Adam Pascal (Roger in the original Broadway cast of Rent) will direct a production of the musical at From Stage To Screen Studios in Huntington, Long Island for a short run on 28-30 July.
In an interview with Playbill he talks about his long, sometimes complex, relationship with the musical which has evolved and morphed over the years. During the early days in his solo music career, he would often get requests to perform "One Song Glory," his big solo number from Rent. But he wanted to perform his own songs rather than any tunes from the musical.
"I really shunned that stuff. But the reality is, all I was doing was punishing the audience. It took me a while to internalize and accept that and be OK with that. And to understand that, you know, you are an entertainer, and your number one job is to entertain an audience," he says. "It took some life, and it took some maturity, and it took some wisdom to get to that place."
Pascal fully embraces his relationship to the musical now. He knows what it did for his career, and he recognizes how much the musical means to so many people. "I'm so proud and grateful and honored at my enduring connection to this show. Purely. There's no 'buts.' There's no 'and.' There's no 'also.' It's just that. It really is".
Tickets to the production are available here.
There's also a special Meet & Greet function before the first performance on 28 July.