"One song…glory." In RENT, HIV-positive rocker Roger Davis struggles to create the consummate song to carry on his legacy "before the virus takes hold." Adam Pascal, who brought the character to life in the original production and on-screen, also experiences life through his music. After quitting his band and moving to NYC to make his fame as a solo musician, Pascal heard from a friend about RENT, a then-unknown musical that was holding auditions. When Pascal got the part, he was just glad to have a job. RENT was originally scheduled for a 10-show run, but after repeatedly sold-out performances, it moved to Broadway and enjoyed one of the longest runs in the history of the Great White Way.
Now Pascal's back in the role for which he's famous, touring in a production which comes to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center July 7-12. But more than a few things have changed for the actor. He's been in movies like SLC Punk! and School of Rock. He played Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida. He cranked out a few rock albums of his own. Oh, and he got married, had two kids, and moved to L.A. It's quite a laundry list of accomplishments, but it made me wonder one thing: What the hell does Adam Pascal have in common with Roger Davis anymore? After all, he first played Roger more than a decade ago and the times, as they say, are a 'changing. Isn't he getting a little old for this role? That was my first question in our phone interview last Friday.
See what Pascal had to say about his time in the show, how RENT is like Nirvana and more after the break:
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2009.