Sherie Rene Scott as Maureen- Page 3

[rican732]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:21am

Whp's Spiteful now ajayspak2. WOW. What did she ever do to you? INCREDIBLE. I'm telling you be very careful what you say on these boards, very careful.

[Patronus]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:27am

I didn't care for Sherie's take on Maureen at all. For me, it had nothing to do with the fact that she wasn't Idina.

In short, Sherie's interpretation of the role bothered me. Maureen is a goon. She's hammy, absurd and at times borders on insane. However, the most important character trait for any Maureen in my opinion is that she never realizes that she is hammy, absurd or borderline insane. Maureen has to believe in herself and take herself 100% seriously in order for the character to work.

Sherie played the role somewhat tongue in cheek, as if she was making fun of herself. She emoted Maureen's wackiness which I find to be a big mistake for that character. In effect, she was gesticulating a lot of "wink, wink, nudge, nudge - I'm goofy" mannerisms that really was wrong for the character in my personal opinion.

Sadly, it seems that a lot of Maureen are going with this approach these days. When I saw the show earlier this month I questioned whether or not the cast truly "gets" the show.

I've actually grown to enjoy her very much, but her Maureen (due to interpretation, not talent) was one of the worst.
Updated On: 11/30/05 at 10:27 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:33am

"Sherie was playing a performance artist. She based her performance artist on a real performance artist who Jonathon based the character of Maureen on. This artist was a blond who's entire act was about commenting on the notion of ditzy blonds. They initially wanted to go with a big blond like Sherie, but Idina blew them away and her talent could not be denied."

I believe you're talking about Laurie Anderson, who is pictured in the book about Rent. I've been a big Laurie Anderson fan for about 20 years. She doesn't really comment on ditzy blondes, but more on society's attitudes towards women in some of her material. The only part of Maureen's character that resembles Laurie Anderson is the lyrics to Over the Moon. Laurie uses dreams as metaphors often in her music, but mostly in a very tongue-in-cheek style (try "Baby Doll" or "Talk Normal"). Her humor and performance style are quite dry. Nothing with the physical antics seen in Rent.

I saw Sherie as Maureen in 1997 and she was fantastic. She was not booed. In fact, this is the first time I've ever even heard this rumor, which is most likely nothing more than that, a rumor. She played the role a little more clueless than in the harsh self-centered style that Idina performed, but it really wasn't a MAJOR difference in take. She did not play the role ANYTHING like Laurie Anderson, whom you are not likely to see in a cat suit or looking anything like a svelte lipstick lesbian.

But no Maureen was as bad as what I saw two summers ago when whoever it was playing Maureen was playing everything for laughs like an SNL skit. I felt like I was at a college theatre department talent night.

[DreamFlyer22]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 10:51am

See, Patronus... that's the kind of reasoning I RESPECT. If you disliked her people, give me reasons, not bullsh*t, "She's not Idina!!!" nonsense. I believe, dear Idinaphiles, you'll find a majority of the performers in New York are "not Idina Menzel". Sadly, she's only one performer and there ARE others.

Updated On: 11/30/05 at 10:51 AM

[ozone20]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:11am

I am certainly no Idina fanatic either. I'm totally open to other women playing role and being great in it as i have witnessed with a few(kristen lee kelly, and another comes to mind but i forget her name). the fact of the mattter is that Sherie just bombed all on her own. Vocally she has the range for the part but somehow vocally she was off. also she was just SO goofy that it was embarrassing. very bad fit.

Updated On: 11/30/05 at 11:11 AM

[Macavity]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:33am

I think sherie has a great voice! but i just can't picture her as Maureen

[Bohemian1232]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 11:40am

I really like Sherie, but I can't see her as a Maureen.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:15pm

"the fact of the mattter is that Sherie just bombed all on her own."

Well, that's an opinion, not a fact. And to "bomb" would imply that Sherie was reviewed in the role, which she wasn't. Personally, Sherie was the best Maureen I had seen in the role after Idina. She made the role her own without taking anything away from the character. Other Maureens I've seen were either carbon copies of Idina's performance, sophomoric mugging for comedy, or complete recharacterizations.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:22pm

Okay, I was one of the "original RENTheads." I saw the show downtown and camped out numerous times to get tickets once it moved uptown to Broadway. I don't know that I could even tell you how many times I saw the OBC. KLK was a great Maureen cover. She wasn't as fab as Idina but she was very good. The thing about SRS replacing Idina was that she was the other end of the spectrum from Idina's Maureen. Idina's Maureen was a narcissistic JAP performance artist whom would do anything for attention. SRS's and every Maureen I've seen since is a dumb cheerleader type of girl. That was not Maureen to any of us who knew only Idina and KLK's Maureen.

I also have to throw in that top ticket prices were $75, lotto tickets were $20 and Idina certainly didn't have the following that she has today.

[ozone20]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:24pm

Uh well yea.. what else would it be.. of course its an opinion as is everything here. so the implication is NOT that shw was reviewed by anyone else but ME. hence MY opinion.

" Sherie was the best Maureen I had seen in the role after Idina. She made the role her own without taking anything away from the character" and that was YOUR opinion. get it mister mat matt?

[greenifyed]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:26pm

A friend of mine *still* is bitter toward Sherie because of the Kristen Lee Kelly feud. Personally, I liked Sherie's Maureen because she used so much of her own sense of humour. She's so different in terms of her comedic ability, so I can see why some people just didn't get the joke, but I liked it. Her eulogy remains as my favorite out of any Maureen I've seen.

Anyway, it's not the first time I've been disgusted with an audience for not liking a replacement (especially for Idina.) The night of January 8th last year after everything had happened at Wicked, two girls paraded through the Gershwin lobby calling Shoshana Bean a "fat c*nt" just because they had to see her go on the next day instead of Idina.

[Becky]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:26pm

Yeah but, resentment didn't give 20-25 year old fans at the time the right to heckle her WHILE she was performing OVER THE MOON and yell BOO instead of MOO.. that really hurt her.

Of course. I was just explaining why the fan base was so against her right off the bat. Their behavior back then was inexcusable. And for someone to say that she deserved it because she didn't know how to perform OTM? I don't know what to even say to that.

Mister Matt, unfortunately there were incidences where people did boo. I don't know how often it happened (probably not near as often as has been implied), but it did happen. People also booed her as she entered the theater on one occassion. It was sad, really.

[LittleFish8386]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:27pm

I actually have seen Sherie play Maureen, and I think she was fantastic. I think people just have a problem when someone doesn't play the role like Idina. If the role isnt played Idina, then the role is being wrong. And thats just bull****. Almost every single Maureen I have seen has pretty much done Idina-playing Maureen. I think a fresh interpretation is fine.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:28pm

Right, but you chose not to include the one word of my quote that stated it was personally how I felt. You did not do the same in your assessment. You simply said it was a "fact" that she "bombed". Which it is not.

get it ozone?

If you can't choose your words carefully, then they will be interpreted recklessly. Say what you mean.

Updated On: 11/30/05 at 12:28 PM

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 12:41pm

A friend of mine *still* is bitter toward Sherie because of the Kristen Lee Kelly feud.

Um, seriously? Why be bitter towards Sherie for getting the role? It's not like she personally set out on a mission to win the role of Maureen out from under KLK, just to teach that jumped up understudy a lesson she won't forget, now is it? She auditioned and the creative team GAVE HER THE ROLE. She did a better audition than KLK. Nothing more sinister than that.

Same thing happened in London. The original Maureen (Jessica Tezier) was rubbish and when she got glandular fever and was out of the show for ages, both the first and second covers went on for her in that time. Then Jessica was let go and the creative team came and saw both covers. The first cover was fine, but the second cover, Hannah Jane Fox, was astounding. Funniest Over The Moon I have ever seen. And her Take Me Or Leave Me blew the roof off. Neither were deemed good enough to take on the role full time, and a new Maureen (Jocelyn Something) was hired. She was nowhere near as good as Hannah and she was unpleasant at stage door. Were the fans bitter? Of course they were. Were they bitter towards Jocelyn? Hell no. It wasn't her fault she'd been hired for a job she wasn't qualified for.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 2:39pm

I think that's pretty pathetic and childish on the fans' part. Behavior such as this is what would cause me to never want to be called a "Renthead." Talk about ridiculous.

And MAN do I wish I could have seen Sherie play Maureen. Obviously she'd have a very different take on it, but brava to her for doing her own thing with the role and finding out what works more for Sherie, not just trying to copy Idina Menzel...or just being clueless altogether, like some actresses who play Maureen seem to be.

[CompanyGuy]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:00pm

There is no reason to fight on a board.
You have the right to your opinion so that's done.
Sherie and Idina have completely different comedic styles. Idina has a very dry sense of comedy. Sherie is more the quirky sense of comedy. Am I wrong in this? They are two talented actresses, who have moved on since those days. Just accept and move on. Funny how the message from RENT is to live in the now, not in the past.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:28pm

Becky, I don't want you to think I was yelling at you lol. I re-read my post and it might have seemed like I was attacking you lol. I apologize cause I didn't mean for it to come off like that. Also, I adore KLK.. I saw HER FIRST time on for IDINA as well as her official 1st day in the role/many times on for sherie anyway not like that matters but, a production source once told me that KLK had horrible stage fright and she'd throw many a fit backstage when she had to go on. I don't understand that because she was outstanding but.. that is what he said lol. And maybe that had something to do with the fact as to why she didn't take on the role full time until later on..

Also to the London fan.. I saw Jocelyn as Maureen when I was there in 1998 and was appauled. It was like watching a coat hanger perform the role. I think it was the entire cast.. they lacked a whole lot. I never walked out of a show before so unhappy...thank god for Krysten Cummings/Andy Senor though.
Updated On: 11/30/05 at 03:28 PM

[melissa errico fan]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 3:38pm

Maureen is indeed based on Laurie Anderson. Anybody who knows Ms. Anderson's work well (she's best known to the masses for her early 80's music video/single "O Superman") and saw Ms. Scott as Maureen could easily draw a line from one to the other.

[Amneris]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 4:46pm

Does Laurie Anderson still perform?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 4:53pm

I THINK so but I'm not sure. And as bad as Jocelyn was (and she was bad), Jessica Tezier was a hundred times worse.

[Feathah]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 5:10pm

As a Renthead going back to 96 I remember just about anyone replacing an original cast member endured a backlash of some kind. I found Sherie to be sensational. I don't remember her being booed.

[GClef2]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 6:12pm

And plus, after all of the hard times, look where she is today. She has originated 3 great characters in modern musical theater, and there is no stopping her.

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 6:18pm

"Yeah but, resentment didn't give 20-25 year old fans at the time the right to heckle her WHILE she was performing OVER THE MOON and yell BOO instead of MOO.. that really hurt her. "

thats horrible. I think 'booing' a performer, is jsut as bad as singing in the theatre..though I think booing is definitely worse.

Updated On: 11/30/05 at 06:18 PM

[Broadwayluva]

Posted: 11/30/05 at 6:27pm

ok, maybe we could stop talking about what fans thought of her THEN, and focus on how people LOVE her now! as far as i know, she's getting standing ovations every night, isn't she? we love her, that's all that matters!
Updated On: 11/30/05 at 06:27 PM