Rent heads

So I am costume designing Rent for an amazing new theatre company called Bridgeport Theater company and I couldn't be more excited.  When designing a show that has become so iconic in our culture, it is definitely tricky.  "What items seem to be staples in the show (aka Mark's sweater) and what can we do without?" becomes a question I ask myself often.  Last weekend there was a huge production done at the Hollywood Bowl starring Vanessa Hudgens (WHY?!), Wayne Brady, Tracie Thoms, Skylar Astin, Aaron Tveit... just to name a few.  But the one character that stood out to me was the way they portrayed Maureen.  Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussy Cat dolls was an interesting choice to say the least.  And since she was so miscast, she made some interesting choices.  Which was surprisingly refreshing.  And as much as I think her acting could use some work, her singing was sort of ridic.  I mean, she does not sing that well in The Pussycat Dolls!  When I say she was miscast, I just mean she is not the kind of person that Jonathan wrote the character of Maureen for.  So, once you put that aside, you can enjoy the performance more.

 Her costumes were completely different from the originals and you could tell she wanted a lot of input since Vanessa wore EXACTLY what Mimi did in the Broadway version and Maureen wore some weird chinese brocade corset.  So.... note to self when designing Rent: be consistent with your choices.  Ok this rant is over now... go watch this video... the two of them together.. it's pretty awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQvU9MCUr0Q&feature=player_embedded