Final Rent Inquiry Blog: Twenty Years Later

Michael Gioia, a writer for Playbill, interviews the original cast of Rent about their auditions for the show, stories from off stage, and Johnathan Larson, the creator of the hit musical who passed away from an aortic aneurysm just after previews had started for Rent off-broadway. But Gioia didn’t just interview them for fun. April 29, 2016 was the date of the twentieth anniversary of Rent opening on Broadway.

Anthony Rapp
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Anthony Rapp (Mark) felt that after the tragic death of Johnathan Larson, there was always something at the center of every cast photoshoot and every stage performance. That something was Larson. Rapp also felt that they (or at the very least he) needed to share Johnathan’s story.

Adam Pascal
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Adam Pascal, who originated the role of Roger off-broadway,
mentioned that the cast became a family. He was never alone when he sat in the Nederlander Theatre and since this was his first ever show, he basked in the excitement of sitting in a theatre with no show going on onstage.

Wilson Heredia

Wilson Heredia (Angel) described the feeling of being on stage the night after the Tony Awards and receiving a standing ovation before the show even started. “I felt very proud for us....” He even made short mention of his wig falling off one time during “La Vie Boheme”.

Daphne Rubin-Vega
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Daphne Rubin-Vega (Mimi) remembers being in the hall waiting to audition
and standing by the door listening to Anthony Rapp audition with “Losing My Religion”. She remembers the cast and herself also hanging out before and after shows, having so much energy and fun. They would even walk around telling people to go see Rent.

With so many cast and crew apart of this production now twenty-one years ago, it is so easy to see the impact this show had on them. They carry the memories of this show, the good and the bad with them forever and Gioia captures this perfectly in his article.

Gioia, Michael. (2016). 20 Years Later, Rent cast Remember Auditions, Memories, and Mishaps. Retrieved from http://www.playbill.com/article/20-years-later-rent-cast-remember-auditions-memories-and-mishaps



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