed Joanne and Maureen. Take Me or Leave Me was the best part of the show. Collins was quite good as well.
The harmonies on "Life Support" were off. "Seasons of Love" made me cry a little, and not in a good way.
And what was with all the tech problems? Mics cutting out or buzzing, etc etc?
Overall, a somewhat enjoyable mess.

[jeremykushnier1fan]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 11:52pm

I'm pretty sure this will be the cast I paid $57 for in Toronto too. Oh well, I would have felt sick if I didn't go.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 4/15/06 at 11:55pm

JK, I saw JK on Broadway! I think my seat was $50.00!

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 4/16/06 at 2:35am

OK, I just saw it tonight in Chicago, the last night for this leg. In general: Warren Nolan ROCKED as Collins. Fabulous voice and he had me tearing up at the word go when he began his "I'll Cover You" reprise. My friends didn't like his look (a bit husky, glasses, lots of braids) and preferred Jesse Martin, but I think this kid's going to go far regardless. He's got the voice, chops, range of emotion (admittedly a bit still in development, but still...), and technique. It is a very difficult thing to sound awesome while you're crying and simultaneously singing in full voice.

Tracy McDowell was adorable as Maureen: great, strong voice, and made cute, unexpected physical comedy moves. She does, after all, play a hammy performance artist, and the part suits her. Joanne had a strong voice and good comic timing, she was fabulous. Someone said a bit further up the thread that "TMOLM" was the best part of the show, but I disagree. I LOVE that song, but something was off while they were singing it together. They both have fabulous voices, they meshed well together, yet...I don't know, perhaps it was even my angle from the audience...sitting far left in the Loge. They were moving, but it seemed stilted...as if some urgency was missing.

Jed as Mark--great! He's the narrator, the glue, and pulls it off with the artsy, nebishy, cynical authority that Anthony brought to the role. Someone described him as an Anthony (Rapp) clone and that's pretty close, in a good way! Great voice, good control, good comic timing on a appropriate lines. Bryce as Roger had moments of fabulousness, alternately with some really flat scenes. He started out the show all mopy, but wasn't quite angry enough, then once he got around to singing "Goodbye Love" and "What You Own" he almost was too angry that it was jarring, since he had been so mopey, then lovey-dovey, then aloof for a while, leading up to that point. I guess...he's such a complex character with so many emotions running through him at each moment, yet we only see one at a time. Great singer, maybe needs training as a better actor?

But then again, he had to act against Ms. Fernandez as Mimi, and the two of them had alternating moments of chemistry and... weirdness. He got a big laugh with his "best ass below 14th St." exchange with her. A lot has been said about this particular Mimi...and I'd agree, she didn't seem up for the role. She's beautiful, fabulous body, moves well, good dancer, yet she kept switching from head to chest voice, and back again, and didn't blend well. People have said on here that she's been ill or had 'throat problems,' to which my response was, after seeing it tonight: if she's sick, why didn't they put her understudy on for a few nights and let her rest? And maybe get a better vocal coach. "Out Tonight" was her big number, and was blah. She compensated as best she could with her dancing, but it certainly wasn't as impactful as it could have been. By the end of the show she was making stilted, weird movements, just walking across the stage when she was slowly, sickly, chasing after Roger as he's preparing to move away. For someone who moved well, it struck me odd, and her voice was all over the place and was distracting. I'm sorry to say that, but that's what I saw. It's too big a role to mess with casting a person who doesn't have the chops.

Lastly, people didn't like Angel on here, but I liked him! He sounded breathy in "Today 4U," but he sounded breathy through the rest of the show when he wasn't dancing around in heels, and I accepted his voice and what he brought to the role. He made some cute comic moves and got some laughs in unexpected spots, and this particular production needed it! So I believe he'll still go far, if he wants to: he's got the bod, he moves well, he seems charming and cute, can sing, and showed he was actually *thinking* about how to deepen his character and contribute to the production, despite some flaws in the overall energy.

I did like "Tango Maureen," and "La Vie Boheme," and even "Light My Candle" had some nice moments. And the guys who play Steve and Gordon in Life Support had gorgeous voices.

Overall, I am a "RENT" fan, and teared up a few times courtesy of the music itself, so I'm glad I saw it. But ultimately the flaws are the director's fault, in my opinion, so whoever is handling that on this tour needs to do some major tweaking. "No day but today" indeed!

Updated On: 4/16/06 at 02:35 AM

[Faith2]

Posted: 4/16/06 at 7:12am

It's all so subjective, isn't it?!

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 4/16/06 at 12:49pm

Well, yeah, guess so! :) Don't get me wrong--Angel wasn't the scene-stealer he could have been, but I just appreciated what he had to offer and he did get huge applause after his number. It is a challenge for whoever does it, so--good for him. If I could identify a scene-stealer, comparatively speaking, of course, and all things being what they are on this tour, it would have had to be Maureen.

And, oh yeah--the SOL soloist ROCKED except she didn't do the high note. A strong singer though and was definitely a standout. The voicemail with all the mothers calling worked well vocally but was the one place I thought the lighting was weird. Anyway...afterthoughts but there ya go.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 4/16/06 at 10:27pm

Jed does not in any way reflect Anthony Rapp's portrayal of Mark other than false imitation!

[RENTingFAME]

Posted: 4/16/06 at 10:37pm

I saw it twice - on the 5th and the 12th. There was an understudy for Roger on the 12th and he absolutely murdered OSG... I was not happy. Mim was definitely not awesome, which made me sad. I liked Angel, Collins, and Maureen. Joanne was fine, just a bit more feminine-sounding than I'm used to. Mark was okay. Just okay. Still, I let myself get lost in the singing, which I thought was fine.

[RENThead414]

Posted: 4/17/06 at 12:00am

"Mark was okay. Just okay." I agree. The more I think about him, the more I just....eh....

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 4/17/06 at 10:07pm

I saw the "load out" tonight behind the Palace on Wells.

Now the seats are all empty
Let the roadies take the stage
Pack it up and tear it down
They’re the first to come and last to leave
Working for that minimum wage

[JACKSON]

Posted: 4/17/06 at 10:31pm

I saw the load out as well. In Chicago working. Ordering room service and wondering what show will I see tomorrow nght.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 4/17/06 at 10:34pm

It is such a great song!