Rent
So back at the flea market I won tickets to Rent. Having not seen the show in about 7 years, and it being the last week in the show for one of my clients, I decided to check it out again.
First off, I should mention that I saw Chicago last Tuesday...or rather, I saw PART of it. The energy was so low and the people in it (aside from Usher) were just so bad they were either not giving anything or giving WAY too much and making characatures out of their roles. Like NONE of the punchlines in "Cell Block Tango" came across. It was so bad that Ger and I couldn't stant to sit in that theater any longer. So this being said, I had very low expectations for Rent.
I must say, I think I enjoyed it more this time, than I did in the however many times I saw it back in high school (I feel like it's around 10, but I have NO idea....it's whenever Julia would drag me). The cast has found ways to make the characters their own, by adding little riffs or just the intonation of what they're saying. And my client, Destan, rocked the frickin house as Collins. His "I'll Cover You" reprise made me cry. Tim Howar (aka Mr. Ruthie Henshall) was great as Roger. (Thankfully) Luther Creek was out of the show last night....though him in the ensemble is probably better than the g-d awful Roger that I saw him do back in '98. Shawn Earl is in the ensemble and while I was trying to remember why in particular I knew who he was, I remembered that he's the one that went on for Benny, jumped off the chair in "Rent" and broke his ankle. It's a little crazy to see a show and remember some of the cast from years earlier from those same roles.
Oh, and while Christopher Hanke was good as Mark, it's a little distracting to expect in the middle of every speech or song Mark to yell "FUCK SUCK DUCK".
First off, I should mention that I saw Chicago last Tuesday...or rather, I saw PART of it. The energy was so low and the people in it (aside from Usher) were just so bad they were either not giving anything or giving WAY too much and making characatures out of their roles. Like NONE of the punchlines in "Cell Block Tango" came across. It was so bad that Ger and I couldn't stant to sit in that theater any longer. So this being said, I had very low expectations for Rent.
I must say, I think I enjoyed it more this time, than I did in the however many times I saw it back in high school (I feel like it's around 10, but I have NO idea....it's whenever Julia would drag me). The cast has found ways to make the characters their own, by adding little riffs or just the intonation of what they're saying. And my client, Destan, rocked the frickin house as Collins. His "I'll Cover You" reprise made me cry. Tim Howar (aka Mr. Ruthie Henshall) was great as Roger. (Thankfully) Luther Creek was out of the show last night....though him in the ensemble is probably better than the g-d awful Roger that I saw him do back in '98. Shawn Earl is in the ensemble and while I was trying to remember why in particular I knew who he was, I remembered that he's the one that went on for Benny, jumped off the chair in "Rent" and broke his ankle. It's a little crazy to see a show and remember some of the cast from years earlier from those same roles.
Oh, and while Christopher Hanke was good as Mark, it's a little distracting to expect in the middle of every speech or song Mark to yell "FUCK SUCK DUCK".