As a confirmed #renthead who has seen the stage and film versions more times than I'm willing to admit, here are my thoughts:
-I know it's a lot to ask to find vocalists who can compare with the original cast, but Fox was obviously more concerned with hiring names teenagers would recognize than anyone with actual talent. Hudgens is fine, probably the best of the bunch, but she's no Idina. The rest of them have virtually no range and put no power into the performances.
-I kinda like the expanded staging, but the audience being in the middle of everything distracts from the story and turns it into just another concert.
-The censorship of certain lines and content is anathema to what the show is about. If Fox wasn't brave enough to do it as it was written, they shouldn't have done it. Larsen would have a fit knowing it was on Fox anyway.
-It feels like the director knew the vocals weren't up to par based on the comparative volume of the musical accompaniment. The instruments, particularly the piano, would sometimes drown out the vocals.
Overall, it was just meh. Not enough talent, not enough energy, not enough anything. I would expect something hyped this much would be much better. 3/10
