Tamayra Gray/RENT/Last night- Page 7

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:13am

Becky, that's exactly what I was talking about. I was in row C on the far left. I was close enough to see tears in Jesse and Adam's eyes during Goodbye Love and Anthony's shoulders shaking with laughter as he held out the note at the very beginning of La Vie Boheme when Taye jumped up to smack Idina's ass, and the look on everyone else's face when Adam and Daphne's kiss extended far past the blackout at the end of the "first act." I went in there with no expectations of what it would be like; I didn't want to be disappointed if it turned out to be like the 5th anniversary, where they just stood at a mic and sang random Jonathan Larson songs. So when Kristen Lee Kelly started her voicemail or during the intro to Today 4 U, when I saw a flash of red in the far back corner of the stage and literally gasped as I realized Wilson was in full costume- it was amazing to me that they did as much of the show as possible within the logical constraints and the cast was as thrilled to get into it as they were. They were totally feeding off the crowd, not to feed their egos, but to feed their energy and dedication to the performance.

I saw Rent the next time in October and found myself crying throughout the show just remembering the last time I was at the Nederlander and was hearing these songs. You don't have that kind of reaction 6 months later to something you've just convinced yourself is good just because you spent money on it. That whole night was amazing and I'm still reeling from its effect.

Updated On: 6/7/07 at 12:13 AM

[Craww]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:18am

I'm sure there was a perfect balance between good humor and camaraderie and focus and genuine storytelling. A perfect balance that they did not achieve. Judging where that line lies is going to be subjective, though. Subjective, fussy, and arbitrary. (and still, honestly something we can't judge if we were not there, as firsthand accounts of the event can tell.)

Then again, I like 90% of the performers I see, so I never fit into a critiquing discussion. For example, back to the original topic, I'm sure I'll probably enjoy Tamyra Gray. Especially considering the last Mimi I saw was terrible, and the one before was underwhelming and inconsequential.
Updated On: 6/7/07 at 12:18 AM

[Becky]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:25am

Orange, I was row D on the left I didn't have any expectations either. I wasn't sure exactly what they would do - and like you - when I realized they were actually going through the motions of the show? Well...I think I almost forgot to breathe. Nothing about that night felt self-serving at all. (And the Adam/Daphne blackout kiss? Almost forgot about that!)
Updated On: 6/7/07 at 12:25 AM

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:26am

"They were totally feeding off the crowd, not to feed their egos, but to feed their energy and dedication to the performance."

I don't think the two are mutually exclusive, nor do I think the emotional investment of the cast necessarily says anything about what they were celebrating. God knows they were emotionally invested in that movie, and I'm not even going to touch how I felt about that.

I think I'm going to shut up now, though (which I really should; whenever I post this frequently, you just KNOW I'm procrastinating on a paper), unless what I'm saying here is terribly misunderstood. Emcee probably said it best when she said I'm coming at it from an actor's perspective, so I just think where I stand on the whole matter is on a completely different (and I would hope, equally valid) end of the spectrum.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:36am

I too had no expectations; I was talking to someone before, and remember my jaw just dropping when he said they were singing through almost the entire show. I didn't know what TO expect, but it certainly wasn't that. It was the kind of thing that doesn't hit you until after, for me. I remember getting home that night and crying for a good long while. I shed barely a tear during the performance itself, but after I got home, the detox, so to speak, was when everything came pouring out.

I still haven't been able to go back yet. I've always felt like I should, and yet I just want to hold on to the experience of the reunion. For a series of personal reasons, having Adam and Anthony back makes it feel right to go back after having experienced the sheer electricity of emotion that was in the theater that night. I miss the show a lot, but after seeing that, it's hard to go back, because I know the atmosphere in the theater will never feel like that again. I want to hold onto that almost out-of-body magic, so to speak. To be honest, if Adam and Anthony weren't coming back, I'd probably wait even longer. I've needed a reason to go back, and they are the perfect reason.

[Becky]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 12:45am

nor do I think the emotional investment of the cast necessarily says anything about what they were celebrating

All I'm going to say is that the performance was for the people in the Nederlander that night - not for the audience that has seen it by other means. I think to make judgements about how self-serving it was is quite unfair if you weren't there. Just talk to anyone who went and you'll get a very different perspective than the one you present.

I just think where I stand on the whole matter is on a completely different (and I would hope, equally valid) end of the spectrum

With all due respect, you *really* had to be there. You just did. I think even you would be surprised at how the evening played out if you could take in EVERYTHING, not just analyzing what was "captured" for you to see.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 1:09am

Becky, again, different perspective, different framework. I don't doubt that seeing something on DVD is incredibly different; I KNOW that, I'm an actor, but more importantly a theatre one, and understand what is (and isn't) lost even on the best bootlegs. But if the performance was done with the idea that everyone in the audience was more or less "in" on the relationships the actors have with one another, etc (which wasn't necessarily true, I was surrounded by people at the lotto who knew nothing about the show or what was going on--and I'm pretty sure one of them won, Go figure), or if the magic of the evening was not what happened in the action of the show that was supposedly being celebrated, that does seem..inherently self-serving. To me.

But now I'm playing devil's advocate, and clearly I have not shut up. :P
Updated On: 6/7/07 at 01:09 AM

[Becky]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 1:35am

But if the performance was done with the idea that everyone in the audience was more or less "in" on the relationships the actors have with one another, etc (which wasn't necessarily true, I was surrounded by people at the lotto who knew nothing about the show or what was going on

I don't think anyone has implied that the performace was presented in that way re: the relationships. I guess I'm not understanding what you expected out of the performance. If people were seeing the anniversary performance and knew nothing of the show - I would hope they wouldn't expect to come away with an accurate representation of the plot, characters, etc. That's unrealistic. It was a special event - not a performance of Rent as it's staged every night. Hopefully people who have never seen the show would get a sense of Jonathan's amazing music, how connected the performers feel to the material, the energy from the crowd, etc...

if the magic of the evening was not what happened in the action of the show that was supposedly being celebrated, that does seem..inherently self-serving. To me.

Well, 5 years ago (well 6 now) the anniversary performance was just a random "sing-through" of some of the songs concert style. It didn't have anything to do with the action of the show or showcasing any of the characters in an authentic way. How would you have reacted to that? Was it self-serving 5 years ago? Was it any less of a celebration of Jonathan's music? Yes, RENT 10 was celebrating the show, but I don't think there was a right/wrong way to do that - and saying their performance was self-serving? I just don't know how to respond to that.

**I don't want you to think I'm picking on you - I'm just incredibly bored at the moment and have some time on my hands! I think I've posted more in this thread than I did this whole year combined.....

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 1:49am

Well, yeah, I'm in that same boat with the boredom thing (I decided to just not do my little paper altogether, because I'm a GREAT academic student!).

I mean, I wasn't at the 5 year anniversary, nor did I see any video of it, so I can't judge just based on the structure of it. It's really the spirit in which is was done that matters to me.

But yeah, I still maintain the self-serving thing; as if it were an inside joke for the Rentheads and the cast members. Everyone in the audience loved them, they knew it, they could have gone up there and picked their nose and I think even I would be a little excited by the fact that they were all together. But I can't help but get the impression (and even moreso the more the night is described) that the night was more about the cast members and their sentimentality and the fans and their sentimentality for that than it was about Rent.

[C is for Company]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 2:05am

Keeping track of the progress of this thread, I've eagerly been following along and decided to post on the note that the RENT 10th was really just an event. I get that some felt it should be "celebrating the work" and keeping the spirit and all that impossible stuff at this point. To side-track myself already, I feel that you can't force a cast in a room on a specific, hectic night and say "HERE, make magic and channel Larson!" That being said, his work is celebrated with each new fan who discovers the cast album and finds a new...friend, if you will, I don't know (I for one was one of those people who picked it up and never put it down for a good long while). With the various performers who now and then (Will Chase previously mentioned) rekindle some of the magic not yet touched upon in the piece, they too keep the spirit alive.

All these instances being recognized, I really think one special event performance which was quite impromptu in the preparations (so they say) should be understood as paying homage to something that many love dearly. I think that with those cast members up there who each carry something special from the original experience as well as a theater full of people who have so much respect for the work, the artists, and the creator, Larson's will was carried out in that way. I really think it would be silly to expect everyone to be so vigilant in keeping face and acting like they don't know what they were doing. Self-aware as they may be, how could they not joke and kid after being involved in something so great that has affected so many. Knowing how special and happy the night really was, who would ever expect it to be taken in such a critical manner?

Maybe I am wrong to not grade it like they had been working on that special performance for weeks as oppposed to the reality that it was really done in mere days, but I for one think they should be excused for having created a memorable night that still to this day can give people the chills thinking about it.

Updated On: 6/7/07 at 02:05 AM

[Becky]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 2:21am

Right on "C".

But I can't help but get the impression (and even moreso the more the night is described) that the night was more about the cast members and their sentimentality and the fans and their sentimentality for that than it was about Rent.

In celebrating RENT, you can't ignore the "sentimentality" of it all - the affection the cast has for the material and each other, the affection the fans have for the show and for the cast, the memories we had of the original cast or those seeing them all up there for the first time, etc. It seems you felt there should have been more focus on the actual show itself - but for some of us - the show couldn't have been more honored and celebrated than to see what Jonathan helped to create above and beyond an amazing show.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 2:30am

Not to mention the fact that by definition, all anniversaries are "sentimental."

Updated On: 6/7/07 at 02:30 AM

[jewishboy]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 9:26am

Yes, and I was watching the bootleg last night and when I saw "I Should Tell You" it was so heart warming just to see Daphne and Adam hold each other. I didn't care what there voices sounded like (the vocals were pretty awesome), but he natural affection they had for each other, like the tilt of Adam's head on Daphne, made you feel like it was just sp organic between them. And I get the feeling that, all the little interactions were just so natural given the relationship this cast had with each other and Larson.
Updated On: 6/7/07 at 09:26 AM

[misschung]

Posted: 6/7/07 at 10:09am

I love that part. From what I could tell by the video, there seemed to be a dialectic that night of the performer's silliness/having fun with a much more poignant sentiment. I dont know if that makes any sense, but for example, in "I Should Tell You," Adam and Daphne give this beautiful performance, and then sort of jokingly exaggerate their walking offstage together. Now does that part negate the first? I don't think so. But if it had been another, non-obc cast during a regular Saturday night performance, that definitely would not fly, in my opinion - and I would be upset if I saw that at a regular performance. But, like everyone has stated much more eloquently than I can at this point - it was Rent 10, not Rent. If anything, I think their joking around was in part, a celebration of the work, and a result of their on-stage chemistry - one that had not been activated in 10 years- just exploding that night.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I'm not arguing pro-Rent 10 because I think that like any performance, people will have different reactions to it, via bootleg or not.

[Mattt]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 9:35am

I saw the show on Tuesday night (6/19) and thought I would ppost my really long review on BWW in case people are interested. Sorry about the size, I got really into it.

Full Cast List
Roger: Tim
Mark: Chris
Collins: Troy
Angel: *Telly
Benny: *Todd
Mimi: Tamyra
Maureen: Nicolette
Joanne: *Moeisha
Mark's Mom: Haven
Soloist: Maia
Male Soloist: *Owen
Gordon: *Jay
Paul: Shaun
Steve: Andy
Alexi: Mayumi

ACT ONE
The opening song was explosive, as usual, but I still have a problem with Tim Howar. He overacts ridiculously and he screams most of the lyrics. I don't think his performance is realistic at all. He is just so corny and over dramatic to me. Next was YOU OK HONEY. Telly nailed it, but I thought Troy's acting was very cartoon-like and, like Tim, a little non-realistic. I really likes Chris and Tim's interactions in TUNE UP #3. They really seem like they are best friends. ONE SONG GLORY started off beautiful. Tim's voice in the beginning is so great, but then the song speeds up and all of a sudden Tim is shouting again clutching his arms to his chest run all over the place. I really think Tim is a great actor and has such great potential to make an extremely passionate Roger. I mean I can feel the passion in his performance, but he drives it way to far until it just seems like B.S. Then Tamyra came on and from the second she sang "Gotta light" I loved her. Her hair, IMO, was sexy and went perfectly with her acting choices for the character. Her voice is great. Nothing really unique, but nothing bad about it at all. Everything she had going for her-her hair, her voice, and her acting-really clashed together to make a really good Mimi. In the next VOICE MAIL, Owen and Maia were great. I thought it would be really different seeing a white Mr. Jefferson but it really made no difference. The first part of TODAY 4 U was really playful. Tim and Chris basically dropped everything Troy threw down to them. They forgot to pick up the box of Capt'n Crunch off the ground and Chris made a dash to get it before Telly came out and it made Troy laugh a little during his part. Then, Telly came out to perform one of the best versions of TODAY 4 U I have seen. He was probably the prettiest Angel I have seen. His Angel was really down to earth and simple, which was a very nice change compared to Justin's version where he jumps and hip-hops around the stage singing his heart out. Telly impressed me a lot, even though he did run out of air towards the end but I don't hold that against any Angel because it's such a difficult thing to do. Todd nailed YOU'LL SEE, and it was such a relief to see someone other than D'Monroe in the role for once. Now, the TANGO MAUREEN was probably one of my biggest disappointments. This was the point were I think Chris's performance started to go downhill for me. I might get bashed for this, and I don't know if it is just me or if other people think the same, but I think Chris is starting to take on some Caplan habits that aren't to good. I love Chris and think his second act Mark is one of the best, but all I saw last night was a Mark who was too goofy to take seriously. Moeisha also was a disappointment's. I LOVE her Joanne. I saw it last Dec. and she was the best I have ever seen. But last night she wasn't as good as I was anticipating, mostly in the acting department. She just seemed bored to me. LIFE SUPPORT was beautiful. I was so excited to see Tamyra's OUT TONIGHT after her fierce LMC, and she did not disappoint. Amazing vocals. She had a lot of "spunk" and was extremely sexy. Her skinny, lanky body sort of reminded me of how I remember Krystal Washington. But the "glitter bomb" Give me a break. It was pathetic and took away from the moment. All I saw was Tamyra struggling to get it out of her bra and throw some glitter around then throw the packet or w/e it was across the stage. The effect was totally lost and it was lame. ANOTHER DAY. For me, my favorite Tamyra and Tim moment. They blew the roof off and they got extremely into it, but not in a bad way. It got physical, but not just from Tim. Tamyra would fight right back when he pushed her away, and I thought this added a whole lot to the character of Mimi and really brought out the tougher, stronger side of her. Andy Senor gave the most beautiful WILL I solo ever. ON THE STREET went by pretty quick. Maia rocked it. I kind of laughed a little in my seat because of her hat though. For those who have seen Maia, her hair is pretty big and it must have been pretty hard to find a beany that would fit over her fro, but they did and just looking at it made me smile for a second. Sorry about the randomness. SANTA Fe was pretty blah. I kind of feel Troy holds back. I'LL COVER YOU was great and Telly and Troy's voices blended well together. WE'RE OKAY felt longer than usual. I don't know why. Moeisha has one of the most powerful voices I have ever heard in Rent. CHRISTMAS BELLS rocked. Nicolette Hart was my favorite of the night. She is so sexy and although her bitchy attitude is really there, I was able to dig deeper and feel the love. OVER THE MOON was a great laugh and she did a few new things I have never seen before. Last night was probably the best LA VIE BOHEME I have ever seen minus Hanke.He was just too goofy for me last night. But everyone else was amazing. For the first time I actually felt them celebrating their lives and in a way bashing it down Benny's throat. I could tell Tamyra had some mic problems throughout the show and by I SHOULD TELL YOU she was using a hand held, but I though she handled it extremely well.

ACT TWO
Loved SEASONS OF LOVE. Maia is probably the second best soloist that I have seen under Crystal Monee Hall. Owen hit a clunker but it happens. HAPPY NEW YEAR was so much fun and all of the cast had really great chemistry and were believable as best friends. My favorite in this scene were Nicolette and Tamyra. Haven and Mayumi, who I was surprised to see because I thought she left, rock there VOICE MAILS. Next was TAKE ME OR LEAVE ME. Nicolette and Moeisha have the most powerful Maureen and Joanne voices I have ever seen. I was blown away by everything. It was good enough to top the Moeisha/Maggie combination I had seen last December, which was amazing. Tamyra and Tim's voices clash so well in WITHOUT YOU and she really sings it from the heart. One of Tamyra's other stronger scenes IMO. Telly is CONTACT. Holy crap. It was the best CONTACT I have ever seen and people were screaming for him in the middle of the song because it was amazing (and I think he had friends there because they were shouting "Telly" through the show), but he sung my favorite CONTACT. The eulogies were great, I liked them all. Chris Hanke was really starting to redeem himself from his crappy Act one. He really does play a good Act two Mark. I'll COVER YOU was blah. I didn't cry, but I am thinking that is because I have seen the show too many times, but Troy really does nothing for me. HALLOWEEN was good, Hanke fully redeemed himself by now. Tim was really scary in GOODBYE LOVE. Him and Hanke had a good, meaningful fight and was very believable. Then Tamyra can out and nailed her part. Unlike past Mimi's I have seen, Tamyra was able to sing the song, cry, act, and be understandable at the same time! WHAT YOU OWN was nice, but that scene always bores me. I love the last VOICEMAIL. It is one of my favorite parts, and tonight they were on. Lots of laughs and applause if I remember. Nothing special about FINALE A. Tim's YOUR EYES was very powerful to me last night. Watching Tamyra die in his arms watching him shout her name her made me almost cry last night. Very powerful moment. FINALE B was very average, Telly got lots of applause. Standing Ovation in the Mezz. For the first time I stayed for the whole PLAYOUT because I love it. Great show. I was happy.

[goofy108]

Posted: 6/21/07 at 1:41pm

thanks for the review.
glad you liked the show.

haha. you use "clash" like it is a good thing. i think the word you're looking for is blend.