Rent: Remixed (London) - My review (a bit long)

[turquoisefish]

Posted: 11/4/07 at 5:33am

After some soul searching I decided to see Rent this afternoon (4PM) having never seen the show on stage before (I love the film and OBC recording)
I got to the theatre to pick up my ticket and saw a big list of cast substitutions which made me worried more. Jay Webb (Angel) and Luke Evans (Roger) were not appearing and understudies were to play Roger and Benny with Craig Stein (normally Benny) playing Angel, interesting.

The set was simple, which I think worked well, with only a few pieces of set used. I didn't like the LED screen, I don't think it added anything and was a little distracting at times. The music was simplified and it was interesting hearing orchestrations that are very similar to the original next to the new remixed versions. I am not against the remixed versions but some seemed to change direction very suddenly, such as when a different character sings. The sound was also very loud, too loud in my opinion.

I will review the actors, even though from the extended rehersals I guess it was the first performance in the role for at least one of the understudies. I also had the preconception from the film that Joanne, Benny and Collins are black, Mimi is South American and Angel is a drag-queen. The races of the actors differed for the roles mentioned (some due to understudies) and whether Angel is a drag queen is unclear. I tried to ignore this but I am so used to the original Broadway Cast. The reviews kind of cover the Character as well as the actor in some places.

Oliver Thornton (Mark) was good as the posh, private school educated, rebel which is what I think they were going for. He seemed to fit that vision of the role, and it makes sense that he has nice expensive clothes, he has kept them but can't afford to replace them. Oliver sang well and acted well and was very believable.

Antony Luperi (Roger) seemed most unsure in the role, he is listed as second understudy so not sure if he has performed before. The role is much the same as in the original version and Antony did well and i only noticed a couple of missed lines, those lines might not be there any more though (it's a bit confusing). A good singer and will be great in the role with a bit more practice.

Leon Lopex (Collins) was very good, acted the role as I expected and performed well, very emotional when needed.

Jamie Sampson (Benny) was different to what I expected, but really fitted the part and looked like an estate agent.

Francesca Jackson (Joanne) was again different to what I expected, she was amazing. Sang excellently and acted well - just like Joanne.

Craig Stein (Angel) was performing the role instead of his usual Benny, and was great - his voice maybe didn't fit Angel as I know the character but he danced excellently and I felt the emotion with Leon as Collins. Some of the costume choice were odd, one made him look like a super gay American Football player.

Siobhan Donaghy (Mimi) sang the part well and her acting was OK but something just didn't seem right. She wasn't as bad as I feared from other reviews but I didn't believe she was a junkie.

Denise Van Outen (Maureen) was amazing, she just seemed like she was having a great time in the role and although over the moon seems a bit long the audience interaction worked and was fun. She really got the carefree fun loving Maureen, that I expected, across well.

The ensemble were great though the direction was a bit mixed, sometimes they were sitting at the side like in Chicago and sometimes not.

This review is stretching a bit but the main thing I would say about Rent: remixed it that it seems confused, Is it set in New York? does Mimi have Spanish heritage? is Angel a drag queen?

I would recommend seeing Rent: remixed - it is a good show and If you had never experienced rent you wouldn't know there were major changes, you would just think it had an eclectic mix of music.
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The trouble with schools is they always teach the wrong lesson
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