By Chung Ah-young
Staff Reporter
Since the Broadway musical ``Rent’’ premiered in 1996, it has been translated into 15 languages in 25 countries, luring audiences from all over the world.
The Broadway production with its original cast closed last year after a 12-year run with 5,124 performances, making it the eighth-longest-running Broadway show ever, eight years behind the longest, ``The Phantom of the Opera.''
The original cast has toured 40 U.S. cities since January, and they’re finally landing in Seoul.
``We’re happy to be here. It’s a huge honor for all of us to take this show to other countries and other cultures around the world,’’ Adam Pascal, who plays the role of Roger Davis, told reporters in a press conference.
Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, who plays Mark Cohen, have reunited for the tour show after starring in the original 1996 production.
``I feel a special connection to Roger,” said Pascal. “It was my first acting role. So there has never been any feeling of separation of myself and this character. It was all me.’’ The tour members expressed their special attachment to the show for their last performance and promised to provide the Korean audience with a final spectacle of great excitement and originality. ``Rent'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, based on Giacomo Puccini's opera ``La Boheme.''
The musical was first shown at the New York Theater Workshop in 1994 and made its official debut on Jan. 25, 1996. The show's writer and composer, Jonathan Larson, died suddenly the night before its off Broadway premiere.
``We hope we can continue to do the work of Jonathan Larson for the Korean audience,’’ said Pascal. Rapp added that Larson’s legacy continues to grow as his work crosses cultures.
The show revolves around a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive in New York's Lower East Side during the thriving days of Bohemian Alphabet City, under the shadow of AIDS.
The show gained critical acclaim on Broadway and earned a Tony Award for Best Musical, and a Pulitzer Prize, among other awards.
The success of the show led to several national tours and numerous foreign productions, as well as a motion picture featuring most of the original cast members.
Rapp and Pascal have both appeared in multiple productions of ``Rent'' as well as the 2005 film adaptation.
The musical features an ethnically diverse cast and incorporates controversial topics, drawing popularity particularly among the younger generation.
Michael McElroy, who plays Tom Collins, said that the show displays ``different backgrounds and humanity with a great message’’ that can touch all, regardless of one’s cultural and racial affiliations.
The musical is renowned for its maniacal fans called ``Rent-heads’’ in the United States and has gained a lot of supporters in Korea due to the enormous popularity of the local casting of Cho Seung-woo.
Pascal said that it was interesting for him having been with the show since the beginning to see ``Rent’’ fans transform from lost young kids and disgruntled teenagers to very happy, well-adjusted adults.
``It was a great thrill. I feel a certain sense of gratitude that I could do my part to help troubled young kids find happiness,’’ said Pascal.
Acknowledging that although it is the last show, Pascal feels that he has ― and always will ― live with it.
``I’m not preparing to say goodbye to the show at all. `Rent’ was part of me and I was part of it.’’
The show will run from Sept. 8 to 20 at KBS Hall in Yeoiudo, Seoul. Tickets range from 40,000 to 200,000 won during peak times and 40,000 to 180,000 won otherwise. For more information, call 1544-1681 or visit www.rent-broadway.co.kr