Woah! New tour Maureen mighty fine...- Page 2

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 6:26pm

I saw a tour at the beginning of the year. And that is a LONG drive for me to see it now. I live in SC, so look at that list and you will see what I am talking about

[insomniak]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 6:36pm

Alabama is kind of near South Carolina, isn't it? I suck at geography.

OT, but do you have a southern accent?

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 6:43pm

I am not TWANGY but I have southern inflictions to my voice. And yes, I say "y'all"

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 7:03pm

Spiderdj82 = Britney Spears :)

Did anyone see hte show in Portland/Phoenix/Seattle? Those are the only cities the new cast has performed at so far.

I was telling Insomniak on CB that I did an interview with the new Mark today. It was really awesome.

Rentthetour.com is stupid. Not only is it not up to date, but it spelled Vancouver as two words! (WTF?)

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 7:19pm

nope, britany spears I am not.....LOL. She speaks hickish, I speak english with a slight southern infliction. And I would look scary in that wonder bra, but so does she so what am I complaining about?

Updated On: 9/3/04 at 07:19 PM

[Jess1483]

Posted: 9/3/04 at 11:01pm

Sorry, I'm kind of late, but I saw her in the tour in Seattle. I thought she (and the rest of the cast) was pretty good. My dad said "not as good as in New York" if that helps. I wasn't like "whoa, the Maureen is amazing" but she certainly held her own. I saw Rent in New York in February with my brother and I thought the tour cast was better. I don't know if that was helpful...

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 12:56pm

I saw the show opening night in Vancouver on Tuesday. Overall, I thought this cast was better than the cast I saw in NYC in April (which was the same cast as now, but with Maggie as Maureen, Karmine as Mimi and Sebastian as Roger). Sorry the review's so long. I cut and pasted it from Compulsive Bowlers.

(PS If you're too lazy to read hte whole thing, then the point is Ava kicks ass. I didn't like Maggie Benjamin much, but Ava's got a killer voice (and body) and she's great. This is the only OTM that I've actually laughed at before. My only gripe is she and Adrienne Fishe (Joanne) don't have much chemistry.


Rent - Awesome. Let me preface by saying that Vancouver theatre patrons tend to be fairly casual, laid back and not too vocal at ANY Broadway shows I've seen, but the fact that people actually cheered at the end of this song is definitely a good sign. (Polite applause is the norm.) But the only gripe I had during this part, and a few other songs, is that the band is too goddamn loud! I was sitting in the 8th row and it was just waaay too much. Yes, it's a rock-musical, but the volume could stand to be turned down a notch or two - or five. The result of this was that a lot of the lower parts and quieter singing parts were drowned out. Lots of energy from the cast though. It looks like everyone's having a good time.

One Song Glory – I was scared before the song started. OSG is one of my favorite songs, and I didn’t know if I would like Dan at all. I was relieved because I liked Dan's rendition better than Sebatian's when I saw it a few months ago. He can really hit those notes and it soars. His acting is good too. But again, the song has so much range that any of those low notes get lost in the loud guitar accompaniment. It's not like you can just sing louder. Either turn up Dan's mike or turn down the band's mikes.

Light My Candle - Dan and Tallia have got good chemistry and their voices work well together (Dan's voice sounds similar to Adam's, and Tallia's isn't as husky as Daphne's but the harmonies work). Did they always do the heavy drum bit after the "They used to tie you up" part? It sort of threw me off. Tallia's got pipes but her part about having a nice ass...you couldn't hear it very well. The whole exchange could've been played up more.

Today 4 U - All right. I've never been a big fan of this song (I think the way it's written - the music and lyrics - makes it very susceptible for Rent virgins to miss out on what is an important subplot) but Damien's a bundle of energy and he's got the drag queen part nailed. (I'd say more, but really, it's not my favorite song of Angel's so..meh.)

You'll See - Similar to Today 4 U, it's not one of my favorite songs, but I dig Mario's voice. It sounds a lot like Taye's. It's cool seeing several cast members doing a song together because you can tell that they all really play well off each other.

Tango: Maureen - "I hired an engineer." "Greeeaaaat." Heh. I don’t know how I feel about Adrienne. I don’t think the role of Joanne is written with as much “flesh” as the other characters. It’s sort of the proverbial “Fiyero” part (kind of thankless and doesn't play up to its potential) but Adrienne’s got good comedic timing and played well off Andy. The "pookie" bit got a good laugh. I took my mom to the show, and she's a Rent virgin who's tastes tend to go more towards Miss Saigon and Phantom. Let's just say, when they said, "F*CKin' cheated." she went, "There's swearing in this show?" I shook my head sadly at her. The night just started.

Life Support - Okay. My favorite part of the song is Gordon's solo. It's beautiful and I think it’s the climax of the song and one of the first truly emotional parts of the show. But I met Jon Tisevich after the show, and this nice guy asks me if I know who he played. And what do I say? "Uh...the "There, there." guy?" F*CK. Me. And he kindly points out that he played Gordon. I'm stricken, going, "Oh my god, but you were also the "There, there" guy, right?" and he snickers and tells me yes, he was. Still. Jesus. I like the "There, there" bit okay? Sue me! Anyhoo...

Out Tonight - One of my favorite songs, so if this song isn't done well, that's pretty much it for me. Luckily, this was one of Tallia's best, at least the parts you can hear of it. I don't know if I'm feelin' the flat hair instead of the crazy puffy whatsit because you don't get to see the glitter go crazy as much, but at least she was wearing blue pants. (And boy, does she ever. I think she got two loud Rent virgin girls in front of me swinging for the other team. When she turns around and does a slow grind with her bum facing the audience, they exchanged looks, mouths agape, in admiration.) Any flexibility problems she had before are definitely fixed. She kicked high coming down the stairs, and I swear to god, when she’s sprawling on the table near the end of the song, she nearly nailed Dan in the head.

Another Day - Cool. Dan plays Roger really broody. A lot more depth than Sebastian (sorry, he's the only one I remember well since it was fairly recently). Tallia's a belter. They've got a great chemistry. Whoo.

On The Street - Bag Lady was all right. Good attitude. Was probably saving her energy up for her SOL solo (which killed – in a good way).

Santa Fe – This is usually the part of the show where I start to squirm, think about where to go for intermission, how the bathroom line up will be, etc. Not one of my favorite songs at all but Marcus has got a good voice.

ICY – Sweet. Good voices and Marcus and Damian have great chemistry.

Christmas Bells – I didn’t like this song in NYC but for some reason I liked it more (or maybe didn’t mind it as much) this time round. (I know it seems like I dislike a lot of the show – honestly, I don’t. It’s just after listening to the OBCR and watching the show – in person and not – so many times, there are certain songs that can do without listening to over and over again.) Honestly, it’s little bits like this where the company’s together where you can really tell the difference between this cast and other casts. They’ve got so much energy, and everything sounds fresh. But Christ, that music is loud. It didn’t ruin the show, but it was distracting. I don’t know if people who’ve never seen the show before would get what’s going on.

Over The Moon – I hated listening to this on the OBCR, and I didn’t like Maggie – flame me if you will – but Ava ****ing rules, and she actually had me laughing my ass off. It was the highlight of the night. It got a GREAT response from the audience and people moo-ed without hesitation (even my prudish mother and Peter Birnie from the Vancouver Sun, who was sitting next to me. Buddy didn't even applaud at a few other shows I’ve seen him at. He seemed to really like this show.). This is really rare in Vancouver. Honestly, I don’t know if there were a lot of RENTheads in the audience or something, but people were keen. Ava’s voice is killer. The “robot” is great. The “got to, got to” part was more spoken than sung, but whatever. I’ll bet any amount of money that Ava will be doing this role on Broadway within the next 3 years.

La Vie Boheme – Sadly, I don’t remember much because the audience was more memorable. First, during the whole, “Here she lies…no one knew her worth…the late great daughter of mother earth…” and then the company’s singing “La Vie Boheme”, I swear to god the same girls who were ogling Tallia were saying that they thought the song was about a girl who died named Boheme. No, seriously. Funnily enough, they were in histrionics during ICY:R and Good-bye Love, so I wonder what they thought the show was about. And Andy does a funny bit with the “mucho masturbation” that involves, like, fast thrusts, then a slow thrust and then cleans off the table with his hand and wipes it on his shirt. My mother gasped and said, “Did he just wipe his semen off the table?” Me: "No, Mom. He just mimed it.”

SOL - Good. LaDonna totally killed, but she made some interesting riff choices. Hmm...company was totally feeling it though.

TMOLM - Adrienne's got a good voice. Ava's got a good voice. But for some reason, this didn't really rock as much as it could have. Maybe it's a lack of chemistry or something. It was okay. But not as in-your-face as I thought it would be.

Without You - Tallia and Dan's better song, but again, a lot of words got lost in the music. Lots of emotion though from both of them. Angel and Collins interaction, even without lines or lyrics, their chemistry is amazing. It really made me feel for the song more.

Contact -
Press tickets: $0
Vancouver parking: $6
Pre-theatre dinner: $30
Seeing my prudish mom's face during this song: Priceless.

This ain’t yo grandma’s musical. I don't think they've tamed down the - uh, choreography? - for the tour. If anything, it's more sexual than the Broadway production right now.

ICY:R - I heart Marcus. I actually teared up during this one (and Good-bye Love), and I've never been that moved at any show before. The only reason I didn't totally break down is because the two girls in front of me were weeping. I know, it's sad. R.I.P. Boheme. You will be missed.

Halloween - Andy's best song, acting wise and vocally.

Good-bye Love - Intense. After OTM, probably the next highlight of the show. The company's best when doing those scenes where they can play off each other. And yes, Andy's substantially shorter than Dan (I've got it on good authority that he's 5"7) but it really works for his character, and works for this scene, because when Andy and Dan are right up in each other's faces (okay, Dan's pectoral area, and mountain air/way above the top of Andy's head, respectively) during the "Facing your failure" part, ooooh. Good acting. And pushy. Literally.

What You Own - Now that I "get" that Roger and Mark are in two different places, I enjoy this song more. It makes sense.

Finale - For each cast change, do they change the footage of the actor on the screen? Just wondering. I thought Dan sort of underplayed the "No!" but I guess it's a character choice. Tallia dies nicely. Not over-dramatic. I liked the exchange between her and Roger leading into...

Your Eyes - Probably the only song that I could hear everything that Dan was saying. Finally. Amen. I really like this song and I like Dan’s rendition.

Finale B - Rousing. Nice. I don't like the way Daphne says the lines after her "revival" on the OBCR, but I liked Tallia's. Good standing ovation at curtain. Whew.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 9/9/04 at 12:59pm

i'd love to light ava's candle

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:49am

That girl looks like a pretty sexy Maureen.

I was thinking that Amy Jo Johnson might make a good Maureen depending upon her range and stage ability.

http://www.amyjo.com/

Amy Jo Singing Sweetwater's Motherless Child in Windows Media

Updated On: 5/31/05 at 09:49 AM

[BroomstickBoy]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 4:41pm

I wish Amy Jo Johnson would come to Broadway. She'd be really good as Maureen. She'd also make a good Nessa in Wicked, or maybe even Elphaba.

I've heard some of the songs from her album and her voice reminds me of Jenna Leigh Green's, in a way.

Didn't she do a show in New York called "Love, Janis"?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 4:45pm

Love, Janis is going to have an open-ended run in Cleveland...maybe she will play Janis. :)

[jaded_october]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 5:07pm

by your avatar it looks like she was in chicago. touring or in ny?

[EVIE]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 5:54pm

I saw Ava a while back and thought she was INCREDIBLE!! She was so lovable and sexy, that you could def see why both Mark and Joanne fell in love with her. She was hot and sexy but sweet and silly. Loved her!!

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 6:16pm

Bway...are you SURE that's her in your avatar? Because it looks an awful lot like Bianca Marroquin...who is playing Roxie in the Chicago Tour.

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 6:19pm

You guys, I started this thread a long time ago and someone brought it back up.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 6:22pm

Ohh..okay. So is that Bianca?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 6:22pm

Yes it is.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 7:56pm

Ahh...Isn't she wonderful?

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 7:59pm

Yes she is.

[incendiary_wit]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 8:02pm

Sweet Mary in the manger *fans self* I...need...to catch my breath and mop up the drool...holy hell, she's HOT!

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 8:06pm

Maybe I'm just being incredibly stupid today, but I can't find the tour dates for RENT on the sit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com. So can anyone either tell me how to get there or if its coming anywhere near the LA/Southern CA area anytime soon? Thanks!

[camerangel]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 8:09pm

Dreamcatcher- The tour ended in March, from what I understand there wont be another one until Jan of 06 at the earliest.. Sorry.. You missed an amazing cast though..

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 8:10pm

DAMN. I always miss the good tours....:-/ Oh well, thanks anyways camerangel. It looked like such a wonderful cast.

[Aigoo]

Posted: 5/31/05 at 9:21pm

Oo. Idina has competition, Nard.


She's hot, with an "aw".