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'Rent' is more than paying bills for actor
Ticket holders for the Marcus Center Broadway Series are going to get a little more Broadway than they banked on with the series' upcoming production of "Rent."
Two prominent members of the original Broadway production, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, are reprising their original roles of Roger Davis and Mark Cohen on this tour. They also filled those roles in the 2005 film version of the musical.
Pascal, speaking by phone recently, explained the "Rent" phenomenon saying, "It was the right music, the right message, the right situational dynamic at the right time - everything lined up correctly."
Much of the musical is based on the story of "La Boheme," Puccini's opera about young, impoverished artists struggling to create. Instead of the 1890s garrets of Paris, "Rent" is set in the 1990s in New York City's gritty Alphabet City (the portion of the lower east side defined by Avenues A, B, C and D).
Instead of tuberculosis, the young bohemians are living under the horrifying shadow of AIDS.
The high-energy rock tunes and hopeful young characters resonated with a generation, winning a stack of awards, including a Pulitzer Prize.
The show still resonates. According to Pascal, "These are universal themes that make a connection with people on a personal level."
The show first opened as a workshop production in 1994. It reopened as a full-fledged musical on Jan. 25, 1996, despite the fact that its creator, Jonathan Larson, had died of a heart attack the day before the opening.
For Pascal, the show was more than just a gig; it was a completely life-altering experience.
Pascal began playing in rock bands at age 13. The Long Island native said, "I ended up going into musical theater by chance."
He had no acting experience prior to "Rent," but the character of Roger, a songwriter, was so close to his own life that it was like playing himself.
"Roger was the perfect role for me to have attempted, having no experience," he said. He has since been seen in the original and final Broadway casts of Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida," the Broadway closing cast of "Cabaret" and some television and film roles.
Pascal said that for a time he rejected the title "actor" because he was focused on rock music, missing out on some opportunities along the way.
"But time and life experiences and having kids changes you, and you learn to appreciate what you are and what you have," he said.
"I've been lucky to have not bitten off more than I could chew before I was ready," he said. "Somehow everything I've done was appropriate for my skill level at the time."
