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Thread started 01/22/19 11:13pm

CynicKill

Who's Ready To Pay Their RENT?

I'm so excited for "Rent Live" this coming weekend.

I'm ready to be overwhelmed by the over-exhuberent sentimentality of it all.

Are you?

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Reply #1 posted 01/23/19 7:50am

rainbowchild

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Valentina!!! šŸ˜šŸŒˆšŸ’‹
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #2 posted 01/23/19 8:15am

TrivialPursuit

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I'm white-knuckling this until it's over. I have such affection for RENT since it's debut. When I lived in MPLS, the touring cast came through Record Town (I worked there) at the Mall of America. They dropped off a CD of the highlights of the original cast recording. I took that CD home and learned every song. I went to see the touring cast in St. Paul that week. I had a friend named Maureen, who played Maureen in the Canadian production during that time. (This was all 1997.) When I moved to upstate NY later that year, I got in a relationship in '98 and took my boyfriend to see RENT when the tour came through here. He elbowed me in the ribs when I yelled "MOOOO!" during Maureen's speech. He had no idea there was some interaction. We both went to see the movie, and the final performance filmed for viewing in Regal (and other chain) Cinemas. Bought the DVD of that, too.

Now this FOX LIVE production, which I actually heard about over a year ago. I don't know any of the cast except Vanessa (playing Maureen) and Valentina (I hope he can sing). His personality seems fit for Angel, but we'll see. I'm not thrilled with the casting of Mark, thus far. I'm not clear on show is playing Mimi, although I think ol' girl was on a Britney Spears song or something (which I remember feeling it was forced for the sake of a duet; because there was zero chemistry).

Either way, the DVR is set and we're ready for it all. It's supposed to be more audience interactive like Jesus Christ Superstar was with John Legend. That should be fun because it is a very audience driven show.

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #3 posted 01/23/19 8:29am

rainbowchild

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TrivialPursuit said:

I'm white-knuckling this until it's over. I have such affection for RENT since it's debut. When I lived in MPLS, the touring cast came through Record Town (I worked there) at the Mall of America. They dropped off a CD of the highlights of the original cast recording. I took that CD home and learned every song. I went to see the touring cast in St. Paul that week. I had a friend named Maureen, who played Maureen in the Canadian production during that time. (This was all 1997.) When I moved to upstate NY later that year, I got in a relationship in '98 and took my boyfriend to see RENT when the tour came through here. He elbowed me in the ribs when I yelled "MOOOO!" during Maureen's speech. He had no idea there was some interaction. We both went to see the movie, and the final performance filmed for viewing in Regal (and other chain) Cinemas. Bought the DVD of that, too.

Now this FOX LIVE production, which I actually heard about over a year ago. I don't know any of the cast except Vanessa (playing Maureen) and Valentina (I hope he can sing). His personality seems fit for Angel, but we'll see. I'm not thrilled with the casting of Mark, thus far. I'm not clear on show is playing Mimi, although I think ol' girl was on a Britney Spears song or something (which I remember feeling it was forced for the sake of a duet; because there was zero chemistry).

Either way, the DVR is set and we're ready for it all. It's supposed to be more audience interactive like Jesus Christ Superstar was with John Legend. That should be fun because it is a very audience driven show.



Looking forward to this as well. Only saw the musical live once on Broadway on my first trip to NYC in ā€˜96. Iā€™m just glad this musical is getting a live performance and exposure on national TV. I hope the songs/lyrics wonā€™t be edited for network TV.
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #4 posted 01/23/19 9:36am

CynicKill

TrivialPursuit said:

I'm white-knuckling this until it's over. I have such affection for RENT since it's debut. When I lived in MPLS, the touring cast came through Record Town (I worked there) at the Mall of America. They dropped off a CD of the highlights of the original cast recording. I took that CD home and learned every song. I went to see the touring cast in St. Paul that week. I had a friend named Maureen, who played Maureen in the Canadian production during that time. (This was all 1997.) When I moved to upstate NY later that year, I got in a relationship in '98 and took my boyfriend to see RENT when the tour came through here. He elbowed me in the ribs when I yelled "MOOOO!" during Maureen's speech. He had no idea there was some interaction. We both went to see the movie, and the final performance filmed for viewing in Regal (and other chain) Cinemas. Bought the DVD of that, too.

Now this FOX LIVE production, which I actually heard about over a year ago. I don't know any of the cast except Vanessa (playing Maureen) and Valentina (I hope he can sing). His personality seems fit for Angel, but we'll see. I'm not thrilled with the casting of Mark, thus far. I'm not clear on show is playing Mimi, although I think ol' girl was on a Britney Spears song or something (which I remember feeling it was forced for the sake of a duet; because there was zero chemistry).

Either way, the DVR is set and we're ready for it all. It's supposed to be more audience interactive like Jesus Christ Superstar was with John Legend. That should be fun because it is a very audience driven show.

He can sing and dance though so...

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Reply #5 posted 01/25/19 9:16am

CynicKill

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Reply #6 posted 01/27/19 4:57pm

rainbowchild

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Itā€™s on in less than 5 minutes!!!!!
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #7 posted 01/27/19 4:58pm

TrivialPursuit

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rainbowchild said:

Itā€™s on in less than 5 minutes!!!!!!


We're going to be on a slight DVR delay, but I'm ready!

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #8 posted 01/27/19 5:12pm

TrivialPursuit

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Also live tweeting.


The guy playing Roger has a broken foot, Variety is tweeting, FYI. I love that the whole theater looks like the set.

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #9 posted 01/27/19 8:52pm

HatrinaHaterwi
tz

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The best part of the whole damn show for me was the 10 seconds of Jesse L. Martin at the end. That's just the truth.

I knew from the start that I loved you with all my heart.
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Reply #10 posted 01/27/19 9:22pm

CynicKill

OK Vanessa Hudgins!

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Reply #11 posted 01/27/19 10:45pm

TrivialPursuit

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Okay so...

Strong points:

1) The whole set, incorporating the audience, and the whole sound stage feeling like it's part of the set was just phenomenal. The ability to walk from one end to the other to mimic walking down a long street, the backdrops and signage for laundry, delis, subway, etc, added amazing nuance. The stage was its own character tonight.

2) Vanessa Hudgens - I was worried about her Maureen protest speech, but the girl made it happen 10x over! I was really impressed with her. She was the very good Maureen tonight. She played Mimi in 2010, so she knows her Rent ropes.

3) Mark - I wasn't sure I was digging the casting here, but he really pulled it off well.

4) the moment just before "I'll Cover You" with the reference to the original red/blue stripe shirt that Mark wore = hysterical

5) Tinashe as Mimi was great. I know she's a singer but who the fuck knows anything about her? She may have a better career on Broadway than selling records.

6) the funeral scene: I was bawling. That B version of "I'll Cover You" always got me, and it was at its best in the movie. But tonight - gheezusfuck it was perfection.

7) casting the bearded lady from The Greatest Showman in multiple roles was a great find

8) original cast at the end, characters teaming up; they should have come out sooner.

9) Valentina did much better than I thought. However, the producers weren't going to keep someone they felt wouldn't be able to pull it off. She missed a couple of notes at the end of "Today For You", but it's a high-energy number, so it's a mulligan. But she did sing a lot of the verses. Good for him.


10) Sex scene - I'm glad they left it in. So many people are used to the movie (younger folks) that you almost forget how great the play is, and it has these vignettes of Life Support, or the sex scene, the parents calling, or Joanne constantly on a payphone ('memba those?) that adds richness to the whole thing and breaks up the loft scenes.

Weak points:

1) I was disappointed with "La Vie Boheme". It felt muted and calm. It's a celebratory song and a middle finger to establishment. It more felt like "Okay officer, we'll keep it down". They left in "faggots" but nixed "dildos" in favor of "latex".


2) not a total miss, but it being pre-recorded was a bit of a bummer until the end. Things can't be helped of course, but it was nice that they ended with a live take, rather than just show the whole previous night's performance. The boot on the Brennin's foot certainly let you know it was live. I'm giving them a pass on it, mostly.


Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the same splay of emotions I always feel in every scene, which means it is doing its job. I've seen Rent a lot, and this was up there with one of the best productions, IMO.

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #12 posted 01/28/19 7:04am

728huey

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TrivialPursuit said:

Okay so...

Strong points:

1) The whole set, incorporating the audience, and the whole sound stage feeling like it's part of the set was just phenomenal. The ability to walk from one end to the other to mimic walking down a long street, the backdrops and signage for laundry, delis, subway, etc, added amazing nuance. The stage was its own character tonight.

2) Vanessa Hudgens - I was worried about her Maureen protest speech, but the girl made it happen 10x over! I was really impressed with her. She was the very good Maureen tonight. She played Mimi in 2010, so she knows her Rent ropes.

3) Mark - I wasn't sure I was digging the casting here, but he really pulled it off well.

4) the moment just before "I'll Cover You" with the reference to the original red/blue stripe shirt that Mark wore = hysterical

5) Tinashe as Mimi was great. I know she's a singer but who the fuck knows anything about her? She may have a better career on Broadway than selling records.

6) the funeral scene: I was bawling. That B version of "I'll Cover You" always got me, and it was at its best in the movie. But tonight - gheezusfuck it was perfection.

7) casting the bearded lady from The Greatest Showman in multiple roles was a great find

8) original cast at the end, characters teaming up; they should have come out sooner.

9) Valentina did much better than I thought. However, the producers weren't going to keep someone they felt wouldn't be able to pull it off. She missed a couple of notes at the end of "Today For You", but it's a high-energy number, so it's a mulligan. But she did sing a lot of the verses. Good for him.


10) Sex scene - I'm glad they left it in. So many people are used to the movie (younger folks) that you almost forget how great the play is, and it has these vignettes of Life Support, or the sex scene, the parents calling, or Joanne constantly on a payphone ('memba those?) that adds richness to the whole thing and breaks up the loft scenes.

Weak points:

1) I was disappointed with "La Vie Boheme". It felt muted and calm. It's a celebratory song and a middle finger to establishment. It more felt like "Okay officer, we'll keep it down". They left in "faggots" but nixed "dildos" in favor of "latex".


2) not a total miss, but it being pre-recorded was a bit of a bummer until the end. Things can't be helped of course, but it was nice that they ended with a live take, rather than just show the whole previous night's performance. The boot on the Brennin's foot certainly let you know it was live. I'm giving them a pass on it, mostly.


Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was the same splay of emotions I always feel in every scene, which means it is doing its job. I've seen Rent a lot, and this was up there with one of the best productions, IMO.


Agreed. nod Granted, this was made for network TV, so considering they left in some of the racier segments of the Broadway play in was pretty significant in and of itself. I read some tweets about this last night, and a lot of purists were disappointed of this production, especially the censoring of some of the songs, but they probably would have had to mute out stuff if they went withe the original lyrics.

I was surprised at Tinashe. That woman can sing. It makes me feel all the more disappointed that she can't hook up with decent R&B producers who can really showcase her talents. And Vanessa Hudgens was awesome. And the funeral scene almost had me bawling near the end. cry bawl

The one thing I have noticed since NBC and FOX have restarted the whole live Broadway shows on TV is that they have really amped up their games since Grease Live. This was nearly as good a production, just behind Grease Live and Jesus Christ Superstar.

typing

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Reply #13 posted 01/28/19 8:34am

rainbowchild

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Enjoyed the performances last night even though we only got mostly the dress rehearsal footage. Glad they did the last part live including having the original cast there. Wonderful and touching tribute to Jonathan Larson. I, too, love the staging of the musical set in the middle surrounded by the audience and the camerawork following the cast as they go through different levels of the stage.

Iā€™m only familiar with Vanessa Hudgens, Valentina and Keala Settle but I thought the whole cast did very well. Highlights for me are Vanessa Hudgensā€™ Over the Moon performance which did not bore me (unlike the movie version), Angel and Collinsā€™ Iā€™ll Cover You and the reprise version, La Vie Boheme performance, Take Me or Leave Me, and Goodbye Love (which was cut from the movie).

More importantly, itā€™s just great to see a performance of this musical featuring same-sex relationships and tackling social issuesā€” drug addiction, homophobia, HIV/AIDS, homelessness, etc. shown on national TV. I applaud FOX for taking that risk. Hope they will do Kinky Boots next.
[Edited 1/28/19 8:50am]
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #14 posted 01/28/19 9:23am

CynicKill

Question:

Do you think they should do a restaging in a couple months after Bennin's foot heals?

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Reply #15 posted 01/28/19 9:24am

TrivialPursuit

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A couple of notes from Variety:

This was the lowest rated live musical ever, after A Christmas Story Live. The highest was The Sound of Music Live. But that was a new thing, and there was a lot of anticipation for that. Rent Live did win its demographic.

In the overnight ratings, ā€œRentā€ averaged a 1.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers. That is below previous last place holder, ā€œA Christmas Story Live,ā€ which drew a 1.5 rating and 4.5 million viewers for Fox in December 2017. It is also a far cry from the highest-rated live broadcast musical to date, NBCā€™s 2013 version of ā€œSound of Music.ā€ That show drew a 4.6 rating and 18.6 million viewers.

Nevertheless, ā€œRentā€ was one of the highest-rated programs of the night in the key demo, with the show beating out its broadcast competition in each individual hour of its three hour run time.


Edit: Hit enter too soon. One note in a Variety review last night mentioned how there was a lack of energy and strong voices. Since it was pretaped, the actors - not counting on a broken foot to stunt an actual live performance - probably held back just a bit to save their voice for the pending live performance (that ultimately never happened). So we sort of got a few mediocre performances. I think Valentina's for "Today For You" was one, as was "La Vie Boheme". Yet Hudgens pulled out all the stops with her protest performance. She seemed to have the highest energy of anyone, and it almost stuck out like a sore thumb in some sections (like breaking back into the building, and the post-funeral argument between many of them).

Tinashe was the other whose energy stayed up throughout, as was Mark's. Roger's so bruting of a character, it's hard to know when he's in a good mood anyway. Benny was animated and fun, as Jesse had portrayed him. I sort of wish I didn't know who Valentina was, because her AS4 shenanigans over-shadowed her dialog sometimes, for me.

[Edited 1/28/19 9:29am]

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #16 posted 01/28/19 9:29am

CynicKill

TrivialPursuit said:

A couple of notes from Variety:

This was the lowest rated live musical ever, after A Christmas Story Live. The highest was The Sound of Music Live. But that was a new thing, and there was a lot of anticipation for that. Rent Live did win its demographic.

In the overnight ratings, ā€œRentā€ averaged a 1.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers. That is below previous last place holder, ā€œA Christmas Story Live,ā€ which drew a 1.5 rating and 4.5 million viewers for Fox in December 2017. It is also a far cry from the highest-rated live broadcast musical to date, NBCā€™s 2013 version of ā€œSound of Music.ā€ That show drew a 4.6 rating and 18.6 million viewers.

Nevertheless, ā€œRentā€ was one of the highest-rated programs of the night in the key demo, with the show beating out its broadcast competition in each individual hour of its three hour run time.

That's surprising and not.

I expected blockbuster numbers but then I have to remember that RENT is popular yet not.

A lot of people know about it and the Broadway show and tours are a smash, but the movie and this version meant for the masses people didn't turn out for.

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Reply #17 posted 01/28/19 9:32am

TrivialPursuit

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CynicKill said:

Question:

Do you think they should do a restaging in a couple months after Bennin's foot heals?


The sheer magnitude of staging a one-off performance like this, plus trying to fund it again, get every actor to clear a schedule to participate, and justifying low ratings, are tasks not easily handled in a couple of months. The payoff isn't worth it. I may buy the cast recording, but I won't be buying the DVD. As noted above, I don't think we got the best-best performance out of them. I don't believe there'll be a restaging. Nor should they.

"eye donā€™t really care so much what people say about me because it is a reflection of who they r."
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Reply #18 posted 01/28/19 12:55pm

rainbowchild

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TrivialPursuit said:



CynicKill said:


Question:


Do you think they should do a restaging in a couple months after Bennin's foot heals?





The sheer magnitude of staging a one-off performance like this, plus trying to fund it again, get every actor to clear a schedule to participate, and justifying low ratings, are tasks not easily handled in a couple of months. The payoff isn't worth it. I may buy the cast recording, but I won't be buying the DVD. As noted above, I don't think we got the best-best performance out of them. I don't believe there'll be a restaging. Nor should they.



Yeah, it was quite unfortunate that we never got to see a live performance other than the dress rehearsal. I DVRed it and rewatching it Iā€™m truly impressed how they staged it. Quite different from the Broadway or movie presentation. Love the long takes as it goes from one section of the stage to the other. Iā€™ll be buying the soundtrack, too, and if they come out with a digital streaming copy or Blu-Ray, Iā€™ll buy it just to see it again minus the commercials. Hopefully with extras, too.
[Edited 1/28/19 12:56pm]
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #19 posted 01/28/19 1:07pm

CynicKill

I have to say it:

Critics are raving about the original cast members and how great they were, but from what I heard last night they've lost it.

Idina and Daphne in particular sounded totally off as did the original Joanne.

Am I being too critical?

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Reply #20 posted 01/28/19 2:02pm

728huey

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CynicKill said:



TrivialPursuit said:


A couple of notes from Variety:

This was the lowest rated live musical ever, after A Christmas Story Live. The highest was The Sound of Music Live. But that was a new thing, and there was a lot of anticipation for that. Rent Live did win its demographic.



In the overnight ratings, ā€œRentā€ averaged a 1.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.4 million viewers. That is below previous last place holder, ā€œA Christmas Story Live,ā€ which drew a 1.5 rating and 4.5 million viewers for Fox in December 2017. It is also a far cry from the highest-rated live broadcast musical to date, NBCā€™s 2013 version of ā€œSound of Music.ā€ That show drew a 4.6 rating and 18.6 million viewers.


Nevertheless, ā€œRentā€ was one of the highest-rated programs of the night in the key demo, with the show beating out its broadcast competition in each individual hour of its three hour run time.




That's surprising and not.


I expected blockbuster numbers but then I have to remember that RENT is popular yet not.


A lot of people know about it and the Broadway show and tours are a smash, but the movie and this version meant for the masses people didn't turn out for.






Considering the natural attrition of the Nielsen ratings over the years, those ratings are actually quite good. When The Sound of Music Live came out, it was the first musical on TV in nearly 40 years plus it had the novelty of Carrie Underwood being the big star. But that came out in 2013, when a 1.4 rating would put a show on the bubble for cancelation. These days a 1.4 rating is a solid hit show, with many shows having fractional ratings under 1.0. It was the highest rated show on all the broadcast networks last night.


tv typing
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Reply #21 posted 01/28/19 2:23pm

rainbowchild

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CynicKill said:

I have to say it:


Critics are raving about the original cast members and how great they were, but from what I heard last night they've lost it.


Idina and Daphne in particular sounded totally off as did the original Joanne.


Am I being too critical?



Considering they havenā€™t sang those songs for years, Iā€™m not surprised they sounded off. I doubt Idina can sing Over the Moon as well as she did back then. Vanessa killed it with that performance last night. Itā€™s great to see the original cast though.
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #22 posted 01/28/19 8:42pm

CynicKill

People Were Very Conflicted Over Mark's Good Looks in Rent


https://www.tvguide.com/n...reactions/

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Reply #23 posted 01/28/19 9:11pm

rainbowchild

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CynicKill said:

People Were Very Conflicted Over Mark's Good Looks in Rent




https://www.tvguide.com/n...reactions/







Iā€™m not familiar with him and didnā€™t know what to expect since I donā€™t know most of the cast but, I agree, he definitely brought something new to the role. I thought his performance was riveting and the standout, to me, and after rewatching the show tonight (itā€™s on FOX NOW app for those who havenā€™t seen it or want to watch it again) I enjoyed it even more.
"Just like the sun, the Rainbow Children rise."



"We had fun, didn't we?"
-Prince (1958-2016) 4ever in my life
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Reply #24 posted 01/28/19 10:51pm

CynicKill

Critics are being harsh performance-wise.

I wasn't disappointed with anyone.

Not Tinashe, who really surprised me.

Not the girl who played Joanne.

I mean I might've been let down with Valentina if I expected anything vocally from her, but I didn't so...

Someone on Youtube mentioned something about cast members singing in different keys? Didn't notice it.

I think it's a case of looking for something wrong and finding it.

I mean did I want it live? Mentally yes but in actuality it might not have mattered.

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Reply #25 posted 01/29/19 1:07am

HatrinaHaterwi
tz

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CynicKill said:

I have to say it:

Critics are raving about the original cast members and how great they were, but from what I heard last night they've lost it.

Idina and Daphne in particular sounded totally off as did the original Joanne.

Am I being too critical?


No because they're raving about the OBC when they really mean Jesse L. Martin who showed up to sang!

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/rent-broadway-cast-sings-seasons-of-love-video/

I knew from the start that I loved you with all my heart.
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