Hi J-14ers!
It's no secret that I love Broadway and I love How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris. So when I heard that NPH was directing a special performance of Rent, I was ecstatic! It's by far one of my all-time fave musicals -- I've seen it more times than I should admit... with everyone from *NSYNC's Joey Fatone and Manley Pope in New York City to Neil himself in L.A.! Heck, I've even sang the songs with my school choir (how Glee of us! ;) ).
And even though there's been a bit of controversy about Neil picking Vanessa Hudgens to play the role of Mimi, I think she's actually a brilliant pick for the role. After all, NPH always knows what he's doing. ;) Plus the girl can perform and just oozes of Mimi's personality.
Also in the cast are Pussycat Doll's Nicole Scherzinger as Maureen, Wayne Brady as Collins, and Gossip Girl's Aaron Tveit (he played Trip van der Bilt) as Roger.
Check out this first look at the rehearsal below... and if you're in the L.A. area, catch the performance this weekend at the Hollywood Bowl!
What do you think of Vanessa in Rent?
Can't wait to hear from you!
Rachel Chang
J-14 Editor
Photo: Courtesy of CBS Films
