![[IMAGE: ANGEL Cast Review]](angelreview.jpg) Mark Cohen - Trey Ellett Tom Collins - Mark Leroy Jackson Benjamin Coffin III - Brian M. Love Joanne Jefferson - Kamilah Martin Angel Schunard - Shaun Earl Mimi Marquez - Daphne Rubin-Vega Maureen Johnson - Erin Keaney Mark's mom and others - Alicia Westelman Christmas Caroler, Mr. Jefferson and others - Alan Mingo Jr. Mrs. Jefferson, woman with bags and others - Danielle Lee Greaves Gordon, the man, Mr. Grey and others - Christian Anderson Steve, man with squeegee and others - Lambert Moss Paul, a waiter, a pastor and others - Evan D'Angeles Alexi Darling, Roger's mom and others - Cheri Smith Cops - Kristoffer Cusick, Karen Olivo Swings - Marcus Chaney, Courtney Corey, Kristoffer Cusick, Jenny Maxwell, Matthew Murphy, Karen Olivo MIMI MARQUEZ (Daphne Rubin-Vega) - What can I say? She IS the one and only true Mimi! I can't even explain the excitement I felt when she first appeared in the first scene in her awesome Mexican Rainbow dress! Everything from "Light My Candle" to "Out Tonight" to "Goodbye Love" was heaven! "Out Tonight" had to be the greatest song in the show with Daphne on the bars wailing her heart out! In the beginning of the song, when she takes off her robe, she shook out her hair and a ton of glitter showered from her and it was breathtaking! To see the original Mimi from the original cast and the CD was very exciting and she really made the show terrific! Do you want to hear my story about Daphne? Oh well, I will tell you anyway. When I went to the show on Jan. 30, (the day before my birthday), I was walking around the outside of the theater before the show looking for Daphne (as if I expected to find her!). I finally found the backstage door and there was a girl there eating lunch. I started talking to her and I told her I was looking for Daphne. Anyway, when the theater opened at 1:30pm, I went inside to buy some RENT memorabilia, but before I could, the girl walked up to me and said, "You just missed her!" And she opened her CD case and showed me Daphne's autograph on her CD!!! I was so mad!!! But I thought, oh well, I will see her after the show! So, after the show, I go to the backstage area (a different one than the one Daphne arrived at) and I waited for the cast members to come out. Everyone came out except Daphne! I found out that she leaves after the matinee shows through the OTHER backstage door (the one I waited at before the show!). So I missed her again! I was very depressed because the next day was my birthday and I hadn't got my drawing autographed. So, I went back on Feb. 20 and waited in the same spot. It was sort of scary! There was a guy on a bicycle yelling and cussing at the backstage door guy and he rode past us and I was scared (You know, being in LA on the street and a psycho rides past you). But anyway, first to come was Erin Keaney (Maureen). She parked down the street and I saw the car and I said, "That looks a lot like Erin Keaney!" But she was making out with a guy in the car for the longest time, so I thought, "Oh, maybe that isn't her!" Well, sure enough, it was her! And she probably wondered what I was doing staring at her! I got some pictures with her. And then, finally, this beautiful car pulls up with the license plate "MUSIC18" and out steps Daphne! I was shaking so much but I got many pictures with her and 3 autographs! ROGER DAVIS (Dean Balkwill) - One word that would describe Dean is excellent! His "One Song Glory" and "Your Eyes" were SO emotional! He even admitted after the show to crying during "Glory" which made it even more emotional. And his additions and embellishments made "Your Eyes" and "One Song Glory" the best I have ever heard. (Even better than Adam Pascal's versions). I didn't like the fact that Dean embellished a little bit too much. Some of his songs weren't even recognizable because the melody wasn't even there. He had a great rock-n-roll style voice but abused the actor's privilege to make a character original a little bit too much! Overall though, Dean was the greatest Roger I have heard so far. MARK COHEN (Trey Ellett) - Trey Ellett was a great Mark! He really fit the "nerdy work obsessed" character of Mark. To compare to Anthony Rapp (the original Mark), they are both special in their own ways. For starters, there are major differences in how they portray their roles. Trey was subdued and a little on the quiet side as if he wasn't sure of himself, while Anthony had an annoying, loud, and obnoxious voice. Both of these ways of portraying Mark are excellent and well thought out and (in my opinion) neither of them are wrong. I liked how Trey emphasized Mark's addiction to work. It was very effective. Trey was an excellent singer and made him one of my favorite characters in the show! MAUREEN JOHNSON (Erin Keaney) - WOW! Erin Keaney is the greatest Maureen! She is, by far, the funniest Maureen and her version of "Over The Moon" is so funny! She is very creative and puts her own additions into her songs! Her duet with JOANNE (Kamilah Martin) in "Take Me Or Leave Me" was the best! I met Erin after the show and got a picture with her which can be seen in my ANGEL Cast Pics and she was very sweet! JOANNE JEFFERSON (Kamilah Martin) - Kamilah was the perfect Joanne! She had the voice, the looks, and the acting skills! Like I said, her duet with Erin Keaney in "Take Me Or Leave Me" was magnificent! I really liked her "Tango: Maureen" with Trey Ellett and "We're Okay" was hysterical! Her special moment after the beginning of "Goodbye Love" with MAUREEN was so touching! Truly the best Joanne ever! ANGEL SCHUNARD (Shaun Earl) - Shaun is a great performer! Angel is one of the hardest characters to portray and Shaun pulled it off with flying colors! Truly the best since Wilson Heredia!! "Today 4 U" was awesome with his Christmas outfit and his nifty shoes! I'm surprised he didn't break his ankles jumping on the table with those thick-soled shoes! The chemistry between Angel and COLLINS was truly there. TOM COLLINS (Mark Leroy Jackson) - I was very disappointed with our Collins. Mark is a great singer but I didn't like the way he pulled it off. It just wasn't Collins. His hi-light, though, was "Cover You Reprise" which received the second biggest applause. Overall, though, he wasn't what I pictured as a Collins even though his relationship with Angel shone through. I really started to enjoy his character and believe him more when Angel was sick and dying during "Without You" and I could feel a tear or two coming on. I would like to see someone else portray Collins, though. BENJAMIN COFFIN III (Brian M. Love) - Brian was the ultimate COOL CAT! He was smooth, slick, and the perfect snob! I loved it! Everything about him was great! I met him after the show and he was so nice! There are some great pictures of him in my Angel Cast Photo section! All Rights Reserved |