Adam Pascal
(born October 25, 1970) is an American actor and singer, best known for his Tony-nominated performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent
on Broadway 1996 and the 2005 movie version of the musical. He is also known for originating the role of Radames in Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida
and for playing the Emcee from the 1998 revival of Cabaret
.
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ADAM PASCAL TICKETS
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Career
Pascal was born to a
Jewish family in
The Bronx, New York, but raised in
Syosset, New York. Before his interest in music, he was a personal trainer. Although he began as a rock musician playing in a number of bands (such as Mute) formed with his schoolmates, Pascal became drawn to the musical theater. A friend of his former high school, who at the time was dating fellow Syosset graduate
Idina Menzel, mentioned
Rent
to him. On a whim, he auditioned and was cast as the HIV positive rock guitarist Roger Davis. His powerful
tenor voice and his performance in
Rent
earned him a
Tony nomination, a Theater World award, and an Obie Award. He left the show on November 2, 1997, but went on to reprise Roger when
Rent
opened in London.
The role helped Pascal gain fame on Broadway, and he was cast in the
Elton John and
Tim Rice musical
Aida
as the Egyptian general Radames with the original and final casts (former
Rent
castmate Idina Menzel would co-star as Amneris in 2001), and Kander and Ebb's
Cabaret
, closing the show as the Emcee (closing cast). He also participated in several charity performances, including
Hair
(singing "I Got Life"),
Chess
(playing the American, Freddie Trumper), and the
24 Hour Plays
in 2005. He returned to
Aida
in 2004 to close the run of the show as Radames. However, Pascal felt that he was looked upon solely as a Broadway singer, so he returned to his rock and roll roots with a solo recording contract on
Sh-K-Boom Records, which was founded by his
Aida
costar,
Sherie Rene Scott and her husband Kurt Deutsch. He has released two solo rock
albums,
Model Prisoner
(2000),
Civilian
(2004). He also contributed a cover of
Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" to the
CD Broadway Cares: Home for the Holidays
.
Pascal made his film debut in
SLC Punk!
(1999), and also appeared in
School of Rock
(2003) and
Temptation
(2004). The audio for
Temptation
, a musical, was recorded live on set during filming. In late 2005, he, along with five others of the principal cast, reprised their roles in the film version of
Rent
, directed by
Chris Columbus. Pop idol
Justin Timberlake campaigned heavily to Columbus and the producers for the role of Roger
[1], but Columbus insisted that only the original cast members could convey the true meaning of
Rent
. The film was released on November 23, 2005.
Pascal had a guest role as "Dennis Hofferman", a murder victim, on an episode of
Cold Case
, which co-starred
Tracie Thoms, his co-star from the film version of
Rent
. The episode, called "Willkommen", originally aired on April 2, 2006, and revolved around an amateur production of
Cabaret
. On July 4 that year, Adam took part in the Macy's Fourth of July Celebration. He sang during the traditional fireworks display. He also took part in both the fifth and tenth anniversary celebrations of
Rent
on Broadway in 2000 and 2005, respectively.
In the independent movie
Goyband
, Pascal stars as a former boy-band icon who is booked to play a show at a
Kosher hotel, but ends up shocking the guests with his sexy show. Fans were invited to participate in the movie as extras for the concert scenes. His co-stars in
Goyband
are
Amy Davidson,
Cris Judd,
Tovah Feldshuh,
Dean Edwards,
Tibor Feldman and
Natasha Lyonne.
Goyband
originally premiered at the Jerusalem Films Festival in December 2008. Its North America premiere is July 2009, on Long Island.
Pascal has also completed filming for another independent movie,
American Primitive
, about a gay couple who try to hide their relationship from family and neighbors in 1973, a few years following the
Stonewall Riots.
Along with original Broadway
Rent
cast member
Anthony Rapp (Mark Cohen), Pascal returned to Broadway to star as Roger in
Rent
from July 30 to October 7, 2007.
He reprised the role of Frederick Trumper, aka "Freddie, The American" in the London concert version of
Chess
at the
Royal Albert Hall on the 12 and 13 May 2008. His
Rent
and
Aida
co-star Idina Menzel played the role of Florence. This performance was recorded and was televised on American and British television on June 17, 2009, and has been released on DVD.
Pascal formed the band "Me and Larry (Edoff)" in 2006. The two musicians began composing and performing original material and reworked Broadway songs in small venues throughout the US. Pascal won the 2007-2008 Golden Icon Award for Best Small Venue Concert. The band's first CD,
Blinding Light
, was released in May 2008 on Pascal's own label. The CD is available at concerts and through the band's website (where a direct digital download is available).
In 2008, Pascal recorded a ballad entitled "Eva Wanted" with Broadway veteran and recording artist Maya Days. Pascal and Days co-starred in
Aida
on Broadway in 2000. Days is also a veteran of
Rent
on Broadway and in the UK, as well as the first National Tour (playing Mimi.)
In the fall of 2008, production began on Pascal's first music video for his song "Single Drop of You" along with singer/songwriter Larry Edoff. "Single Drop of You" is available now on "Me and Larry"'s "Blinding Light" Album. The video, directed by Jarek Zabczynski, is now out on Jester Picture's website.
On January 2009, he and friend Anthony Rapp reprised their originating (and film) roles as Roger and Mark in another
Rent
tour titled:
"Rent: The Broadway Tour"
, which is scheduled for many cities in the US, as well as stops in Japan and Korea. At the tour's
Detroit,
Michigan stop in February, Pascal suffered two herniated discs in his neck and was on medical leave for a week. Cary Shields, an understudy and also a Broadway
Rent
veteran, filled in. Pascal has since made a full recovery and is back performing.
[2] During the Rochester, New York stop on the tour, various cast members stated that they are in negotiations for an extension of the tour into 2010 and Toronto was one of the stops mentioned
[3].
Disney is planning a major motion picture adaptation release of
Aida
in 2010. According to Jim Hill Media,
Beyoncé Knowles is in talks with
Walt Disney Studios to star in the title role alongside
Christina Aguilera as Amneris. It is unknown if Pascal will be asked to play his familiar role of Radames in this adaptation.
[4]
The Backyardigans
Adam provided the narration and sang a song in the double-length episode "
Tale of the Mighty Knights" for the show
The Backyardigans
. The song is called "I'm Not an Egg Anymore", and is the final song of the episode.
Personal life
On December 19, 1998, Adam Pascal married Cybele Chivian, daughter of
Eric S. Chivian, M.D., Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School and 1985 Nobel Prize winner. They have two sons, Lennon Jay (born October 2001) and Montgomery Lovell (born February 2004)..
Due to their children's food allergies, Cybele created nutritious, enjoyable, safe recipes, which she included in her book
The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook: Two Hundred Gourmet & Homestyle Recipes for the Food Allergic Family
.
Discography
- "Mute" - ca. 1994
- "Model Prisoner" - 2000
- "Civilian" - 2004
- "Blinding Light" (with Larry Edoff) - 2008
Stage Work
- Rent
(Original US & UK casts) - Roger Davis (1996-1997 [New York], 1998 [London])
- Aida
- Radames (Original cast) (1998-2000)
- Fully Committed
(off-Broadway) - Co-producer (2000)
- Cabaret
- Emcee (October 2003 - January 2004) (Closing Cast)
- Aida
- Radames (2004) (Closing Cast)
- Hair
(2005) (Actors' Benefit Concert)
- Chess
- Freddie (2005) (Actors' Benefit Concert)
- 24 Hour Plays
(2005)
- Rent
(Broadway) - Roger Davis (2007)
- Alive in the World
(2008)
- Chess
(London) - Freddie (2008)
- Drift
- (2008)
- Rent
(US national tour) - Roger Davis (2009)
Filmography
| Year
| Film/television
| Role
| Other notes
|
| 1999
| SLC Punk!
| Eddie
|
|
| 2003
| School of Rock
| Theo
|
|
| 2004
| Temptation
| Nicholi
|
|
| 2005
| Rent
| Roger Davis
| appeared with most of the original stage cast members
|
| 2006
| Cold Case
| Dennis Hofferman
| TV series, appeared alongside Rent
co-star Tracie Thoms
|
| 2008
| American Primitive
| Theo
| Independent film
|
| Single Drop of You
| Himself
| Music Video
|
| Goyband
| Bobby Starr
| Independent Film
|
References
- Rent Film Success Bodes Well for Future Movie Musicals
- http://www.adampascalmusic.com/home.cfm?mpf=frame&
- http://toronto.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=995456
- Beyoncé to Star in Aida Adaptation?