Rent - June 21

Her Perspective: B+

I went to see this with a couple of girlfriends of mine. I have seen this show before at the same venue and neither of my friends really knew anything about it. The last time I saw Rent, they were having horrible sound issues and I couldn't hear a word, much less be able to hear how good (or bad) the performers were.

If you don't know anything about this show, I'd advise you to at least read the story line before you go. The way it's written, there are times when several people are singing at once and you can't distinguish what each one is saying, so the story line gets a little lost. That comment came directly from one of my friends, so it's not just me. Add in the adrenaline of the performers and the band and it can really take off so fast that the audience may be left confused.

However, the Ordway usually does shows very well and they were able to keep the pace down for the most part. The stage was set up very well and allowed the action to flow well between scenes. This is very important for this particular show since it moves very fast. The lighting was great. Good effects and we had no trouble seeing anything.

The actors were fantastic! Anwar Robinson was in the role of Tom Collins. You may remember Anwar from the 5th season of American Idol (I know I remembered him). Although he was technically flawless in his singing, he wasn't very believable as a gay man. His body language kept giving him away. The actor playing Angel was awesome! He had extremely high energy, as did the rest of the cast. The actors playing Mark and Roger (the main characters) have exceptional voices that blended perfectly.

Angel's death scene was quite odd. They had him standing on a table with people sitting around him that had a white parachute over their heads and were moving their arms and heads around, making the parachute move. I suppose they were supposed to be clouds, but it all looked very weird. Honestly, that is the only criticism I have of the director.

One note: Usually I get lost in shows like this and I feel like I'm a character in the show, just watching. However, for some reason, I wasn't drawn into this show. I'm not sure why. There was nothing really wrong with it. Perhaps it's just my state of mind and stress level right now.

Overall, I would highly recommend this show. The Ordway does shows very well and it is a good choice for venue if you like the theater.