Tony-nominee Adam Pascal, known for originating the role of Roger in the groundbreaking Broadway and West End productions of ‘RENT,’ is bringing his rock-infused musical theater sound to Philadelphia later this month to kick off Rittenhouse Grill’s 2025 Broadway Cabaret series.
On Sept. 29 and 30, audiences can expect to enjoy a mix of songs and storytelling as Pascal shares personal anecdotes and reflects on a career in Broadway shows like ‘Aida,’ ‘Cabaret,’ ‘Memphis,’ ‘Chicago,’ ‘Something Rotten!,’ and ‘Pretty Woman,’ as well as film roles in ‘School of Rock,’ ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!,’ the ‘RENT’ movie adaptation, and other projects.
Pascal recently sat down with Metro to discuss the musical that shifted his path from aspiring rock star to theater artist, what draws him to new projects, and why he loves performing in intimate settings like the ones coming up in Philadelphia.
At what moment did you realize performing and being on stage was where you belonged?
Before I started doing theater, I grew up playing in rock bands. When I was 10 or 11 years old, I discovered that I could sing. I always loved to sing along with music, but it wasn’t until I discovered early ‘80s, heavy metal — Ozzy Osbourne was a huge influence and Iron Maiden — when I just fell in love with that music. From that moment on, all I ever wanted to do was sing in a band and play rock music and be one of those guys.
After college, I ended up auditioning for ‘RENT’ sort of on a lark. I got a call from a childhood friend, Idina Menzel, because she had been cast in the show and they were looking for a rock singer. I had just broken up with this band I played with my entire life and I was looking for something different. This was certainly different!
I did ‘RENT,’ but I was still holding on to the rock and roll thing. I thought ‘Oh, my God, now it’s going to happen because I’m a Broadway star.’ But it didn’t. Thankfully, it didn’t. It wasn’t until ‘Cabaret,’ the show I did after ‘Aida,’ that it really solidified in my mind that this is really where I belong. There were a lot of reasons for that, but the biggest one was that I loved the show so much. I was so blown away and honored that they asked me to be part of it and to close the legendary run at Studio 54.
It was so terrifying to me and that role required so many things that I had never done before. Roger in ‘RENT’ was just a guy. Radames in ‘Aida,’ just a guy. Each one of those characters was a guy in a circumstance. But the MC [in ‘Cabaret’] was completely different and every number was fully choreographed. I disappeared physically behind makeup and costume. It was so fun and exciting to me to do that in a way that I’ve never done before. From that point on, I knew this is what I want to do.
How do you approach putting together a set list for a show like at Rittenhouse Grill?
This particular show is very much a history of my history. I take the audience through where I started, ‘RENT,’ and how I got into that show. I play my audition song, which was a U2 song, and I go through my entire career up until ‘Drag the Musical,’ which I just did Off-Broadway.
I think it is an interesting and very unorthodox story with regards to how I ended up with this career and how I continue to maintain this career. It’s not easy and anyone in this business will tell you that. I hope my story and the way I tell it is fun, entertaining and engaging. Maybe if I’m lucky, it’s an inspiring story for people to take risks and chances, to explore opportunities that maybe you didn’t consider before.
You’ve done a number of intimate cabaret-style shows. How does performing in a setting like this, compared to a Broadway stage, affect the way you connect with the audience?
The intimacy is probably the biggest part. It’s like doing a show in people’s living rooms. It’s super exciting and scary and an adrenal rush. Doing live performing, anything can happen. Anything does happen. So much of the excitement of that is just going with what’s happening in the moment. Hopefully everything goes according to plan, but as I talk about in my show, that doesn’t always happen. Sometimes you get dropped on your head from 20 feet up and you have to figure out how to move on from that. I hope that people can learn a little bit more about me and how I got to the moment that I’m at, which is standing in front of them.
‘RENT’ changed the landscape of Broadway when it premiered. When did you realize the show was more than a hit and that it was a game-changer for theater?
It happened pretty quickly, faster than I’ve ever seen a show move like that. We opened Off-Broadway in January and we opened on Broadway in April. I didn’t know what was going to happen when we moved to Broadway. We could have been playing to half empty houses. I didn’t know that what was happening downtown was going to translate to Broadway. But it did. The response that we got from the audiences Off-Broadway then became so much bigger on Broadway because there was so much more of it.
It was really resonating with the broader public and as somebody who grew up in New York, wanting to be a rock star with hit songs, this was in a way like that experience. All of a sudden we are rock stars in New York City. Everything that happened with that show was like, ‘Wait, really?!’ The Tonys, the Pulitzer Prize, every step of it was fascinating to me. People watching it who knew me growing up said, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to you!’ I would be like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me!’
When you’re choosing a role or a project to work on, what draws you in and makes you say yes?
Every role I’ve done is one I know I can do something with. I’m not sure how or why, but there’s something about a role that will resonate with me. I’ve been asked if I’d want to play Dr. Frank-N-Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Show,’ and Tim Curry’s performance [in the movie] is so seminal for me and changed my life, but I wouldn’t know what to do with that character other than to just copy what he did. I don’t want to do that. I’ve taken over many roles after watching somebody’s performance and saying, ‘I want to try that.’ I know what I can do with them. So, it’s just a feeling that I get. It’s never something specific.
Do you know what you’re going to do as Jesus in ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ next spring at Studio Tenn Theatre Company?
I don’t, other than to say I’m very excited, as an atheist, to explore that character. I have my own particular feelings about that character so I’m looking forward to maybe having a take on it that other people don’t. Obviously, the music is incredible too.
What are you looking forward to the most about your performances at the Rittenhouse Grille in Philly?
I love the connection of being in a small venue. At this performance, I’ll have a piano player, but many times I do this show alone. It’s obviously scary, but also really exciting when it’s just me and it’s just my responsibility. If I’m in a musical, I don’t have that feeling. But I enjoy this because it’s a challenge.
Adam Pascal will perform at Rittenhouse Grill’s 2025 Broadway Cabaret series on Sept. 29 and 30. Guests can opt for a dinner-and-a-show experience ($200–$225 per person), beginning with a rotating three-course prix-fixe menu. For a lighter option, bar seating is $75 per person with beverage-only service. All guests are welcome to a brief post-show meet and greet.
