Rent Tour (Chicago) and Wicked Chicago Reviews!

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:33pm

By the way anyone who cares, my Dad is fine now and is actually at home. Anyways these were my first time seeing both of these so shut-up and listen!

Wicked:

Kristy Cates (Elphaba): I've been looking forward to seeing her for a long time and I thought she was great. I think the only thing I was partially dissapointed on was the last note of Defying Gravity she just sang it like Idina Menzel (people usually play around with that note right?) Other than that she did a great job and I already want to go back and see her again.

Stacie Morgain Lewis (G(a)linda): Sadly Stacie is a completly other story. I was hoping she'd actually be out and I'd get Sarah but sadly she's back. The first thing I noticed was she faked all of her high notes (execpt for the last "today" of Thank Goodness for some reason), I really don't know how to explain it so I hope some of you who've seen her before understand. The other thing was during Popular, she was WAY too perky, I could barely tell it was the same song since she was doing a bunch of strange things with her voice. By the end I think she was good enough, but I hope not all Glinda's are like her.

Rest of Cast: The rest of the cast sounded great, in fact most sounded just like the OBC. The only difference I noticed was that the Ensemble sounded softer, but I'm sure that's just because I'm comparing a live show to a CD.

The Chicago Wicked cast is very good at the moment (other than Stacie) so if you can't make it to New York check it out in Chicago.

Rent:

Bryce Ryness (Roger): Did a great job sounded a lot like Adam Pascal except maybe a little angrier.

Jed Resnick (Mark): Again did a great job and sounded a lot like Anthony Rapp.

Warren G. Nolan, Jr. (Collins): Had a great voice and sounded like Collins should sound.

Micheal Ifill (Benny): There's not too much to this part, but whenever he sang he had a good voice.

Chante Carmel Frierson (Joanne): My favorite part of the show. She had a great voice and IMO sounded a lot better than Fredi.

Ano Okera (Angel): He was ok but I thought his voice was a little too low for the part, something about him didn't seem right. Plus my cousin couldn't tell if he was a guy or girl.

Arianda Fernandez (Mimi): The worst part of the show by far. Her voice started moving up and down when she said "No Day But Today" in Another Day and the people behind me said she sounded like Dr. Dillamond (which was pretty much true). During Out Tonight she would try and do a bunch of kicks and stuff that would end up messing with her voice, and by the end of the song she seemed tired out and unable to sing well. She wasn't really unbearable but she was definetly mediocre.

Tracy McDowell (Maureen): She did a good job. I thought that I was either going to get a Maureen with a good personality but bad voice, or a good voice but bad personaity but luckily she had a good balance of both.

I enjoyed Rent and now think the stage version is much better than the movie, and most of the tour cast is good so if it comes near you it's definetly worth seeing.

I know everyone's probably tired of Rent and Wicked reviews, so thanks for reading if you got this far!
Updated On: 4/7/06 at 03:33 PM

[mortgageguy79]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:41pm

Thanks for the reviews! I love Kristy SO much! I really hope she gets a shot at Elphaba in NY, I would for sure get back to the Gershwin to see it if she was rockin' out up there!

Sorry to hear about Mimi in Rent...she is always such a highlight...

Very happy to hear about your Dad!

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 3:55pm

Yeah I actually went to the stage door at Rent and Mimi and Angel were the only ones who actually came up to me without me asking first, so of course I lied and said they were great and they hugged me and started rubbing my cousins stomach (she's pregnant).

I wasn't able to go to the Wicked stage door because we were the first one's out of the theater since we were in the last row of the orch. So no one was at the stage door yet so I wasn't going to force my pregnant cousin to walk down a dark alley with me alone.

But the Rent stage door was actually my first stage door experience.

[mortgageguy79]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:08pm

That's fun! I love it when you wait by the stage door and the people you don't want to see are the ones that are right up their ready for you! HA! That happened to me after Sweeny Todd, I wanted to meet Mano SO bad and the only person who came out was Mark Jacoby...who I have met several times...I was a little bummed.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:13pm

Yeah I was at a matinee so Joanne (who I wanted to see the most!) and Mark didn't even come out. I also missed Roger and Maureen, Maureen because she just kinda was standing there when I arrived with no people around her so I had no clue if she was actually Maureen or not, I think I missed Roger because of Mimi and Angel.

Either way the theatre was very empty and there were many empty rows in the back and empty seats right in front of me (which is a good thing since the Cadillac theatre is pretty flat). We had Row M but I had no intention of moving up any farther because of this.

EDIT: I did also noticed a mess up on stage (which I was actually looking for in both shows). When Maureen did her protest rather than echoing during "virtual life" it started echoing during "with lies" which sounded really wierd. Also was anyone else blinded by Maureen's motorcycle light? I could barely see during the protest because of it.

Updated On: 4/7/06 at 04:13 PM

[mortgageguy79]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 4:20pm

I am not a huge fan of the Cadillac, I saw Swan Lake there when I was home a little while back and that theater is VERY flat.

[renthead333]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:06pm

im seeing in wicked in chicago in may. how was carole shelly? and i think glinda is a harder part to play than elphaba.. no offense i love them both! but do u think stacie will get better???
Updated On: 4/7/06 at 05:06 PM

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:14pm

I don't think Carole Shelly is in yet is she? Anyways the Madame Morrible I saw was good anyways, sounded a lot like the CD.

I really don't think Stacie will get better since she's been in since January. Either way even though I didn't enjoy her my cousin did although she had also never heard any of the songs before. Either way it was still enjoyable even if I did dislike Stacie.

[lovepuppy]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:29pm

Rondi Reed plays Chicago's Madame Morrible. I haven't seen the show yet, but she's been a Chicago theatre staple for years. Good stuff.

[mortgageguy79]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:36pm

Rondi Reed is FANTASTIC in the show! I have loved her for a long time...one of Steppenwolf's finest!

[Dancinqueen123]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 5:55pm

Thanks for the Wicked review. I might go see it sometime soon. I also really wanted to see the Rent tour, but I probably won't be able too.

[Mirama]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:02pm

"I really don't think Stacie will get better since she's been in since January."

Please bear in mind that some of us don't think she needs to get better. Believe it or not, some of us actually love her Glinda.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:05pm

"Either way even though I didn't enjoy her my cousin did"

Please keep in mind that I already addresed that , so next time you try and bash my opinion please read all of my posts.
Updated On: 4/7/06 at 06:05 PM

[Mirama]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:15pm

When I am bashing, you will know it. I was merely trying to give another opinon. That's all. You have every right to your opinion, I never said otherwise.

[ifuweregay93]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:22pm

iv been to the cadilac like 5 TIMES lol probally going again for spamalot

[renthead333]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 6:59pm

WOO HOO! GO MIRAMA! AND GO STACIE!

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 4/7/06 at 7:01pm

Didn't you just ask me if Stacie would get better? Why would you be cheering for her if you haven't even seen her yet?