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theg8whiteway

London Revival - Re-Directed

Casting Announced for Newly Reworked Version of Rent in London

Quote:
London will welcome a reworked version of Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer-Prize winning musical Rent this fall.

Variety reports that the Tony-winning musical, which continues to play Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, will arrive at the Duke of York's Theatre Oct. 2 with an official opening Oct. 16.

Produced by Ambassador Theater Group, Tulbart Prods. and Michael Brenner, this "contemporary" take on Rent was conceived and will be directed by William Baker. This production will be the first professional production to not reproduce the original one produced by Jeffrey Seller, Kevin McCollum, Allan S. Gordon and New York Theater Workshop.

Baker told Daily Variety, "Because of Jonathan Larson's untimely death at the first preview, the show has become frozen as a kind of sacred text. It looked and sounded very much of its time. Audiences have changed since then, and I think it needed reappraising for a London audience." Baker added his Rent is a "digital production for a digital world — more a pop opera than a rock opera." Each song has been reorchestrated to match the character who sings it. "All great songs can always be remixed," Baker explained. "We've kept the vocal melodies, but the sound is completely different."

The cast will feature Siobhan Donaghy, a founding member of Sugababes, as Mimi with Luke Evans as Roger, Oliver Thornton as Mark, Leon Lopez as Collins, Jay Webb as Angel, Francesca Jackson as Joanne and Craig Stein as Benny. The creative team will include Steve Anderson (music supervision), Mark Bailey (design), David Howe (lighting design) and Sebastian Frost (sound design).

After an acclaimed run Off-Broadway, Rent transferred to Broadway's Nederlander Theatre, opening April 29, 1996. With book, music and lyrics by the late Jonathan Larson, the original cast included Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Idina Menzel, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Wilson Jermaine Heredia and Jesse L. Martin. Michael Greif directed with choreography by Marlies Yearby. Larson's score features such songs as "Rent," "I'll Cover You," "Seasons of Love," "One Song Glory."

Tickets for Rent will utilize a ticket policy similar to those used for concerts. Tickets, priced £30, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

*

Rent previously played an 18-month run in London. Anthony Rapp (Mark), Adam Pascal (Roger), Wilson Jermaine Heredia (Angel), Jesse Martin (Collins) re-created their original Broadway work for the London run, which began previews April 21, 1998, at the Shaftesbury Theatre.


http://www.playbill.com/news/article/110045.html
wicked_boy

Sounds good, I'm looking forward to see how this will turn out.
Mazz

I may have to see this show twice.

So I can see the whole show, AND walk out in disgust halfway through Act 1.
what_the_heck013

I hope the changes are for the better and that it doesn't end up being like that production of Godspell *shudders in fear* eugh!
MademoiselleMusicals

lol beat me to making a post!!!

Also :

http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/17599/former-sugababe-donaghy-to-star-in-revamped
reedzee

I'm not sure how I feel about the changing of the orchestrations, but I'd still love to see it.
theg8whiteway

I hope they dont kill it!
wicked_boy

This will either be really good or really bad.
Monsieur D'Arque

Hopefully, they adopt the movie orchestrations. I know it goes against the bare-bones minimalist sound of the original, but I love those arrangements. Now if only the OST performances were better to match the instrumentalists... *sigh*
theatre4life

well, most people seem to enjoy the updated sound of the songs in the film... altho that never set right with me that they wanted a 2005 sound for a film that takes place in the 1980s.

i rather enjoy Rent as is, but would be rather fascinating to see it done differently for a change. one day, community theatres will get their hands on the show and we'll have to deal with it eventually.

too bad the show is currently on broadway - that means the show cannot come overseas from london as others have.

Smile
Monsieur D'Arque

The 2005 sound draws heavily upon the 1980s sound. The new Out Tonight was influenced by Lita Ford records, and Today 4 U was orchestrated a la Prince. Contemporary, yet intentionally slightly dated. And it sounded good- except for the over-extended drum solos opening half the songs.
theatre4life

Monsieur D'Arque wrote:
The 2005 sound draws heavily upon the 1980s sound. The new Out Tonight was influenced by Lita Ford records, and Today 4 U was orchestrated a la Prince. Contemporary, yet intentionally slightly dated. And it sounded good- except for the over-extended drum solos opening half the songs.




well. i guess i dont know my music as well as i'd thought. Confused

yes, the drums in Rent were aggravating, and i didnt like how both I'll Cover You and Take Me Or Leave Me start off similarly. In reference to that song, i wish the music was more like the stage show - as i recall, there was no organ in the film version and that bass chord between "with them or without them" and the last "Take me for what I am - who I was meant to be" isnt there either.
Mazz

Is there still no Maureen cast?
musicalmaniac396

I have never seen the stage version, so I would like to see it on stage, no matter who was in the cast. It'd be awesome if i ever got to see Adam and Anthony. Very Happy
EarlCarpenterFan

I'll be in London in October and I'm in 2 minds as to whether I want to see this or not. I love Rent but its these alterations that are worrying me a bit!
maninchair.com

Publicity Shots from New Rent

 Here is a promo from the upcoming "reimagined" Rent in London. And here's a link to more new Rent promo pics.

I was living in New York when Rent first came out, and I remember the buzz about how it was all cast with unknowns, and with raw talent, and the marketing campaign about how they were going to keep it that way. Well, I think once they started casting former NSync members, that campaign sort of went up in smoke.

I hope this new production will bring new life to the show, and possible re-establish some of it's original excitement and social relevance. We'll see...
wicked_boy

^ Looks cool.
theatre4life

damn, i need to make it to london...
Yasmin

Mazz wrote:
Is there still no Maureen cast?


Apparently Denise Van Outen has been cast

http://www.theatre.com/story/id/3008669

which I am not too sure about. She is very good at playing the sweet naive young woman but Maureen? Who knows maybe she will surprise me!
Pounce

I guess

"At The End Of The Millennium" will be changed to

"At the start of the Millennium" or even

"In the new Millennium" would work is they stretch it out a bit.
Belle

Somewhere in the press releases they'vementioned they're NOT re-writing the lyrics to remove the loaction references - but the cast won't be using NY accents. Also the show is cut from 2 hours 40 down to 2 hours - I'll lay money on "What You Own" being cut!!!
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