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I saw the show last night (8/16). What an amazing experience. This was my eighth time seeing the show and I honestly will say I am getting somewhat "bored" with Rent. I still love it, it has a very special place in my heart, but I think it is time to put it on the back burner and start to branch out and spending my money on new shows.
Anyways, on to the show. There are no words how to describe Anthony's performance. Genius, maybe? What a completely different feeling I had for Mark watching Anthony perform it. Last night, Mark was actually a person! IMO, the character of Mark has evolved through the years into a character who, although is still likable and gets some laughs out of the audience, has trouble connecting to the audience and makes the audience feel for him. He just seems like a goofball who has no life. No passion. But seeing how raw and "untouched" Anthony was, it was so much more easier to make a real connection to Mark and emotionally feel his hurt and confusion in Act II. Anthony was genius. He doesn't have to act silly to get the laughs, so he is taken more seriously as a character. Just great.
Adam was also amazing. He hit a few clunkers but he gave effort and a great performance overall. I don't thik it is a good idea to go for that high note in "Glory". That was his biggest flub. His acting was so calm though. I honestly don't have that much to say about Adam except that he was great and had some killer chemistry with Tamyra. He still looks young, as does Anthony.
As for the rest of the cast, I am going to start with Nicolette, who I have been hearing a lot of negativity about on these boards and others. I like her. She's very...unique. I love her look. I think it perfectly defines Maureen. Sexy, outgoing, sometimes snobby. One thing that I though she lacked, though, was that she was not able to do, IMO, was bring out the true heart in Maureen during Angel's funeral through Finale B, an example being Maggie Benjamin. Her only other flub that I notice is her voice. It's not really bad, its just extremely piercing. I mean, people say she was "screaming" Take Me or Leave Me. She hits all (most of) the notes. Her voice was just so raunchy and powerful that it made my ears cringe and the back of my head hurt. It doesn't seem to be completely in her range either. Who knows? All together I don't mind her that much.
Last night was the BEST "I'll Cover You (Reprise)" I have ever seen. Troy doesn't impress me at all, but last night...I am still speechless. Since I have seen this show many, many times and know it so well, I have really lost the emotion of that moment. I don't cry any more. Last night was the first time I cried at that song in a while. Troy just owned it. He turned on the waterworks before Maureen's eulogy was even over. Just physically watching him clench Angel's coat and stomping on the ground singing his heart out to his lover I just lost it. Amazing moment. I am just in awe how this moment can touch a person so deeply. I am sort of embarrassed Anthony was watching my bawl my eyes out right in front of him but he has seen so many people moved by this show, along with himself, I'm glad he is still getting to witness the magic. It really is magic.
Merle rocked. Probably my favorite Joanne next to Moeisha. I remember being bummed when she wasn't there when I saw the show a few years ago and I was so happy to hear she was coming back. Her and Anthony have the greatest chemistry ever. Nicolette, not so much. But I still have yet to see a real great Maureen/Joanne chemistry.
It was my second times seeing Tamyra. She can act, sing, and dance, but nothing special. I've seen better and I've seen worse. She was good but just nothing special.
Justin was cute as usual. He always gives a great performance. Always makes me laugh too. But I also notice that he has chemistry prtoblems. I honestly think he has more chemistry with Marcus as the homeless man than Collins. I mean I would watch Justin and Marcus fooling around and giggling together while Troy just stands next to Justin. Marcus and Justin have a killer Angel/Collins thing going on though. Still the best I have seen.
D'Monroe always hits bad notes and does over the top acting. He is really annoying me now. I hope he leaves soon.
The audience was really loud...and high pitched. It was probably mostly younger girls. I didn't really look around at them but I could tell by the screams when they came onstage. Anthony kind of rolled his eyes. I could tell he wasn't that happy with the disrespect of fans yelling out his name after the applause had stopped. I ran away so I wouldn't get caught in the stage door crap. Great show though. It's worth seeing if you haven't yet.

Yeah, and poor everybody who has to see him.

Indeed. Although I can't help but think it'd be better for all involved parties if the Roger understudy didn't just happen to be awful. Or so I've heard.

Anyway, hope everything went well tonight. Hope Pascal feels better and/or stops being a punk.

Mattt, I couldn't agree with you more about Troy's ICRY last night. You said it perfectly. I'm not usually a fan, but it was incredible and really moving.

I am sure he is out because of illness or something physical like that. I was told he would not be missing any performances unless he was sick.
get well soon! a speedy recovery to you, Adam!

Updated On: 8/18/07 at 12:11 AM

I'm not sure if this helps, but I was at the stage door on 8/17 and one of the security guards said that Adam "should" be back tomorrow. But then again I'm not sure how much or how little the security guys actually know, so there is a chance that poor Adam may be sick.

Thank goodness I got to see him the night before, but I wanted to expose my mom to the wonderful world of Adam during the matinee tomorrow, so hopefully he'll be on, but if not, oh well!

Updated On: 8/18/07 at 12:21 AM

I really hope Adam's back tomorrow. I went to his first night a few weeks ago, so it's not the complete end of the world if he's still out, but I'm going with one of my friends to the matinee who has been looking forward to this all summer. For her sake, I'm really hoping he returns.

Thanks for the link Lizzie, I feel kind of bad for Kyle though.

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WTF

http://www.compulsivebowlers.org/boards/viewtopic.php?p=86133#86133

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I doubt Kyle was bitter about it; anyone understudying a huge star knows exactly what they're in for in those circumstances and doesn't take the reaction personally. It happens. At least they don't make announcements for understudies at the beginning of the shows anymore.

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I saw the show on Monday (8/13), which is nearly a week ago at this point, but I know that people enjoy reviews so I'll try to put together a few thoughts.

I was really excited to see Anthony and Adam in the show as Roger and Mark, particularly since I had yet to see Adam live in anything. They were both wonderful, and together are an amazing center for the show. Anthony just is Mark. Really, he's pitch-perfect at striking a balance between the humorous and emotional aspects of the character. One of the things I enjoyed about seeing the show this time was the absence of certain things that have become needless staples of the characters over the years (Mark's table-humping in La Vie Boheme being a big one). It's a case of going for the cheap laugh and being overly literal in illustrating what should be obvious anyway. I think this has happened with other characters as well, namely Maureen, but it's nice to see actors who let the material speak for itself rather than hamming it up. Anthony was especially effective during "Halloween," which really strikes a chord with me when done well, but he was great throughout.

Adam definitely met and even exceeded my expectations. I'm not sure whether it's the direction in the Rent movie or what, but I can't even express how much more effective he is playing Roger on stage. His voice really is one that has to be heard live, and he delivered, hands down, the best rendition of "One Song Glory" I've seen (and I'm told that was on a relatively off night). I think I've read reviews from people who thought he was too subdued, and while I can see thinking that with regards to the movie, I didn't think that was the case. I tend not to like Rogers who are too intense and physically aggressive. I know Roger's angry, but that's also masking a lot of pain, and some actors seem to go too far in the direction of one-note ANGRY!Roger (apologies). Adam's Roger is angry and guarded, but he also conveys the emotional vulnerability of the character. I'm glad I was able to see him.

I'm of two minds about Tamyra. I'd gone in expecting not to like her because she seemed so stiff and uncomfortable in the clips I'd seen -- but my goodness, what a voice she has. There's something about her vocal tone and power that made me extremely forgiving about the parts of her performance that weren't as strong, and I found myself really liking her. She's not as strong or natural a dancer as other Mimis I've seen (most recently Jaime Kirchner) and her "Out Tonight" is a little on the mechanical side, but, again, so well sung. I wish I'd seen more chemistry between her and Adam, but the lack thereof didn't significantly detract from the show for me.

Merle is just wonderful as Joanne. Nicolette's Maureen is fierce, and was impressed with her vocals, so if she was screaming then I wasn't bothered. I can see the complaints that Justin isn't as emotionally engaging an Angel, but I liked him. I don't think there were any egregious weak links, but Anthony and Adam garnered most of the focus.

I am sure the Connie does feel badly, but can you blame her for wanting to see Adam? It is not like this hasn't happened before. There are plenty of "stars" who are out, and the fan base is disappointed. This is heightened because there are only so many performances of Rent with Adam and Anthony. I don't think anyone wonders why Kyle felt awkward. It sucks to be an understudy and go on for someone who draws a large audience, but it is part of the job.

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Adam was there last night. Apparently things got so out of hand at the stage door that the police went in with batons and dispersed the crowd after someone broke through the barricades. This was posted on Adam's myspace:

I was so close to meeting you last night, a dream come true! You even told us you would work your way back around to us. Then the police broke everything up when that lady got through the barrier.