Welcome Home Rapp & Pascal- Page 13

[misschung]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 12:37pm

It's absolutely incredible to see these two morph back into the roles that they created. It was so powerful for me when they both came out in costume for the first time, because, as MYB said earlier, their own persona informed the shaping of the characters so much. In a way it seemed like they weren't even in costume. Anthony's every gesture and movement on stage was in character. You're right, you don't see any of Anthony in Mark.

I understand what you mean about Adam's voice. It's the kind of thing that's a performance to performance basis anyway. When he played Roger back in the day, some performances were more emotional than others, more angry than others, etc. I'd hate for him to move to being TOO angry where he's lashing out. I saw the depression and sadness in him on Monday, but I feel like there used to be more of an aloofness to him that signified how depressed he really was. I was far from disappointed in his performance though, I'm just thinking out loud about it. It will be interesting to see how he progresses through this run

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 12:48pm

misschung, I generally see that as bigger issues than tempo. I think it's really just actors not being present and listening to and reacting to one another. I think that's when you get actors just delivering lines quickly.

I found it very difficult to care for Collins and Angel's relationship here as well largely for that reason (in other words, the actors barely bounced off one another); they seemed to exist in their own separate Collins and Angel vacuums. But also, like I said earlier in the thread, I didn't really like Troy Horne, and I absolutely cannot stand Justin Johnston. As you mentioned, with him, Angel seems like a role of pure comic relief and nothing else. He is gimmicky without any sense of character. I suppose I see why people find him appealing--he can move extremely well, hit high notes quite easily, and he does seem to be confident and comfortable up there (none of which is easy to do by any means), but I just see an actor performing for us or trying to make people laugh. I don't see a character, or even an actor who has ideas about his character. How could one possibly care about Angel and Collins' relationship when that's the guy you have playing Angel?

Emcee, we saw different shows, so I don't know how to compare. But on Monday, he definitely sounded vocally uncomfortable, as though a lot of his sounds were getting caught in his throat. Like misschung said, it was like he was trying to figure out if he should sing with his more crisp, free sound or his gritty old "Roger" sound. But yes, he was infinitely more explosive than he was on film, I just wished there had been more. For me, a lot of it didn't quite work as powerfully as a lot of his older choices. I think I got that sense from him more in the very beginning of the show, but once "Another Day" started, he seemed kind of passive and even sort of emotionally quiet at times.
Updated On: 8/2/07 at 12:48 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 12:51pm

If he didn't sound great, I'd definitely say it, so maybe he just took some time to get into the groove of singing the score again.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 12:53pm

That was my thought, because personally, I don't think I've ever heard him sound like that when singing live.
Updated On: 8/2/07 at 12:53 PM

[misschung]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 1:12pm

On Monday, Adam seemed like he was still working on how he wanted to approach Roger vocally. It sounds like he fixed whatever issue he was facing, or he made up his mind. Glad to hear it.

Anyway, Broadwaygirl, I think you are probably right about the actors and how they approach their characters. Because I haven't seen this cast, I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that the issues we witnessed could be fixed if their pacing was slowed down. I thought maybe things got wonky because of Adam and Anthony, and that everyone was a little too hyper for their own good. Justin Johnson has a good voice, moves well, and is very funny. Angel definitely needs those qualities in his portrayal, but my feeling is that his character uses his humor and extravagance as a coping mechanism for dealing with his illness. I didn't see any underlying compassion, fear, or dignity in Johnson's interpretation on Monday. For example, in Christmas Bells, when he and Collins are looking at the clothes, he blew through the "let's see some more" and made a big to do with the "no, no, no" line. To me, that little aside between the two characters is supposed to illustrate how Angel treats everyone, even this bum selling stolen clothes, with compassion. Instead he made it into a farce, and I didn't like that. The "kiss me it's beginning to snow" was such a let down.

Anywho, maybe it was just an off night, as I said - I need to see it more than once.

[BroadwayGirl107]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 1:20pm

"Justin Johnson has a good voice, moves well, and is very funny. Angel definitely needs those qualities in his portrayal, but my feeling is that his character uses his humor and extravagance as a coping mechanism for dealing with his illness."

Nice insight. I'd definitely say that his good humor is something that arises from what his experiences have been living with AIDS--whatever you choose to call it. To me Johnston came across as someone who was merely a ham or an attention whore.

Unfortunately, I don't know if it was an off-night. When I saw the show a couple of years ago, he was doing the exact same farce.
Updated On: 8/2/07 at 01:20 PM

[metoog]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 2:29pm

We saw the show Wednesday afternoon and waited at the stage door after just to see what was happening. We stayed back from the crowd - which I thought was very "in control", except for a woman in blue that literally pushed her way past 15 people to get to Anthony - and just watched. Eventually people started to filter away and we moved to the front and Anthony signed our Playbills. I do not know if he will stay around as long at evening performances or not, but, he did stay about 45 minutes and signed for everyone. Be patient and you may have a good chance of getting stuff signed.

If you are interested in any other cast members (besides Anthony, Adam or Tamyra) please be aware that they do come out other doors and disappear quite easily. A few people near us were disappointed that they did not see other cast members.

[goofy108]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 3:58pm

they dont come out of the same doors?

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 3:59pm

When i was there only Nicolette, Tamyra, Adam, and Anthony came out. I was puzzled as to why Nicolette, but that is besides the point.

Posted: 8/2/07 at 4:03pm

I wish that I could see the show and meet them again!! I am so jealous that you guys get to see it. I am sure it is great for people who saw them in the original cast, then in the movie, and now to see the evolution of both characters :)

[metoog]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 4:50pm

Yesterday - only Anthony and Tamyra can out the doors between the barricades. They wandered in the barricades and signed. When someone asked Anthony about other cast members he said "they usually exit one of the other doors" (I assumed this to mean not the doors between the barricades).

Updated On: 8/2/07 at 04:50 PM

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 6:09pm

The rest of the cast filters out the far door at the other end of the theatre, to avoid the madness. I've seen Telly, Shaun and D'Monroe all come out those doors and talk to fans, but since the vast majority of the crowd is so focused on Adam and Anthony, most miss them.

"Unfortunately, I don't know if it was an off-night. When I saw the show a couple of years ago, he was doing the exact same farce."

You are correct and I actually agree with you on this. He literally does the same exact performance every single night. Unfortunately, his schticks all get laughs every time, because I guess it IS funny when you're in the audience and seeing it the first time. When you're at the point where you can literally list out each of the instances ("Center of the universe, yay! *kicks leg*), it's just annoying.

Posted: 8/2/07 at 6:21pm

metoog-- you're the one person who has given me any sort of hope in this thread. I say this at the risk of sounding like a crazy fan girl stalker, but I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to get anything signed by Anthony and Adam, let alone be able to tell them good show. By your assessment I feel like if I'm patient enough I will, so thanks! Whoo for being positive!

[ElphieDefiesGravity]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 12:40am

*collapse*

Show was great. My favorite moment was "What You Own"; it was incredible listening to those two sing one of my absolute favorite songs live. They sounded FANTASTIC. It's a testament to how good they are that at times I forgot, even in my excitement, exactly WHO I was watching and just thought of them as Mark and Roger. I really, really didn't like Nicolette Hart. I liked Tamyra a lot, though.

Stage door was madness. Only Anthony and Nicolette came out the barricaded stage door. I was sad Adam didn't come out, but it was really crazy. I was suprised how many people had no idea who these people were. READ YOUR PROGRAMS, PEOPLE. It says right there that they were the original stars. Also, how hard is it to look at the freaking playbill and see what the actor's name is? I seriously thought that if I heard one more person scream "Mark! MARK! Look over here! Sign my playbill! Will you say hello to my friend Rachel, Mark?! MAAAARK!!" I was going to hit someone. I was pressed up against the car, and my legs got burned. They are still pink and warm. Fun times.

[misschung]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 12:59am

omg, that sounds nutty. I can't believe people called him by his character's name. That's like what 6 year olds at Mary Poppins do when they don't know that it's not really Bert coming through the stagedoor...

Updated On: 8/3/07 at 12:59 AM

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:18am

I feel like I've been awake for 72 hours.

I saw the first three night shows of Rent. Don't ask, it's something that just happens when you get two huge Rent fans living together for a few days. Originally, I wasn't going to post anything on this thread because a) what is there to really say? and b) I'm incredibly biased. That said, I felt that their performances were absolutely beautiful, heartbreaking, and enthralling. I saw the previous Mark/Roger duo of Hanke and Howar many times, but for as fond as I am of them, they can't hold a candle (bad pun, sorry) to Adam and Anthony.

I'm going to be the first (?) to say that I honestly don't care about the crazy fans or the crazy stagedoor situation. I sympathize with anyone who had any shrieking fans sitting directly behind them, but personally, I didn't hear anything too irritating, even on their first night. Yes, people cheered and clapped, but I didn't think it was to the point where it disrupted the show. It's quite possible that I just sat in a lucky spot or I was so focused on the show itself that any obnoxious fans didn't bother me, but I absolutely loved the enthusiasm from the crowd, even if the crowds at these shows are mainly comprised of young girls. There's still energy in the air. The audiences at the Tuesday and Wednesday night shows were obviously not quite as vocal as Monday's audience, although I could feel the enthusiasm from the crowd all three nights.

The stagedoor situation is crowded, but honestly? I found it fun. I wasn't looking for an autograph (they won't pose for pictures with people at the stagedoor due to time restraints, just FYI), but I found it fun to be in this teeming mass of people anyway. It's unfortunate that a lot of people don't get an autograph due to the sheer number of people in the crowd and that an actual exchange of words with the performers is virtually impossible, but I loved that so many people still cared about these people enough to spill out onto the other side of the street. Yes, a lot of the people might be screamy little girls (although, for the record, I only heard real shrieks on Wednesday), but I liked the feeling of just this sheer excitement from hundreds upon seeing these actors who I also adore.

I sadly don't have much to write about Anthony's performance, but I really have nothing to say other than I found it completely flawless. For as familiar of a face as he's become over the last few years to me through interviews, articles, bootlegs, and the film, I didn't see Anthony Rapp on stage. I saw Mark. He manages to be both vulnerable and entertaining, something that other Marks I've seen never really seemed to completely capture.

Adam... I don't even know where to begin. He broke my heart in the best way possible. While I'd agree that his voice was a bit off on Monday night, it was in perfect shape on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Adam Pascal, to me, is such an engrossing performer not because he's technically perfect, but he, in addition to his great voice, has this very visceral connection with the audience that I'm not sure I've seen from any other performer. You just immediately connect with him emotionally. You don't feel bad for Roger only because of his character's circumstances, but also because you can just feel this emotional energy gripping you. My problem with many Rogers of past is that they play Roger as such a one-dimensional character - someone who's either completely angry, or completely withdrawn, or in some unfortunate cases, someone who doesn't feel anything at all. Adam brought this wonderful, almost poetic sadness and a certain scared quality to the role that I hadn't seen in other Rogers while still maintaining this palpable anger boiling beneath it all. When Roger sings "just let me be!" in "Another Day," he absolutely nailed it with a mixture of sadness and desperation and yearning. That one line was my favorite of his entire performance.

I'm not up for writing about every single one of the other performers as of this moment, mainly because I've seen most of them so many times before. I'm not a huge fan of Tamyra Gray; I feel like she's fine vocally and does the basics, but therein lies the problem - she's par for the course and absolutely nothing more. I found her serviceable rather than downright bad, but God, would I love to see Jaime Lee Kirchner (her standby) go on. I love Merle as Joanne; she's able to tie Maureen in "Take Me or Leave Me" rather than lose, which I feel is so rare. I think the more fierce take on the character is a great departure from the typical "dumpy pushover" portrayal of Joanne. Nicolette Hart certainly stands out - sometimes in a good way, sometimes not so much. Everyone else either doesn't really seem to stand out or maybe stands out only to people seeing their performances for the first time. I'll be the first to admit that certain performances I thought were pretty good at first can grow tired to me after repeat viewings, even if the actors are giving the same caliber performances. However, I suppose one could make the argument that if they were giving truly great performances, it wouldn't be so easy to grow tired of them. Oh well.

Adam and Anthony seemed to blend into the rest of the cast well - if they stuck out, it's because they were clearly the best two performers on stage, not because they were exceptionally awkward in interacting with the others. Of course both of them had a special sort of chemistry during songs like Goodbye Love and What You Own, but not to the point where it hindered their interaction with the rest of the cast. My one complaint related to Adam's performance is his complete lack of romantic chemistry with Tamyra Gray (Mimi). All the kisses between them seemed so completely chaste, as if there was no real urgent attraction there. It wasn't enough to ruin much of anything for me, but it was a bit disappointing.

... I don't want to end this post on a bad note. Anthony and Adam's performances left me literally speechless until now. Go see them. Updated On: 8/3/07 at 01:18 AM

[MotorTink]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:22am

wonderfully put Lexi!

[misschung]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:25am

Wow, great review. That's amazing that you saw the first three performances!

I agree about Adam and Tamyra's chemistry. Their kisses reminded me of Raul and Erin from Chitty - dont ask me why. I'd love for this Roger and Mimi to have that almost dangerous attraction and chemistry between them, but what can you do

[Chloe]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:35am

Thanks for writing all that, Lexi. You put certain things into words that I would have never thought of.

[jewishboy]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 6:52am

Well, hopefully their romantic chemistry grows more. One of the strongest things about Adam and Daphne's performances was the romantic intensity (this is based on footage I have seen).

Oh, how is Adam during "Christmas Bells" when Roger sings "You'll never lack for customers"?

God, August 9th seems so far away.

[GuitarGirl]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 8:49am

Wow, wonderful review! I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

[incendiary_wit]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 9:05am

Welcome back boys! I wish I could be there in person. *sends tons of love*

[misschung]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 10:00am

Oh, how is Adam during "Christmas Bells" when Roger sings "You'll never lack for customers"?

It was great on Monday - he didn't seem to strain for the notes at all

Updated On: 8/3/07 at 10:00 AM

[GuitarGirl]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 10:08am

It's nice that Adam has learned how to take care of and use his voice properly, so that the score is easier for him to sing.

[sundaymorning6am]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 12:05pm

hey, are they still lottoing off the SRO tickets? thanks in advance!