Who do you prefer Daphne Rubin-Vega or Rosario Dawson singing the songs from RENT?

[Marquise]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 5:00am

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 5:04am

I like Nina Simone's daughter.

[neomystyk29]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 8:36am

As much as I dont like Rosario, I hate Daphne's wild donald duck impressions that some call singing. Rosario maybe to pure and too thin but I would rather that than Daphne's flaws.

I'd much rather Karmine be in this movie, or even Krystal.

[erinrebecca]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 9:46am

How about neither? :) I'd take Saskia Garel, Loraine Velez, Marcy Harriell, Maya Days, or Krysten Cummings(before she messed up her voice) before either of them.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:00am

I like and dislike them both in different ways. They are just so different I can't really compare them. And I can't put my finger on what I really did or didn't like about each of their performances. If I had to choose one I would say Daphne, probably because I am used to her.

Karmine Alers would have been perfect. She completely wowed me in the role.

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:10am

Krysten's voice is now back in top condition, or at least it was when she was in Rent when it came back to London the last time. I went to see her when she was on as Mimi (she was alternate Mimi and Maureen, go figure) and she blew the roof off. I was very happy.

[Patronus]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:12am

I'll take Yassmin Alers please.

[uncageg]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:29am

Did Nina Simoe's daughter do RENT? (Her name is Simone). I saw her in the "Aida" tour. She was excellent. Based on what I have heard of Rosario (I only sampled the RENT movie CD. Have decided not to buy it until after I see the movie. I would rather see it and hear it at the same time) I think she does a great job. She sounds a bit less edgy than Rubin-Vega but she definetly holds her own.

Updated On: 10/2/05 at 10:29 AM

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:33am

I believe she was Daphne's understudy in the OBC and then performed the role on tour. Her bar work in Out Tonight was nothing to write home about but her voice was (and still is I'm sure) sent from God. She tore it up.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:39am

I love Rosario on the cd, as well as Daphne, but I'd probably go with Daphne.

[Patronus]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:39am

Yes, Simone did Rent.

She was Daphne's understudy for a short while on Broadway before becoming the original Mimi in the First National Tour (Angel Company) that started out on Boston before moving on to St Paul, Chicago and Detroit for long stops.

That company opened on 12/6/96 and Simone left on 4/29/98 in Detroit to work with her band Liquid Soul. The Angel Tour closed down permanently in San Francisco on 9/5/99.

Simone vocally was a powerhouse as Mimi, but seeing it was a different story all together.

You can't really tell it so much from the picture I added, but Simone was very fit. She was sculpted and muscular in a lot of ways and I just didn't buy the "sickly" aspect of Mimi which is rather important for Mimi to be believable for me.

It didn't help that the original Angel tour Roger was Sean Keller who wasn't a big guy at all and it just always seemed like Mimi was going to beat the hell out of Roger if he didn't go out with her that night. Keller didn't last long because he was terrible vocally (they had to change the harmony in Rent so that Mark (Luther Creek) sang the high riffs because Keller couldn't do it) and they brought in Manley Pope who at least looked a bit more "manly" (pun fully intended) next to Simone.

(The truly scary thing is all of that is from memory. )


Updated On: 10/2/05 at 10:39 AM

[Katecab99]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:45am

daphne, but i'll take karmine alers over everyone!

[TheHumanTorch]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:46am

yeah... definately Karmine Alers.... or I just saw a girl named Eva something play Mimi... and I thought her voice was fantastic...but I can't remember her last name...

[Patronus]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:49am

You are probably thinking of Ava Gaudet.

She is the full time Maureen now, but apparently is still an emergency Mimi understudy.

Just a head's up for all of the Karmine fans. Her last performance as the full time Mimi is 10/16. She is staying with the company as a swing, but you might want to go see her final performance.
Updated On: 10/2/05 at 10:49 AM

[YankeesFan175]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:51am

its hard to say, they both have their strengths and weaknesses. if i had to pick though, probably rosario. she sings and seems to play mimi a lot sweeter and more naive than daphne did. i would have really loved to see krystal l washington in the role. when i went to see RENT in july for the first time, karmine was out so we saw krystal instead. her peformance actually made me like mimi. i never liked her b/c of daphnies singing. i sat there "freezing down to my bones" when she belted out "oh whatd you do to my candle?" sol i wouldve loved to see krystal, but i think i prefer rosario to daphne.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:53am

i wanted to see Maya as Mimi!!!

[Patronus]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 10:59am

Laura Dias (I still refuse to call her Maya Days) was a very good Mimi.

Her bar work in Out Tonight was second to none. One of the times I saw her she jumped from the 2nd stair down to the floor in Out Tonight. She had no fear at all up there.

I also saw her go on as Joanne here in LA which was odd, but that's an even bigger threadjack.

[Shoshana BeanieBaby]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:01am

Between the two...Daphne...hands down


If I had my pick I'd have to vote for Maya Days. She was AWESOME as Mimi. And I feel like her voice has gotten a lot stronger since Rent (after her reflux surgery) and I would love to hear her tackle that music again. Plus, her dancing in Out Tonight was the best!

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:05am

Without wishing to threadjack, I have to say that Maya's voice certainly isn't sounding strong in Once Around The Sun.

[joeybiltmore1]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:25am

Rubin-Vega in a heartbeat. Dawson's voice is thin, and judging by her awkward vocal performance in "Two Gentlemen of Verona" in the park this summer, I'd bet that her vocals on the "Rent" soundtrack were helped along quite a bit by technology.

But I'll take Simone over them both.
Updated On: 10/2/05 at 11:25 AM

[sweeedboy]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:27am

there are some bootlegs(evil evil ahhh, get over it) of Simone from the tour's last night in Chicago. She is rediculous. Her melodic changes are incredible. She is simply fierce, but I would have to see her to totally judge her mimi, cause it ain't all about the singing.

[softershade]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:33am

between the two it would be daphne for me, but out of everyone it would be either karmine or marcy.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 11:35am

Rubin-Vega, hands down. Karmine Alers is also a favorite, but I think Rosario's vocals on the soundtrack are fantastic.

[showbiz]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 12:18pm

Between the two of them definitely Daphne.
I've heard several different Mimis though, my favorite one of all is Marcy Harriell.

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 10/2/05 at 12:25pm

Crucify me if you must, but I prefer Rosario.