Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

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Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:26pm

Has anyone seen him?

"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:30pm

Please stop this man from playing one of Adam Pascal's roles ever again. He's talented, and does well in the right roles, but he's not the same kind of performer, and I have no idea how he's ended up in roles that Adam has created twice.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 02:30 PM

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:39pm

Did you see him playing it?

"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:41pm

I didn't think he'd be so bad as Roger. I never saw him, though.

http://www.beintheheights.com/katnicole1 (Please click and help me win!) I chose, and my world was shaken- So what?
The choice may have been mistaken, The choosing was not... "Every day has the potential to be the greatest day of your life." - Lin-Manuel Miranda "And when Idina Menzel is singing, I'm always slightly worried that her teeth are going to jump out of her mouth and chase me." - Schmerg_the_Impaler

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:42pm

I saw him play Radames. There used to be sound clips floating around of him as Roger, and that was enough for me. He doesn't have the vocal timbre for roles that really need the power of a true "rock" voice behind them. He's not a bad singer, or lacking talent, but... it just doesn't work. I thought he was perfectly cast in The Wedding Singer. Totally believable, and just right. It was nice to be able to see him in a role that fit him, after seeing live two missed attempts (AIDA and Hairspray).

For the record, this isn't just a "nobody is as good as Adam!!!" statement; I've seen/heard plenty of other Rogers that were just fine, and there were people who managed to play Radames and live up.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 02:42 PM

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:48pm

Good, and perfectly reasonable explanation.

Did yous ee him as Link also? That I couldn't picture.

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 2:53pm

Yeah, I did. It was... December of 2004, I think. It was a better match than Radames was, but... still kind of... off.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:07pm

"still kind of... off.".

I'd have to say you are the one kind of off here. Richard is an excellent singer, dancer and actor. I saw him in "Aida" and he was the best thing about that show. I've also seen him in "Sound of Music" as Rolf and he was the best of all the Tony Manero's in "Saturday Night Fever" because he can actually dance!

He was also good in "Hairspray'. I noticed he actually played the guitar as well as sang, acted, and danced. He is a very talented man.

"I've lost everything! Luis, Marty, my baby with Chris, Chris himself, James. All I ever wanted was love." --Sheridan Crane "Passions" ------- "Housework is like bad sex. Every time I do it, I swear I'll never do it again til the next time company comes."--"Lulu" from "Can't Stop The Music" ----- "When the right doors didn't open for him, he went through the wrong ones" - "Sweet Bird of Youth" ------------ --------- "Passions" is uncancelled! See NBC.com for more info.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 03:07 PM

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:11pm

I said more than once in this thread alone that I think he is definitely talented. But having talent doesn't make you a perfect fit for every role. I'm not saying he doesn't have a lot of skill in all three; singing, acting and dancing -- I'm saying he's been miscast more than a few times. Nowhere did I say he wasn't good at what he does. I said I didn't like some of his performances. They just didn't work for me. Those are two very, very different things, especially when I'm saying that *despite* disliking those performances, I could still tell he had a lot of talent.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 03:11 PM

#10

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:16pm

By the way, he has played the roles of both Roger and Mark in "Rent".

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

#11

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:17pm

I've not seen Blake live, but just judging by voice alone, I cannot picture him as Roger or Link (and I actually had no idea that he played Radames before reading this thread - I can't picture that, either). Vocally, he certainly seems miscast in those roles, as emcee said.

#12

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:18pm

em is DEFINITELY not the only one to say this about Richard. i for one agree. i've only seen him in Hairspray and Wedding Singer. he is immensely talented, but he doesn't fit as well for Link. for one thing, he's too old for it. he's PERFECT for Glenn though.

::bust a move::

#13

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:18pm

Case in point: I think he's much better suited for Mark than he is for Roger. Being that the roles are so different, I've never understood why they're often covered by the same actor, because it's probably almost impossible to find someone who can give equally good performances as either of the two. More often the case is that someone is wonderful as say, Mark, and just pales as Roger. They don't cross over well, but that's another bone to pick.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 03:18 PM

#14

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:19pm

"I've not seen Blake live..."

How about actually seeing someone perform before posting something like, "Vocally, he certainly seems miscast in those roles, as emcee said.". You couldn't be more wrong.

#15

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:19pm

Tnks for the pics, Richard can REALLY sing, dance and act. He is top notch. Adam is very talented too. Some of my favorite performers.

"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-

#16

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:21pm

I thought he was fine as Link, vocally. That's the kind of stuff that works for him, but the performance, in my opinion, did not work overall. He just didn't summon up that teenaged, puppy-love innocence like he needed to. As far as Radames, vocally, he was sorely miscast. That score is meant for an edgier voice.

Again, he's very talented -- in triplicate, even, but that doesn't mean there aren't things he's not perfect for.

A work of art is an invitation to love.

Updated On: 6/24/06 at 03:21 PM

#17

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:35pm

I saw him as Link and thought he was fine. He filled the role well.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."
To Kill A Mockingbird

#18

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:35pm

I've seen Blake as Radames and Link.

He was definitely a much better Radames than he was Link. When I saw him in Hairspray, he was opposite Shannon Durig and I didn't believe for a second he was in high school. His Radames, however, was much better. I forget who Aida was (he was only a standby), though I think it may have ben Simone. In any case, I definitely preferred him in Aida.

#19

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:37pm

It was probably either Simone or Saycon Sengbloh (Simone's standby, at the time).

A work of art is an invitation to love.

#20

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:38pm

Vocally, I'm sure he was wonderful as Link. He does look a bit too old for the part, though.

#21

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:39pm

I think he looks very young. I don't know.

"People have their opinions and that doesn't mean that their opinions are wrong or right. I just take it with a grain of salt because opinions are like as*holes, everyone has one". -Felicia Finley-

#22

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:40pm

It's not that he looks really old, but too old to be in high school. That's all I meant.

#23

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:44pm

jimnysf - I've heard the man's voice, so I believe I can judge whether or not his voice seems to fit a certain role. And I didn't say that he was wrong, based on his voice, I said he seemed wrong. Get over it.

#24

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 3:54pm

You said you never saw him perform live. Where did you hear his voice? If you are talking about "All About The Green" on "The Wedding Singer" CD, that doesn't show off his singing. I've seen/heard the man sing in many shows, including the National Anthem at a Dodgers game in LA a few years ago, and he is an excellent singer so I say to you again , unless you have actually seen someone perform, your comments have no validity and I will use your own compelling words to close this comment--- "...Get over it. "

#25

re: Richard H. Blake in Rent as Roger.

Posted: 6/24/06 at 4:30pm

I saw him several times as Roger and once as Mark.

Vocally he was fine. Keep in mind that he wasn't Adam's understudy or replacement. He was Norbert's understudy and eventual replacement so from a vocal perspective the quality was closer in terms of tone being less rock/raw and more trained quality.

My biggest complaint about him was more petty and cosmetic than anything. I really hated that late 70s/early 80s bath house moustache he had during his Rent days.

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