Rent at the Bowl
So on Sunday, Judy and I saw Rent at the Hollywood Bowl. It was pretty amazing, to say the least. I can't say it was perfect, though, because it definitely wasn't but I enjoyed myself thoroughly and I got goosebumps at all the right moments and it was a good night of music. Before I talk about all the good stuff, let's discuss the bad stuff, shall we?
It was a very good night.
- Vanessa Hudgens: I really wanted her to be good in this because I'm a bit of a fan. I defended against many doubters her even though I myself had some reservations about her ability to act and sing. And it's not like the part is terribly difficult. I mean, listen to Daphne Rubin-Vega sing Out Tonight. It's unimpressive. But she just couldn't do it the way it should've been done. Maybe with a little more training and some practice she could've been better but one week wasn't nearly enough time for her to prepare. I guess her singing wasn't all that bad. She was good occasionally, specifically in the slower songs that didn't require much action but, whenever she had to dance and sing, it was just not good. And she looked really young against the other actors. Yes, Mimi is younger than the rest of the characters but, she has a bit of edge to her and not so much innocence. She is a drug-addicted stripper with AIDs, after all. She's been around the block a few times. And when she sings the line, Let's just make this part go faster / I have yet to be in it, her voice makes her sound not like a young woman falling in love for the first time but like a little girl dreaming of what love should be like. She sounds young, not youthful. Seeing her with Aaron Tveit kinda felt wrong. Like he was taking advantage of her. It was all very bad. On top of that, she sang a verse twice! Christmas only comes once a year (unless you're a Bond girl).
- Stuff Was Cut: Several songs were edited which I didn't like at all. The first half of Contact removed. I can understand why they did so for the movie. It's sexually explicit and rather artsy and not really filmable. I was kinda looking forward to how they would interpret it in this version. It was really clever in the way it segued into Angel's death and to not have it there, it's sort of like she just died. It would've been the same if in the movie version she died off screen. The second verse of I'll Cover You was cut for some odd reason. And Finale A was cut completely so it goes right from What You Own into Mimi being carried on stage, dying, without any explanation of what happened to the other characters besides Roger and Mark or that time has passed or anything. It was so rushed. There were also a few little lines cut here and there and I can understand that they would probably cut those for time and I'm just being nit-picky over those things but for the other stuff I mentioned, it doesn't make sense. I mean, people paid to see all of it so it's not like the audience is looking at the watches, asking to hurry things along.
- A Lack of Anthony Rapp: He will always be the only Mark for me. I'm sorry all you other hopefuls. You just don't cut it.
- The National Anthem: Before the show started, Aaron Tveit played the National Anthem on an electric guitar. It was the most excited for The Star-Spangled Banner that I have ever been!
- The Stage: It was kinda refreshing to see a different set up. At first, it was weird not seeing the usual set pieces but it was like it was new. I didn't know where people would be coming in from or how they would be moving in the space. It was like seeing it for the first time. Part of the way the stage is set up, there's a catwalk that comes out across into the audience and during Out Tonight, someone in the audience gave Vanessa Hudgens some money. Who was that person? THE ZEF!
- Nicole Scherzinger: I was thoroughly impressed by her. I guess you never notice that she's such a great singer because of the type of music she sings but, trust me, girl can sang! And it's tough taking on a role that Idina Menzel originated because her voice is pretty powerful but Nicole had full control over it and even made it her own in bits. During Over the Moon, she did a section of it as a rap. It was so cool. And when she sang Take Me or Leave Me, she pretty much stole the song. She made it seem so effortless and you could hear the other girl trying to keep up with her. And it was neat to see her dance in Tango, Maureen. Stealing the three-way tango bit from the film version was smart, especially when you have someone who can really dance!
- Aaron Tveit!: When I heard they were putting on this production at the Hollywood Bowl, I had to see it. Rent is probably my favorite musical so whenever it's in the vicinity, I make an effort to see it. When I found out Aaron Tveit was gonna be in it, I seriously freaked out...and then shared the news with the only other person who I knew would care. Interestingly enough, Jayci and I were talking about how cool it would be if he was in it playing Mark and how perfect he'd be. He ended up playing Roger but it was still cool! He is probably the best Roger I've ever seen and that includes Adam Pascal. I knew he had the vocal chops for it but I didn't think he'd look the part as much as he would look like Mark but he totally pulled it off. He was just so completely handsome and sexy and his singing was amazing and his acting was great. He really made the show for me not just because I'm a fan but because he was really just that good.
It was a very good night.