Rent (Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson), the 1996 Tony Winner for Best Musical, closed its doors in Broadway last September 2008, making it at the time the ninth longest running Broadway Musical. While there have been other productions (ie, touring companies, international productions like 9Works Theatrical’s production of Rent here in the Philippines this February), none of those could recapture the glory days of Broadway Rent. I cannot express the joy and emotions Rent fans feel when they see this show. Instead, let me show you the video from the 2008 Tony’s that would bring a tear to any Renthead out there.
Enough about reminiscing. As some of you may have read about, Neil Patrick Harris, or Barney to all HIMYM fans out there, is going to direct the Hollywood Bowl performance of Rent, spanning just around three nights. Harris is no stranger to either musical theater or even Rent, having played the lead role of Mark Cohen in one of the touring companies. This production has indeed attracted a lot of news lately due largely to some casting issues. The biggest issue surrounds the casting of Vanessa Anne Hudgens of High School Musical to play Mimi Marquez, the exotic dancer diagnosed with HIV. Hudgens, whose acting skills have never been the favorite of critics, has already been scrutinized by the public eye due to lacivious sexual acts that run directly against her plush Disney Contract. Joining Hudgens are Tracie Thoms and Gwen Stewart reprising their roles as Joanne Jefferson and Seasons of Love soloist respectively. Thoms has played Joanne definitively in the past both in the movie version as well as the recorded final performance. Stewart, on the other hand, was part of Rent’s original Broadway cast. Wayne Brady, who humorously played NPH’s brother in HIMYM, is cast as Tom Collins and Aaron Tveit, known for a recurring role in Gossip Girl, is Roger Davis.
But the real clincher of all these news has come recently with the casting of Pussycat Dolls lead singer Nicole Scherzinger in the coveted role of Maureen Johnson. Scherzinger, while generally a strong singer, has yet to show excetional acting, a prerequisite for the complicated role of Maureen.
The line-up is interesting, to say the least. Sometimes I wish I have the luxury of just flying to the United States to watch a once-in-a-lifetime production like this. Sigh. Gimme tickets, anyone? 🙂
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