May 13, 2009 - RENT at the Bass
Concert Hall
I spent all day
Tuesday at the Austin Airport, shooting a commercial for
Southwest Airlines. So when the director finally wrapped
the shoot, I had only about a half-hour to race to the Bass Concert Hall
for opening night of the RENT Broadway national tour. I'm SO glad I made
it, because the show was phenomenal.
The musical has developed
a cult status among musical fans, and the current tour stars
the original Broadway male leads: Anthony
Rapp as "Mark" and Adam Pascal as "Roger."
Based on the opera La Boheme, the show resonates with its
rock score and unflinching portrayal of life and love set
against of homelessness, AIDS, drug addiction and scarred
relationships.
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Both Rapp and Pascal were
superb in their roles, giving all-out performances filed with
pathos and emotion. Pascal was fighting his
newly-discovered, Texas-induced allergies - and he still
managed to hit every note clean and clear.
We were also blown away by
actors Lexi Lawson as the tragic party-girl "Mimi"
and Michael McElroy - a 2004 Tony Award nominee for Big River - as the
cyber anarchist "Tom Collins." But it was
Justin Johnston as drag diva "Angel" who stole the
show - with an amazing voice, perfectly sassy attitude, and
dance moves that looked even better in platform heels.
After the Tuesday night
show, the actors dropped by our opening night cast party at RAIN on 4th.
With Bobby Cook playing host and Whole Foods providing
a great spread of food - the homemade hummus in three flavors
was a big hit with the crowd - the night was a huge success.
And Anthony Rapp stuck around until late in the evening,
mingling with the guests, shooting pool, taking photos, and
signing autographs.
(Image: Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal;
photo by Joan Marcus)