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Post by danb on Apr 5, 2017 12:49:51 GMT
Finally on lunch so I can unload! Just a fantastic energy to the piece that was there in the beginning but never captured in any subsequent pro or amateur productions I've seen. Hats off for not putting Roger & Mark front and centre throughout (both played a bit odd for me but quirky worked. Didn't like Marks look...a bit too Jon Larson). Cover on for Maureen & Joanne; both of them on fire...TMOLM really went off. Best of the bunch for me were Angel & Collins. 'Santa Fe' was played with such warmth, love and hope, which made it even more heartbreaking knowing what was coming. Layton Williams is an absolute star; surely a future Lola?
Loved the set but feared for peoples limbs at times given the amount of ill lit moving parts. Band were raw and rocky with the sound design sometimes favouring this over vocal clarity. I didn't care; I already knew what they were saying.
The thing that shone through was how well the director knew his text & characters. Well done sir. The only (single) choice I didn't appreciate was Finale B being re-arranged slightly & Mimi's "just back from death" voice. Yes it worked, but thats my favourite song!
A total triumph which I probably won't see again in case it isn't as good. 124 stars.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2017 13:36:42 GMT
Finally on lunch so I can unload! Just a fantastic energy to the piece that was there in the beginning but never captured in any subsequent pro or amateur productions I've seen. Hats off for not putting Roger & Mark front and centre throughout (both played a bit odd for me but quirky worked. Didn't like Marks look...a bit too Jon Larson). Cover on for Maureen & Joanne; both of them on fire...TMOLM really went off. Best of the bunch for me were Angel & Collins. 'Santa Fe' was played with such warmth, love and hope, which made it even more heartbreaking knowing what was coming. Layton Williams is an absolute star; surely a future Lola?
Loved the set but feared for peoples limbs at times given the amount of ill lit moving parts. Band were raw and rocky with the sound design sometimes favouring this over vocal clarity. I didn't care; I already knew what they were saying. The thing that shone through was how well the director knew his text & characters. Well done sir. The only (single) choice I didn't appreciate was Finale B being re-arranged slightly & Mimi's "just back from death" voice. Yes it worked, but thats my favourite song! A total triumph which I probably won't see again in case it isn't as good. 124 stars. My exact thought after Today 4 U when I saw it. If this doesn't go back to London or Layton doesn't choose to continue on with it, I could totally see him taking over Matt in Kinky Boots in August. |
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Post by tsxmitw on Apr 7, 2017 22:49:20 GMT
Saw this in Cardiff, thought it was surprisingly incredible.
Had a full cast in great voice. They were clearly loving every moment - Take Me Or Leave Me went off the rails. Phillipa Stefani is a fabulous singer and actress.
Great audience too who were really into it, there wasn't a dry eye in the house at the end.
Agree with comments that the director really gets the source material. Props to the band who sounded awesome, especially the pianist.
Best UK production I've ever seen by MILES.
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Post by katykate on Apr 8, 2017 5:51:41 GMT
Saw this in Cardiff last night too. Was really excited too see it for the first time having listened to and loved the various recordings.
Wow...! I mean I knew from the reviews it would be good but just wow!!! Each and every member of the cast was flawless! The set and lighting really worked and I was captivated from start to finish. Lucie, Shanay and Phillippa were standouts for me but I really couldn't fault a single performer. Definitely a cast and show I would love to see again.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 7:56:51 GMT
I had a fairly emotional "Goodbye love" to this last night. Took my Mum, who bless her gave in to some hassling in NY some 15 years ago to see this without quite knowing where it would lead. I also got oddly emotional about seeing it on my "home" stage and the stage where I took a bow in graduation as "Dr Rent"
Anyway as ever everyone was stunning, and I hope this production gets continued life on tour or back in London.
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Post by infofreako on Apr 8, 2017 9:09:34 GMT
I had a fairly emotional "Goodbye love" to this last night. Took my Mum, who bless her gave in to some hassling in NY some 15 years ago to see this without quite knowing where it would lead. I also got oddly emotional about seeing it on my "home" stage and the stage where I took a bow in graduation as "Dr Rent" Anyway as ever everyone was stunning, and I hope this production gets continued life on tour or back in London. Will that be your last even if it returns to London then? |
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Post by LXQ41.GO. on Apr 9, 2017 22:22:24 GMT
Finally got round to seeing this show on tour, having been a fan of RENT for over 10 years, its been a long time coming!
I travelled up to see the final show in WMC and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Christina Modestou was on for Maureen and I really enjoyed her performance, a little kooky but a strong performance with brilliant vocals. Equally I could listen to Ryan O'Gorman's voice all day, perfect portrayl of Collins.. such a shame a phone went off during "I'll Cover You" reprise (yes, really! of all the moments..) as it was hauntingly beautiful. It took a while to warm to Billy Cullum's portrayl of Mark, however after the 3rd song of the show I preferred his more 'in the background' awkwardness. Some of the other "Mark's" I have seen previously have turned this into an annoying edge, whereas Cullum's portrayl had a great balance.
I might be in my own boat on this one, but I am not as keen on Philippa Stefani's portrayl of Mimi. She has a great voice and her acting is outstanding, so raw and full of heartbreak, but at the same time I almost felt like the character would be the two-faced high school girl if she had the money? Again, completely my own opinion. I think I just prefer the more 'innocent' and weak Mimi's... but like I said I cannot fault Philippa's acting & singing, its just not to my taste.
The show in general was in top form, the set design is brilliant and the direction of the show is fresh. As mentioned on this forum before, previous shows had Mark & Roger centre stage, whereas you could pick and choose where you wanted to look as the action went on everywhere. There were a few mic issues, with a couple of the leads mics cutting out completely, which was frustrating but cant be helped much. The ensemble were fantastic, with special shout outs to Jenny O'Leary, Joshua Dever & Kevin Yates who stood out with their various solos.
Overall a great show, the best I have seen in a while. Try and catch it if you haven't yet!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2017 16:35:07 GMT
I had a fairly emotional "Goodbye love" to this last night. Took my Mum, who bless her gave in to some hassling in NY some 15 years ago to see this without quite knowing where it would lead. I also got oddly emotional about seeing it on my "home" stage and the stage where I took a bow in graduation as "Dr Rent" Anyway as ever everyone was stunning, and I hope this production gets continued life on tour or back in London. Will that be your last even if it returns to London then? No, not at all, I think I'll always go and see Rent when Rent is available to see if only for the nostalgia trap. But I'm also perfectly happy if that happens once every few years or so. If this production did go back to London, or tour again nearby I'd revisit, probably. But this time around felt special- for me personally with distance from PhD/proximity to Angels in America, and because it's the production I never expected to get/to be so good. Long story short, I'll always go back to Rent. And it never really goes away. But if Friday were to be the last, then I'm ok with that too. |
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Post by Being Alive on Apr 10, 2017 16:37:37 GMT
Just snagged a ticket for tomorrow night in Cheltenham - it is very well sold and I can't wait . love the film, saw the concert tour with Natasha Hamilton (- which we probably shouldn't mention anymore... - ) and can't wait for this!)
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Post by infofreako on Apr 10, 2017 17:12:28 GMT
@emicardiff. That's a great place to be.
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Post by bellboard27 on Apr 10, 2017 18:14:24 GMT
Got a ticket for the run in Tunbridge Wells. £15 near the front can't be bad.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2017 8:32:27 GMT
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Post by Being Alive on Apr 11, 2017 23:27:51 GMT
When I first saw Rent I didn't get it. It was the concert production and the cast weren't strong enough. I came out underwhelmed.
Tonight, I came out overwhelmed and sobbing. What a magnificent production. Honestly, blown away. Layton Williams is ASTONISHING. if he's not Lola in KB soon then it's an injustice. But the whole thing made a lot more sense staged (as obviously it would). Lots of funny moments but beautifully tragic moments too. I had totally forgotten most of the score too, so I'm so glad to have rediscovered it!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2017 17:42:12 GMT
Tonight is being performed in concert version due to cast illness namely Philippa, Lucie and Bobbie. Christina Modestu will cover Maureen and, in a surprising twist, Rafaella Coveno, one of the swings, will debut as Mimi, even though she is not listed as a cover for that role!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 13:33:26 GMT
Any fans of Rent out there, especially this production, you may want to search "Rent UK Tour 2017" on YouTube and fast, I'm just sayin'...  |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 14:21:27 GMT
Any fans of Rent out there, especially this production, you may want to search "Rent UK Tour 2017" on YouTube and fast, I'm just sayin'... Was hoping for a visual  x |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 15:01:40 GMT
Any fans of Rent out there, especially this production, you may want to search "Rent UK Tour 2017" on YouTube and fast, I'm just sayin'... Was hoping for a visual x Still worth it! |
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Post by LaLuPone on Apr 20, 2017 15:41:22 GMT
Debating going to closing night at Tunbridge Wells. It's a long way for me to travel but it's such an amazing show and who knows when we'll next get a full professional production. Theatre struggles 😭😭
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 15:44:05 GMT
Debating going to closing night at Tunbridge Wells. It's a long way for me to travel but it's such an amazing show and who knows when we'll next get a full professional production. Theatre struggles 😭😭 I'm tempted too, it is a fairly long way for me too... if I do it, I am gonna make the most of it and see both the matinee and the evening show though. |
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Post by infofreako on Apr 20, 2017 18:44:01 GMT
I will be at the matinee on the last day. For some bizarre reason I'm signed up to walk from Crawley to Brighton starting at about midnight so I need to work out if I can cram the evening show in too.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2017 19:07:36 GMT
Related/unrelated I wrote this blog last week about having the two things (Rent and Angels) I spent a lot of time researching suddenly the focus of wider attention again. |
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Post by haz23 on Apr 20, 2017 22:00:00 GMT
Caught the matinee in York today and it was just as wonderful as it was in London earlier this year. Layton Williams, Philippa Stefani and Billy Cullum are still the standouts, really raw, emotional performances where a lot of thought has been put into every word. Saw understudy Maureen too who was fantastic! Run to see this show before it finishes on tour, it really is special.
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Post by lou105 on Apr 20, 2017 23:18:07 GMT
Very enthusiastic response from a well sold house tonight too. Understudy Maureen was still on, and full of energy. (Lucie was watching so is presumably on the mend but wont be wanting to rush things considering the month she has ahead). Layton got the biggest reaction, not surprisingly , but the whole cast work so hard and seemed to appreciate the response! This theatre doesnt often receive touring musicals. It was reordered recently meaning that the small stalls block (ten rows of twenty I think) now rises up to meet the front of the dress circle, which seemed to enhance the atmosphere (and the view).
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Post by Rozzi Rainbow on Apr 24, 2017 20:58:27 GMT
I saw this on Saturday afternoon. I often go to the theatre in York but had never been to the theatre royal before, it's a nice venue. I could only get a seat at the back of the upper circle though, which in most places would be too high for me, but it was ok here as there's not many rows in either circle.
I'd seen Rent once before at the concert performance at the Garrick a few years back. I couldn't really follow it very well then and was told it would be better watching the full show. I could just about follow it this time, but overall I though it was very strange. I liked the second half better when they started moving through the year - and I love Seasons of Love and thought this was beautifully done with the harmonies. It seemed to end very suddenly, I thought they would have done an encore. I liked how they just took their bows one at a time down the line.
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Post by thebearofwestend on Apr 26, 2017 7:53:50 GMT
"Why is rent so badly received in the U.K."
It so well received in the usa . I know you have different tastes. just wondering
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