RENT at the Bowl Weekend Roundup - New Photos, Reviews & More

The Hollywood Bowl cast, featuring Vannesa Hudgens, Wayne Brady, Aaron Tveit, Skylar Astin, Tracie Thoms completed its successful weekend run on Sunday night. Here's a look at the production from some fantastic photos with special thanks to very talented photographer, Lily Lim! If you missed our first photos, click here.

Now, let's see what the critics had to say!

Whitney Pastorek, Entertainment Weekly: "Harris keeps the trains running on time - choosing to go with an Angel-sung abstract reprise of 'Out Tonight' rather than the drawn-out eroticism of 'Contact' in the second act was probably a good call for the Bowl demographic - and he emphatically keeps the throbbing, sleeve-borne heart of Rent intact. Nowadays, a lot of the show's central social issues feel dated, even nostalgic: The American AIDS crisis is no longer of urgent concern to many, Manhattan has fallen to the hands of the developers, Lady Gaga is busy demonstrating that art-school weirdos aren't inherently destined for a life of squatting in abandoned tenements. But Rent's less time-specific message - all that touchy-feely, hopey-changey, 'no day but today' stuff - continues to be worth cultivating, and this brief revival at the Hollywood Bowl is a welcome reminder of how a rock 'n' roll rewrite of La Boheme managed to move so many people in the first place. For all the mind-blowing developments that followed its humble beginnings, Rent's enduring emotional connection to its audience is what matters here. And if you think about it, that's probably just what Jonathan Larson had in mind. A-"

Charles McNulty, LA Times: "Harris can do almost anything in my book, but he wasn't able to figure out the spatial and logistical challenges of mounting a full-scale musical at the Bowl. Admittedly, this is a feat that could make the triple axel of figure skating seem like child's play. But on Friday the first act was noticeably bumpy, with sound snafus and uncooperative lighting compounding an already blurry stage picture. Blocking is an advanced art, and Harris, still a novice as a director, had trouble negotiating an amphitheater so cavernous that not even those in prime seats could easily resist the lure of the giant screens flanking the stage.
This "Rent" was best approached as a concert experience, as I explained to my friend, a first-timer to the musical, who kept peppering me with questions about a plot that, because of script cuts and the general fuzziness of presentation, was more difficult to track than usual. (The playbill contained a synopsis, but its detailed length cried out for a library carrel.) Fortunately, with the exception of a few off-key moments, the musical numbers were performed with enough juice to keep the crowd in that tearful-hopeful romantic mood that was Larson's natural Puccini-rocker bent. "

Bob Verini, Variety: "The most enduring features of the late Jonathan Larson's "Rent" -- its indomitable spirit and stirring melodies -- are honored in the Hollywood Bowl's 14th-anniversary recreation. Novice Neil Patrick Harris, marshalling an artfully chosen ensemble, handles the intimate moments delicately enough to support the confident addition of "helmer" to his seemingly endless list of showbiz accomplishments."

Michael L. Quintos, BroadwayWorld.com: "The results-a mixed bag of technical gaffes, surprisingly excellent performances, and a few disappointments-prove to be admirably and genuinely entertaining overall. Your enjoyment of this version of RENT will depend primarily on the absence of pre-show expectations and one's willingness to accept many of the changes Harris made in order to mount his specific vision at this venue."

Photos by Lily Lim

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