By Matthew Wexler
The sun may be setting on summer, but Broadway by the Boardwalk is going out with a bang as Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal take the stage tonight for the series finale at Hudson River Park.
Curated by Erich Bergen, the inaugural season has included free concerts by Jennifer Holliday, Jasmine Amy Rodgers, Zachary Noah Piser, and concludes with a reunion of the longtime friends and RENT castmates.
The pair met during rehearsals for the original Off-Broadway run at New York Theater Workshop. Jonathan Larson’s reimagining of La Bohème transferred to Broadway, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. (If you want to learn even more about the show’s evolution, read producer Jeffrey Sellers’ recently released memoir, Theater Kid.)
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Thirty years later, Rapp and Pascal continue to perform together—a nod to the nostalgia of their time in the Broadway mega-hit but also their evolving careers.
“The tones of our voices in the way that they mix has been a huge part of why we’ve been able to be successful at doing this all these years,” Pascal told the Massachusetts Daily Collegian. “The blending of two very different-sounding voices and how they come together is something you can’t predict. It just happens. It’s the alchemy, we have this great sort of vocal alchemy with each other.”
Rapp and Pascal’s criss-crossing careers and a 30-year friendship
Rapp and Pascal have yet to return to Broadway together, though each has achieved industry success. Rapp has six Broadway appearances to his credit, and recently appeared Off-Broadway in Without You, a solo show based on his memoir of the same name. Pascal has been on Broadway 11 times, including opposite former RENT co-star Idina Menzel in Aida.
What can audiences expect on a hot August night at Hudson River Park? We’re expecting a powerhouse rendition of “What You Own,” their character’s 11 o’clock number from RENT, some more duets, and hopefully nods to their past Broadway shows, including Memphis and If/Then.
Bring a blanket, sunscreen, and a wishlist for your favorite pop showtunes.
Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal, Broadway by the Boardwalk, Clinton Cove, Hudson River Park at 55th Street. 6:30 p.m.
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