by Debbie Arrington
Press Telegram
January 20, 1999

Daphne Rubin-Vega doubted her muscles would ever forget Mimi.

"I thought I would never lose Mimi," says the sultry actress. "How could I? She's in my body, in my cells.

"But I left her for two years - and she was gone. Now, that we're rehearsing, my body is beginning to remember Mimi again. She won't let me stay stuck in old actor habits. She's always fresh, living for the moment. It's easy to be that way with Mimi."

For thousands of theatergoers, Rubin-Vega is Mimi, the mixed-up junkie/dancer and female lead in the hit Broadway musical "Rent." After her hiatus, Rubin-Vega returns as Mimi Wednesday, as the national tour of "Rent" comes back to Los Angeles. For six weeks, "Rent" will lease the Shubert.

She's glad to be back with Mimi. "This show allowed me to do what I want to do - and pay the rent literally," says the Panamanian native. "This was my first Broadway show. Before that, my roles were way off-off-off-off-off Broadway."

Rubin-Vega developed her role in workshop with "Rent" creator Jonathan Larson, moved on with "Rent" to Broadway and became an instant icon for a new generation of Bohemians. Her picture appeared on Newsweek and in scores of other publications, including Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone as "Rent" became a national phenomenon. The play won both the 1996 Pulitzer Prize and Tony award as Best Play, plus scores of other honors.

"I learned so much," says Rubin-Vega, now 29, of her high "Rent" days. "I learned that a good performance isn't tied to how I feel about it. I don't know if I'm good or bad and sometimes when I'm most dissatisfied, I do my best because I had some obstacle to overcome. I learned I could rise to the occasion without getting egg on my face. I learned how strong I am.

"And I learned the difference between being known and being not known - and that I'm still the same person."

Other endeavors

Two years ago, while "Rent" was still rocking on as the musical of the '90s, Rubin-Vega decided to let go of her shooting star to try some other things. She appeared in the movie, "Wild Things," with Neve Campbell and Matt Dillon. For 18 months, she honed her first album, "Souvenirs."

"That's why I left in the first place - to do my album," she says during a break in rehearsal. "I was also exhausted. I wanted to commit to excellence with my album. I felt that same commitment for 'Rent.' Both were going to suck if I tried to do both at the same time."

Rubin-Vega wrote 10 of the 13 songs that appear on the album, to be released later this year by Mercury. Some of the songs, such as "Broken," reflect her "Rent" experience. "After this whole extraordinary experience, to say - 'Here I am, now write about it' - was difficult," she says. "Your whole life is totally different when you finally stand still after a show like that."

Rubin-Vega had earlier recorded a No. 1 dance hit, "I Found Out." She describes "Souvenirs" as a mix of electric rock and pop. "It's good dance music; you can definitely shake your ass."

Now that the album is in the hands of engineers, Rubin-Vega felt free to return to the play that shaped her life - as well as pop myth.

She witnessed the "Rent" mystique unfold from its beginnings. That includes its tragic legend: Larson, "Rent's" creator, died of a heart attack on the eve of the play's world premiere. His death deprived the 35-year-old playwright from ever seeing what he had worked so hard to get on stage.

That aspect also adds a personal attachment to all the cast members who worked with him. "I think about Jonathan a lot," says Rubin-Vega. "Jonathan symbolizes the beginning and the end - the start of the circle. Without Jonathan, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. He believed in me. I have incredible gratitude for what he did.

"Also, he's sort of not here, but still here. I feel him around while doing the show. Through the show, he continues on."