Tamayra Gray/RENT/Last night — Page 4

I guess that's possible, Becky, but I honestly didn't see it with other tour Maureens back in the day, or even swings who covered the track - Cristina, Erin, Leigh, Anika, Stefanie, even Haven, whose ditziness in the role probably tops all others, didn't take 'her' Maureen down the crazy path that Maggie did. It could very well have been a combination of the direction and acting choices. Maggie was young, and not as experienced or as well-trained as many of the others in the role, so this may have also played a part in her choices. I think Maureen may be the role where I've seen the widest swing in interpretation over the years. Not that that's a negative thing, I enjoy seeing different interpretations of every role, it's probably why I still see the show after all these years. :)

Oh, I agree with you about Tim. One of my least favorite Rogers. One of my friends described Tim's performance as "so over the top, he could be looking down at the stage from the catwalk!"

Updated On: 6/2/07 at 01:58 PM

One of my friends described Tim's performance as "so over the top, he could be looking down at the stage from the catwalk!"

Forgot to respond to this....I laughed out loud when reading it!! I'm going to remember that......

Also, I agree with you about new interpretations. I actually liked the tour Maureen I saw a few weeks ago (Tracie?). Even though some of the silly elements are still there, she brought back some of the seriousness in OTM, and it worked better for me.

Updated On: 6/2/07 at 02:19 PM

Becky, I totally agree with you about Tracy. She's a fantastic Maureen, one of the absolute best I've seen in over ten years of seeing the show. She is a great actor and vocally she handles the role well. You're right that there are a few bits of sillyness there but she always makes me think when I watch her performance. She's got a subtlety to her acting that hasn't been apparent in a lot of Maureens. She's smart and tough, yet there's a vulnerability there that makes you want to give her a hug. I loved her performance every time I saw her. She nailed it every time.

Glad you liked my friend's comment about Tim. Everyone who heard her say it has repeated it ever since! :)

edited to add: It's too bad you haven't seen Haven. Vocally, I think she's the most talented I've ever seen as Maureen. She's absolutely exquisitely beautiful, too, which is kind of distracting at times. :)

Updated On: 6/2/07 at 02:38 PM

interesting about the maureens. I will say, that one of the best maureens i ever saw was kristen lee kelly. Her performance was not over the top and she looked/acted like a maureen. she was also amazing paired with gwen stewarts' joanne. just my two cents!


seeing adam, anthony, and tamyra on august 3rd and cannot wait!

I never saw Idina as Maureen excpet clips from Rent 10 and in the movie, which is sad because she really wasn't good in either of them. I'm sure she was incredible in the show 10 years ago though. The two Maureen's I've seen love were really good though. I saw Maggie and she was good. Not my favorite, but definitely good. And in my opinion Nicolette Hart is incredible. She puts so much ebergy into the role and she is hilarious during Over the Moon. I think she's doing a great job and I'll definitely miss her when she leaves. I haven't seen Haven but I've never heard a bad review about her. Everyone seems to love her Maureen and I would absoulutely love to see her in that role. When Nicolette leaves I really think they should either bumo Haven up to full time Maureen or bring in Tracy.

that's an interesting point, and it's hard to say

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Well, to everyone who saw Idina when she first did Rent 10 years ago....Because in the movie she just made the character too boring

I certainly don't want to make a generalization here - but I would think Idina's interpretation *would* seem boring compared to the way actresses have done it for years now. Some think it's boring - but I find the subtle delivery more interesting...more real.

That's also what I mean about people only knowing the new interpretation. I think if you're used to it done the "new" way, the "old" way will seem boring. I don't expect everyone to agree with me because I like the "old" way best, but it's hard to know how people would have viewed her if they had the chance to see her (without knowing the over-the-top interpretations.) I'm too confusing now!

*edited to clarify!

Updated On: 6/2/07 at 10:48 PM

Becky, I think you're right that we seem to agree on a lot! :)I always find it fun, and interesting, to have discussions with people who have seen the show many times through the years, with lots of different combinations and permutations of actors.

So you were one of those snotty OBC fans that booed Sherie Scott for- the horror- daring play the character differently than Idina?

I've seen both Sherie and Idina at multiple performances. Sherie was not "over the top", especially in comparison to the recent Maureen actresses. She was just different. Different does not equal bad. Actually, I think Sherie's "dumb blonde" potrayal is the best imitation of Idina's normal personality, though not necessarily her Maureen.

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Updated On: 6/3/07 at 09:14 AM

not a huge obc fan - in fact i liked norbert and jim p. better then adam and anthony. and i liked marci better then daphne. i just thought and still think that sherri's performance started the whole over the top. i didn't say good or bad - i was just stating fact.

Updated On: 6/3/07 at 10:51 AM

I have nothing against the OBC but it just annoys me when people say that there have been no good actors in Rent post-OBC. I mean, I've been on a lot of Rent boards and a lot of people think that. I'm sure they were all amazing but they aren't the be-all-end-all of Rent. There have been a lot of great people in Rent and I think it's interesting to see how each person portrays their character.

thanks lizzie!