#6 Rent - Original Broadway Cast
Rent - Original Broadway Cast
Released: August 27, 1996
Vocalists:
Roger Davis - Adam Pascal
Mark Cohen - Anthony Rapp
Tom Collins - Jesse L. Martin
Benjamin Coffin III - Taye Diggs
Joanne Jefferson - Fredi Walker
Angel Schunard - Wilson Jermaine Heredia
Mimi Marquez - Daphne Rubin-Vega
Maureen Johnson - Idina Menzel
Mark’s Mom & Others - Kristen Lee Kelly
Mr. Jefferson & Others - Byron Utley
Mrs. Jefferson & Others - Gwen Stewart
Gordon & Others - Timothy Britten Parker
Steve & Others - Gilles Chiasson
Paul & Others - Rodney Hicks
Alexi Darling & Others - Aiko Nakasone
Understudies - Yassmin Alers, Darius de Haas, Shelley Dickinson, David Driver, Mark Setlock, Simone
Musicians:
Tim Weil - Conductor, Piano, Synthesizers, Egg
Stephanie Mack [credited as Steve Mack] - Bass
Kenny Brescia - Guitars
Jeff Potter - Drums & Percussion
Daniel A. Weiss - Hammond B-3, Synthesizers, Guitars
Seasons of Love Bonus Track credits:
Stevie Wonder - Vocals, harmonica
Ira Siegel - Guitar
Anthony Jackson - Contrabass Guitar
“Thank you Jonathan.”
On January 25th, in the morning after the final rehearsal before the first preview, Jonathan Larson died from an aortic aneurysm as a result of misdiagnosed Marfan Syndrome. The powers that be along with Jonathan’s parents decided to perform the first preview anyway for friends and family to honor “the show must go on” spirit which most definitely would’ve been what Jonathan would have wanted.
They decided to perform the show more as a concert sitting down around the tables. During La Vie Boheme the spirit of Jonathan’s music just became too infectious. And the song celebrating the bohemian life style became an outright party on stage.
For those that know the show, even fleetingly, will understand how much it felt like everybody was listening to Jonathan give his own eulogy. The man put his heart and soul on the stage for everyone to share. To share his heartbreak…his joy…his anger…his love.
When the show ended. The audience entered a somber quiet. A single voice called out through the silence.
“Thank you Jonathan.”
The audience broke into another round of applause.
Jonathan gave us a piece of art that ushered in a whole new era of theater. People loved it…people hated it. (Still do.) “Hair of the 90s.” It was to the 90s what Hamilton was for the mid 2015.
My introduction to Rent came from scoring tickets in 98. My theater obsession was in full swing. I had seen Phantom, A Christmas Carol…a bunch of local community shows (the typical lineup of Grease, Joseph and so on…).
But here comes Rent.
This grunge boy’s heart EXPLODED when the conductor counted off “2-3” and the drums kicked in. The theater SHOOK. My chest shook.
It was a fucking rock concert.
Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson.
Track listing:
Disc One:
Tune Up #1
Voice Mail #1
Tune Up #2
Rent
You Okay Honey?
Tune Up #3
One Song Glory
Light My Candle
Voice Mail #2
Today 4U
You’ll See
Tango: Maureen
Life Support
Out Tonight
Another Day
Will I?
On the Street
Santa Fe
I’ll Cover You
We’re Okay
Christmas Bells
Over the Moon
La Vie Boheme
I Should Tell You
La Vie Boheme B
Disc Two:
Seasons of Love
Happy New Year
Voice Mail #3
Happy New Year B
Take Me or Leave Me
Seasons of Love B
Without You
Voice Mail #4
Contact
I”ll Cover You (Reprise)
Halloween
Goodbye Love
What You Own
Voice Mail #5
Finale
Your Eyes
Finale B
Seasons of Love
But…it was theater.
One Song Glory hits. That delayed guitar…the coolest thing I’ve ever heard. And there’s Norbert…sitting on the end of the table. The light casting his shadow on the wall. I recognized the image it made…but couldn’t place it. But I knew it was something.
Out Tonight hits. I mean…every young kid goes through that moment where they know they’re seeing something they probably shouldn’t be seeing…but they love it. …That was definitely it for me.
So…I fell in love with the show. Bought the cast album. Nice double CD. I destroyed it from playing it so much. Completely memorized. (Still is to this day.). I memorized the idiosyncrasies of the album. When I hit high school, the lotto attempts began.
Rent was the first show to offer lotto tickets for a lower price. Seats were in the first 2 rows. It was a day of thing…$20…cash. The show’s popularity was waning, so I won just about every time I put in. This helped me to end up seeing the show 42 times. A number of different casts. Some great…some ok. All wonderfully satisfying.
When the movie came out the show got a bump in popularity and I ended up not really winning often and therefore my trips to the lotto slowed down.
I fell in love with many shows since then. But…Rent continued to hold a special place in my heart.
After it closed…all the local theaters jumped on it as quick as possible. My friend Anthony was music directing a production near by and needed a cover for a few performances. So I was able to play the score live. That same cast (for the most part) ended up doing another production soon after at another theater. I received a call one Thursday night at 1am. It was the director (who was also playing Roger.). They had just had their final dress rehearsal. Apparently the music director wasn’t playing the show the way the director wanted. And neither was the drummer. So he wanted to fire them…have me come in and take over keys/conducting. And have the drummer from the previous production take over.
I agreed. The production was quite fun. There was a high school age cast as well…headed up by another music director that I played drums for.
Then another production at another theater asked me to music direct their production. Then another one…then another one.
Honestly I couldn’t tell you how many I did.
And I love every second.
Cut to 2017. I see the 20th Anniversary Tour is gearing up to head out for a second year. I’m feeling ballsy. I find the information for Tim Weil, the music supervisor. I write him an email saying I’m a fan and a music director and wondering if he can put me in touch with someone who can let me audit a rehearsal. To my absolute surprise, he asked if I would be interested in auditioning to play the show.
Now…I had sent him my resume. I assumed I’d be playing keys 2/guitar 2. But it turned out it was for the conductor chair. He sent me the music. Music I’d played a million times. But all the same I spent weeks upon weeks shedding it. Making sure I was playing the ink. And playing it with groove.
The audition comes. I wander around Ripley Grier before Tim calls me into a room. He has me play the tunes. Then we spend about an hour just bullshitting about random stuff. He explains the gig, asks if I’d be comfy with the responsibilities. When we finally part ways I have to sit down on a bench in a nearby park. I saw this show in 98. And here I was auditioning to be a part of it.
Weeks of waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
And then…I’m laying in bed watching SVU. I get a call. It’s Tim. The job is mine.
Cut to September. 1500 people behind me. I turn around and give Mark the nod. He does his monologue. I’m honestly only half paying attention…cause I’m looking around me…at the set surrounding me. There’s the life support platform right above me. There’s the Christmas tree to the right….there’s Roger tuning his guitar.
Then he says it:
“The power blows!”
Then me:
“TWO - THREE!”
And we’re fucking off.
I made it. That’s the reality. Now…”making it” doesn’t mean…boom I’m rich and famous. It just means…I was happy.
As the performance ended. It kicked my ass. But I was still glowing. I conducted the show. 1500 people behind me screaming. As I walked off the stage, I passed the sign backstage. A wooden plaque carved by one of the Larson family members. I looked at it and nodded. Cause it said it all. My journey had started. And there was only one thing to say:
