by Stephanie Shea
Daily Bruin
January 24, 1999

The ringing of a cell phone pierces the silence of a nearly empty Shubert Theatre. Clad in a cream sweater, black skirt and dark brown boots, Daphne Rubin-Vega leaps up and strides over toward where sunlight streams through the glass doors as she answers the phone. Her voice is deep, soft and immediately recognizable to the legions familiarized with the "Rent" recording.

It is the voice of Mimi. And for almost two years, the soundtrack was the closest thing theater-goers had to the actress' Tony Award and Drama Desk-nominated performance of an emotional dancer, living with AIDS, in the critically-acclaimed hit musical "Rent." But this Sunday, Rubin-Vega will be returning to the role she originated for a six-week engagement at the Shubert Theatre.

"I thought that I had forgotten everything. And I did. But it comes back quickly. I don't know," Rubin-Vega says. The actress/singer stops and then smiles sheepishly. "We'll see, won't we?"

As she is talking, Rubin-Vega is getting ready for photos and other publicity duties. Her trademark dark curls are tied back, and she speaks slowly and thoughtfully, as her make-up is being applied. Every once in a while, though, a twinkle arises in her eyes, and a smile breaks across her face that provide a glimpse into the heart of Mimi.
"I put all of myself in there," Rubin-Vega says of the character that she originated. "I don't do the things that Mimi does. I don't crash and burn in quite the same ways. I'm not literally as destructive and I don't have the illnesses that Mimi has like heroin addiction and AIDS. Those are just little circumstances. Mimi is a very big part of who I am, of what I use to help keep me strong, that faith. I think Mimi has a lot of faith."

Mimi is so personal to Rubin-Vega that the character's wardrobe came straight out of the actress' closet. Initially the production had no money, and the costume designer went over to Rubin-Vega's house where they pulled out things that they thought Mimi would wear. For current productions, the clothes were duplicated and made into costumes. Rubin-Vega still owns the original outfits and even wears them out sometimes.

"The last time I wore those blue pants in a normal context I actually wore them with a sweatshirt over them and combat boots and went to the movies," she recalls.

Rubin-Vega says that there are several reasons why she decided to slip into vinyl pants once again. After she finished her solo album, which will be released this spring, Rubin-Vega will be preparing to go on tour by June, leaving several free months in between. She says that she wanted something to ease her into performing and remind people that she's out there. But above all, she loves playing Mimi. Members of the first national touring company are also excited about Rubin-Vega's return.

"She's so cool. It's kind of weird because you're like, 'Oh my God. You're on the CD!'" says "Rent" co-star Kamilah Martin, who plays Joanne. "I remember last week when I came in for one rehearsal. She was on the bars, and she was doing 'Out Tonight.' I just stopped in my tracks and was totally freaked out.

"And when she was done, I went over to her and I (said), 'I just have to say this. I am a huge fan and I know that you shouldn't be like this with the people you're working with."

Rent fans share that excitement. Many of them camped out Tuesday night for the run's first preview performance on Wednesday night. Ask them what they are most excited about, and from the piles of sleeping bags you'll see, their eyes light up as they whisper "Daphne." All of this buzz and expectation, though, can generate pressure for an actress. But is Rubin-Vega nervous?

"Oh no," she draws out in a mock sarcastic tone. "I'm completely, completely confident."

After a pause, she continues, "A lot of the questions are like, 'What's the difference between then and now?' It's a dodgey word, 'stakes.' But you know, I've never performed out here before, and I'd like to say that I don't give a shit what people think, but that's not true. So hopefully, if I do my best, someone will like it. It's just (that) I can't expect everyone to go crazy over it, and I don't."

Reprising the role also means reprising "Out Tonight," the show's most rigorous solo number, which has Mimi about 10 feet high, hanging off bars, dancing her way down stairs, all while singing her lungs out.

"It's frightening again now because I hadn't done it in a long time," Rubin- Vega says. "It's like, 'How did I keep myself up here without being daunted by the height? With the light in my face and the heels and this and that?' I'm beginning to get used to it. I mean, you get used to it."

Although she is getting used to things, she will be performing with an entirely different cast than she previously worked with. And neither Rubin-Vega nor the other cast members are trying to replicate the original Broadway production.

"The first night (that Daphne) saw the show, we (asked), 'Was it weird?'" Martin recalls. "She was like, 'Yeah, you know. It was weird, but it wasn't bad-weird or anything like that. It's what it is, and you guys are doing a good job doing it.'"

Martin says that Rubin-Vega compared the experience to a child's development. After spending a certain amount of time with a baby, the baby must leave to take on a life of its own. And Rubin-Vega likened seeing the show again to revisiting a child she once knew.

In fact, Rubin-Vega thinks that it is good to see what other actors bring to the various roles.

"I'm not thinking, 'Oh, they're not doing what I want.'" Rubin-Vega says. "Not at all. That would really destroy my fun, my enjoyment of the whole experience."

However, she admits that there was a time when it was strange to watch the show with other actors in it.

"I've gotten a bit used to it," she says. "I tried to have an open mind. I think that I have certain demands of the character. But it's very exciting to see somebody do it, and when the characters come from a genuine place, it's all good. There was a while, though, that it was very hard. I was very demanding of particularly Mimi."

Perhaps the reason why Rubin-Vega was so demanding is because she took part in workshopping and creating "Rent" before it moved to Broadway. She was involved in the early stages when the actors learned the music from tapes that creator Jonathan Larson had made. Rubin-Vega says that the tapes weren't about the late Larson singing as much as it was about him setting out a musical pattern for the actors to learn.

"Essentially, we were free to pour ourselves into that pattern," Rubin-Vega reflects. "In other words, our singing styles ... In putting the story up on its feet, we explored how we actively put it in our bodies and in our characters. It wasn't like, 'Okay you go there and stand.' Everything was just how we set it up with Michael's incredible direction. I have to hand it to director Michael Greif in a very big way."

By the time "Rent" was fully developed, the show had undergone a number of changes. An enormous amount of songs and lyrics were cut. Rubin-Vega remembers that "Out Tonight" was twice as long, and "Another Day" was "like an hour long." She says that when she came into the workshop, "Without You" was sung by the lesbian characters, Maureen and Joanne.

"When we came back in '95 to do it, Jonathan said, 'I've given "Without You" to Mimi. I think it's more important with the arc of the play - that she sing it is more appropriate,'" Rubin-Vega says. "I really didn't want to sing a ballad. I thought, 'I can't sing a ballad. It's going to suck.' He said, 'You'll be fine. Don't worry about it. You can do it. It's easy. Just make me cry when you sing it.' And I just remember thinking, 'Oh, no problem, dude.'"

Fastforward to 1999. Her make-up is complete, and she dangles her legs over her seat in the quiet lobby as the interview winds down. After over half an hour of discussion, everything seems to converge at one simple point.

"Sometimes for the fun of it is enough of a reason to want to do something," Rubin-Vega says. "And Mimi is a lot of fun. Just like playing a really good game of soccer is fun. It will tear the ass out of you. It'll exhaust you, but it's still fun and rewarding."