Sherie Renee Scott drama while in RENT?

[Kevinoes]

On Sherie's ASK A STAR from a few years back, she said when she replaced Idina in RENT in 1997, there were people who "did not want her there" and there are "many stories" about that. Pray tell, what are they? She also mentioned she had 5 days to go in. Is that normal for a lead replacement? Was someone else in the original company (swing or ensemble) supposed to replace Idina and then the producers or Telsey changed their mind?

[exedore]

A lot of the fans really didn't like her for the same reason they didn't like Marcy Harriell - she wasn't Idina (or in the latter case, Daphne). Also, based on audio/video I've come across, she genuinely wasn't very good in the role. Once she left, Kristin Lee Kelly got bumped up from the ensemble and was absolutely amazing.

[Becky]

Yes, Kristin Lee Kelly was outstanding, but that was part of the problem fans had with Sherie. Apparently it wasn't a secret Kristin wanted the part when Idina left (didn't she even dye her hair blond if I remember correctly campaigning for it?) - and fans wanted her to have the role. When Sherie was hired it didn't go over well with the fans before she even hit the stage. I've forgotten a lot of the details, but I think fans yelled things at Sherie when she would enter the theater, and generally weren't kind at all. There were other things, such as the travesty over having a blond Maureen (because God forbid they chose someone not "Idina-like") etc.... Those are some of the main details I remember from back then.

I think she could have pulled off the most killer "Maureen" and people wouldn't have embraced her at that time. It was sad actually.

[Wynbish]

But if Kristin had dyed her hair blonde, wouldn't they have had a blonde Maureen anyway?

[CATSNYrevival]

Wasn't there similar "drama" when Idina eventually played Amneris in Aida and wasn't a blonde?

[Becky]

The loyalty to Kristin and the original cast was almost toxic. They would have been fine with her being blonde because it was Kristin.

[James885]

I recall hearing that Sherie Renee Scott was actually booed at times when she was on stage.

[Wynbish]

They said boo instead of moo

[My Oh My]

And this because she is blonde?

And I thought I was harsh.

[Becky]

"And this because she is blonde?"

No, more for the reasons above. The blonde was just something else to criticize.

Two biggest? She wasn't Idina, and they didn't give the role to Kristin.

[Wynbish]

Absolute biggest: Overly-zealous Rentheads can be crazy

[Visceral_Fella]

I wonder how she was in the role. She seems like she'd be perfect. Then again, I can't imagine her being bad in anything. OT, I still feel like she would be perfect as The Witch in Into the Woods. She has a unique humor that would make you appreciate her rather than miss Bernadette.

[Becky]

When I went during the time she was in the cast, I had Kristin as her understudy. However, people (whose opinions I respected) said she was fine in the role - vocally very good. Her "Over The Moon" was slightly different than Idina's, which took some getting used to, but they said she found a good balance between the comedy and seriousness of the performance art and they liked her delivery.

[My Oh My]

"Two biggest? She wasn't Idina, and they didn't give the role to Kristin."

That doesn't seem any more rational than "because she is blonde," which was my point. All three reasons deny someone a chance over petty things. The rationale that she sucked as someone else said previously wouldn't wash, because you'd have to still give them a chance to know that. Those people are worse than the ones who cried to mama over Daphne Rubin Vega as Fantine. At least they gave her a chance before going nuts, lol.

[Auggie27]

And having just watched the Adam Pascal BWW interview, in which much was made again about Rubin-Vega not recreating Mimi in the film of RENT, it's clear that the fan base isn't always right, creatively speaking, even if their loyalty is commendable. It's hard to fathom the film of RENT improved by Daphne, who was a decade too old to play Mimi. (Several of the characters struck me as far too old, but less noticeably, a bigger discussion, and an exhausted one at this board). Would it have made the film grittier? Perhaps; Daphne's characterization had an immediacy and authenticity that always cut through the sentimentality in the material. Yet the camera can be harsh, even punishing. So I always find stories about the fan base demands intriguing.

[ljay889]

The stories in this thread show why many Rentheads were looked at as psychotic groupies.

[Becky]

Yes, but in all fairness - this particular group was fairly young. Not an excuse, but it's sometimes hard to look at immature and irrational behavior in a mature and rational way when your dealing with kids.

*edited to say that the crazies were young with an infamous exception - Joel. He's a topic for another day.

[nycserenade2]

I did not know about all of this "drama" that took place around Sherie taking over for Idina. I can say that her take on Maureen was very different from Idina. At the time, I thought she played the role in a way that was much more over the top and looking for laughs than Idina had. With Idina, you believed she thought she was talented and that Over The Moon was a good song. With Sherie, I thought she was just going for the cheap laugh. I wonder if I saw a video of it today, if I would feel the same way.

While I did have an attachment to the original cast, I had seen Sherie in Tommy and thought she had a lot of talent. So I was not predisposed to hate her just because she wasn't Idina. I grew to like Marcy in the Mimi role, but she never had the grit that Daphne had. That said, she was very good. But yes, a lot of the young Rentheads were the type that would say that no one was ever going to be as good in the roles as the original cast.

However, it wasn't easy seeing other people play those roles when the originals had made them so indelible in one's mind (IMO). I knew Norbert was very good, and was a considerably better actor than Adam but he never really seemed like a Roger to me. So, I think that was a lot of the bias against the people who replaced the OBC. Not easy shoes to fill...

[nycserenade2]

*edited to say that the crazies were young with an infamous exception - Joel. He's a topic for another day

Becky: Oh my, Joel! I remember when Joel waited 100 hours in line to see his 100th show. Yep...

Years later, I saw him at the lottery for some other show. I can't remember what it was. Rock of Ages, maybe? And he clearly knew the person running the lottery. I guess he had moved on. LOL

[Becky]

No, I think you're right with the "cheap laugh" comment. That's something I've hated about the evolution of Maureen after Idina, but we have Michael Greif to thank for that unfortunately. I've been told he directed early national tour Maureen's to go that route - and I can only assume he influenced Sherie as well. Apparently that was his vision for Over The Moon. I hate it.

Love your take on the early casts - had similar thoughts myself.

[Becky]

You mean moved on to manipulating other show lotteries in his favor?

[nycserenade2]

^

Well, it was pretty clear that he knew the person running the lotto, so I would say yes. I noticed him because I thought he looked vaguely familiar and then she called him Joel and I almost fell over from surprise. It was a surreal moment. LOL I wish I could remember what show it was. I want to say Xanadu, but it was definitely a lottery and I can't remember if they had one or not. So that's why I think it was Rock of Ages.

[A Director]

The stories in this thread show why many Rentheads were looked at as psychotic groupies.

I've read just as many posting by fans of other shows and performers who groupies. These people always begin their postings, "How dare anyone but __________ play the role." It's a safe bet the fans aren't young.

[blaxx]

The booing was embarrassing. I felt so bad for her.

I never understood why Kelly felt so entitled to the get the part and make another performer's life a living hell, even if she wasn't the only one. No wonder she hasn't been on a Broadway stage since Rocky Horror.

[bdn223]

I think the issue with the role of Maureen is the final part of "Over the Moon" aka the infamous Moos. Maureen has to be played with a earnesty that is also 100% serious, but the Moo's may cause actor to think they have license to ham it up...IMO iF Larson hadn't passed away and Rent was able to go through a proper preview period with its ENTIRE creative team Larson would have likly cut the bit, or asked Greif to have the rest of the cast onstage so that Maureen is performing to an audience who is taking her seriously instead of "the actual audience" who laugh because she acting is so rediculous. Also it is the only moment of audience participation in the show other than clapping in the brectian Act II opener "Seasons of Love" which makes no sense.

[Becky]

Blaxx, what kind of entitlement issues are you referring to on her end? I know the fans wanted her to have it (many thought it was what was going to happen), but to say *she* made someone's life miserable is a whole other insinuation. Letting it be known she wanted it and feeling entitled aren't always the same, and let's face it - who wouldn't have wanted it? It was an obvious "want" whether she stated it or not.

However, playing devil's advocate - you had an original cast member, who was good enough to understudy and fill in, who knew the role inside and out, and who was eventually placed in the role after all? Not sure why she wasn't an obvious choice to begin with either. She was absolutely fantastic in the role, people loved her, so it's not arrogant for her to think she would be a canidate to be moved up when Idina left.

Not to mention many casting changes have come from people moving up the ranks - Kristin, Gwen, Rodney, and Norbert are just the start of the list. It's not entitlement, it's what happens a LOT, and not a wrong thing to hope for.