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by Sharon Johnson |
The musical that's drawing a new generation into the theater is also attracting a different kind of musician. "Rent" performers didn't necessarily grow up hoping to play Maria in "The Sound of Music" or Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha." True "show biz kid" Dana Dawson did do two tours of "Annie" as one of her earliest theatrical jobs. And Joshua Kobak, a musician who says his roles might be limited to " 'Hair,' 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and 'Rent,'" admits he'd appear in "anything by [Stephen] Sondheim." Native New Yorker Dawson took time off from her theatrical career to spend a few years in Europe where she's a successful recording artist. (Her new single will be released there late this summer.) Kobak ends his Saturday nights during the tour by playing guitar and performing his own music in a selected "cool club" in the "Rent" touring company's current home. From Tuesday through Feb. 18, the touring company of the musical that will celebrate its fifth anniversary on Broadway in April will be in residence at Hershey Theatre. Regular tickets still are available but, as he has done in the other cities "Rent" has visited, creator Jonathan Larson is making $20 seats available in the orchestra pit. Those tickets do not go on sale until two hours before the performance, and no lineup at the box office will be permitted before 9 a.m. The tickets may be purchased with cash only, and there is a limit of two tickets per person. "Jonathan was himself a struggling artist, and his dream was to create a universal piece of musical theatre that's available to everyone," said producer Kevin McCollum. What the Hershey-area cool club might be is anyone's guess. But dedicated musician Kobak will find it and post the information on his Web site (www.joshuakobak.com.) It was when he was studying musical theater in Cincinnati that Kobak first realized the standard repertory wasn't for him. He was intent on creating and performing his own music. In his senior year, when students went to New York to audition, he stayed behind. Rather than sell out, he sold wildlife art door to door in Wisconsin. (It was, he said, good training for the performer's need to sell himself.) Later he and his friends created their own theatrical experiences as the Lila Company. He still has hopes that there's a future for his "Subway Train," a beat poetry musical that's been performed in some unlikely off-Broadway spaces. For the past year, though, he's been on the road with "Rent" as a "swing" who understudies major parts as well as ensemble roles. Veteran that he is, he's now performed the leading role of Roger more than 100 times. The first time he went on, he had cheat sheets in his pocket to get him through every on-stage move. That careful preparation doesn't work when you're part of the ensemble, Kobak says, when the goal is "just hit your mark." Now he moves easily from part to part with no panic attack at 6:30 if he learns he's going on at 8 p.m. Dawson, who has been with "Rent" for four months, says the careful preparation the swings are given makes their difficult jobs easier. She understudies two major roles, Mimi and Joanne, as well as ensemble parts. She says she was given time to become secure in each part before learning the next. (Each role has two understudies so they're prepared when flu or cold season arrives.) In the Jonathan Larson musical, loosely based on Puccini's "La Boheme," Dawson has yet to go on as leading lady Mimi. But there's no "All About Eve" competitive spirit backstage, she says. An understudy never hopes another performer will develop a nasty cough or a simple sprain that might make her miss a performance. Kobak agrees. He manages to get enough time on stage in the usual course of events. And "we're about to play the colder cities" which can be hard on performers' health, he says. Kobak's rarely bored during those nights backstage. (Swings remain in the theater during a performance, even when not working. They're prepared in case an injury or sudden illness should occur to a member of the cast.) He plays guitar, works on some scores he's writing for NYU student films, works on scenes with actors new to the cast or joins the group gathered around the Scrabble board. Dawson says she sometimes avoids watching the play for a few days to guarantee that it won't grow stale for her. At times like that, Kobak says, there are always a few cots backstage. One
blessing of a swing's job is that on nights when they're not needed, it's
no disgrace to sleep on the job. |
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