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Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

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#1

Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 12:38am

Was anyone at ITH tonight and see Gabrielle Ruiz go on for Vanessa? How was she?
"Somethin's comin', I don't know what it is but it is gonna be great!"
#7

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 1:33am

I'm with JP.

Marcy had a different take on the role (which is somewhat thankless) and it worked a lot better than Olivo's take on it. Olivo was beyond bland and really didn't have much of a definable character within her acting. Harriell wasn't amazing but she was better than Olivo. Which is part of the reason I was so blown away by her performance in WEST SIDE. It had that kind of "where the hell did this performance come from?!" aspect because she was so mediocre in ITH.
#8

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 1:36am

While I understand and accept your opinion, I personally just don't see anything fabulous about her. Nothing against you. I think Olivo was ions better in every aspect of the show.
"It's about the Benjamins, not the Bernsteins."-CapnHook
#9

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 2:16am

i definitely think Olivo was heaps better than marcy is. having seen the show 5 times, 3 times with olivo and twice with marcy, I'm sort of baffled as to why marcy was even cast in this role. she's cute and has a pretty decent voice, but she's completely dead and lifeless on stage.

i took my family to see the show 2 weeks ago. they knew nothing about the show. when we walked out of the theater they were ecstatic... praising the show up and down... they absolutely loved it. then they all turned to me and said 'but that girl who plays vanessa... my god... she was awful.'

i wouldn't go so far as saying marcy is awful, but she's no where near karen's level. in that role.
#10

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 2:19am

I didn't see Olivo (yes, I know shocker. I didn't become a fan until WSS), but I too found Marcy to be totally lifeless in the role. Her singing was no where near as strong and passionate as Karen's on the cast recording.
#11

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 2:26am

Olivo should have been Tony-nominated for her portrayal as Vanessa in IN THE HEIGHTS because she injected the role with such charisma and fieriness that you understood why all the boys found her attractive and why Usnavy loved her. The role in itself is not that interesting, if you ask me. It was Olivo that made it shine.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#13

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:15am

I actually can't stand Marcy in the role. I've seen numerous videos of her doing other stuff and her voice is incredible but I was SOOOOO disappointed by her. Her acting bothered the hell out of me. For me she doesn't really look the part, I think Vanessa needs to be a really sexy character and she doesn't play it like that.

I'm seeing the show for the 10th time on Thursday and I'm hoping that I can see Gabriel.
#14

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:38am

I agree. Olivo was able to take a very unwritten role and take it places Marcy can not. I saw it the first time with Olivo and was absolutely blown away by her talent. I saw it a second time with Marcy and was very underwhelmed. She is lifeless and utterly boring. I am hoping to go back within the next for weeks and hopefully I will have a better experience with her...but I think that's as good as it's going to get with her and the role of Vanessa.
"It's about the Benjamins, not the Bernsteins."-CapnHook
#15

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 9:59am

Both times I've seen In the Heights was with Marcy as Vanessa. At first, I thought the role itself was just too underdeveloped (which it kind of is), but after seeing it a second time, I realize that Marcy doesn't stick out that much to me. Not saying that she's horrible, but she just doesn't nail it.

On another note, I didn't know that Gabrielle Ruiz was an understudy for Vanessa. She's a great dancer. Was she really good last night?

~Ash was here

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#16

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:05am

I saw Olivo and honestly, I don't remember a thing about her, except she had a bigger role than Priscilla Lopez.

While I've only heard Harriell (Harriel?) in the role, I thought she was fantastic, and the vocal harmony between her and Miranda was fantastic.
http://www.youtube.com/huskcharmer
#17

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:12am

On another note, I didn't know that Gabrielle Ruiz was an understudy for Vanessa.


fyi Gabi's on in Krysta's old track, so she actually understudies Nina, Vanessa, and Carla. (But personally I'm most looking forward to seeing her on as Vanessa, to hear her belt out "It Won't Be Long Now," and see her dancing in the club scene.)
#18

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:24am

MyWonderWa11 -- Don't get to attached to Gabi. You might... I don't know.. suddenly think it's appropriate to fall in love with her and then e-mail the producers of In the Heights saying you ARE her and tell them you are quitting. I mean, you did that to your boyfriend, so naturally... I would just be careful is all I'm sayin
#19

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 6:59pm

I don't get why this has become about Marcy and Karen, but whatever.

I saw Karen Olivo in the role about a month after the show opened on Broadway. I thought she had a powerful voice and wonderful stage presence, but her Vanessa was not very likable. I felt no reason to root for her and I didn't understand why Usnavi was in love with her.

I saw Marcy Harriell in the role in the beginning of May and I thought her acting was wildly superior. She added a lot of nuance to the character and made her seem more down-on-her-luck. I found her to be infinitely more engaging and belivable both as Usnavi's love interest and as a friend of Nina.
#20

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:09pm

I can't believe people would describe Olivo as "mediocre" or "bland" in IN THE HEIGHTS. If anything, she almost stole the spotlight from Mandy Gonzales (whom I really enjoyed) with a lot less stage time. I mean, the second she stepped on stage, I seriously could not stop looking at her, she was fantastic and God did she own those shorts, the way she walked with such sexiness she'd just simply own the stage (and this is coming from a very gay guy, but I mean, she made her legs become another character in the play). Her vocals were out of the world, and I was completely enthralled by her during the Night Club scene in which (as I have said in probably 20 threads, since that's one of my favorite musical moments I've seen) she channeled Rita Moreno. Even when I listen to "96'000" I can't wait for her solo, she rocks it--as she did at the Tonys last year.
I have no doubts that they found a nice replacement for her, but I'll never forget the first time I saw Olivo on stage, in part, she's what made IN THE HEIGHTS for me.
"Some people can thrive and bloom living life in a living room, that's perfect for some people of one hundred and five. But I at least gotta try, when I think of all the sights that I gotta see, all the places I gotta play, all the things that I gotta be at"
#21

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:12pm

Gobstopper, I completely agree with you that they both have very different Vanessas. For example, the song 'Champagne'. Karen made it very passionate and it was very very believable. I remember that being one of the high points of the show when i saw it. When i say Marcy perform the song, it was very boring and forgettable. I didn't feel the sense of urgency that the song should have. Marcy gives a very lackluster performance.
"It's about the Benjamins, not the Bernsteins."-CapnHook
#23

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:24pm

its so funny to watch this debate with "rent" in mind:

karen was marcy's understudy as mimi right at the end of marcy's run. back then, karen's vocals were not nearly as refined as they are now, but were still powerful and (in my opinion) far superior to harriell's, who kinda screeched her way thru the show.

that said, marcy was a fantastic mimi (laid back but engaging).
#24

re: Was anyone at In The Heights tonight? (6-16-09)

Posted: 6/17/09 at 7:27pm

i think karen was better, but i did like marcy's somewhat more gentle approach on the role.

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