Adam Pascal in San Francisco

[jimnysf]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 12:46pm

Here is an article about him from this week's Bay Area Reporter.





Singing his signature songs
Actor/musician Adam Pascal plays the Post St. Theatre
by Richard Dodds

If you want a preview of the concert that Adam Pascal is bringing to the Post Street Theatre, just go to YouTube and type in his name. There are scores of clips from his performances that give you a good idea of the casual nature of a Pascal concert and the intensity with which he can deliver a song, whether it is that Cabaret chestnut "Maybe This Time," his character's signature song from Rent, or one of his own rocker compositions.

Pascal, talking recently from New York, said he has no problem with fans taping and posting his performances. "I love it," he said. "For someone in the position that I'm in, it only helps. I tell the kids to film away and put it on You Tube."

The position in which Pascal finds himself is on a thin line where he tries to balance his musical interests and his audience's expectation. "I'm somebody who is known for and has a following with regards to my theater endeavors," he said, "but I'm out there trying to get people to become more familiar with my own music."

Pascal, 35, has released two albums of his original straight-ahead rock on the Internet-based Sh-K-Boom Records, and while an upcoming CD will include several of his distinctive takes on the theater music he performs in concerts, the majority of the material will be more of his original rock music.

In addition to "Maybe This Time," his show tune song-bag includes "Maria" from West Side Story and "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line. "I hope I bring something sort of unique to the Broadway material," Pascal said. "It involves my sensibilities as someone who grew up listening to rock music. The world of musical theater is kind of boring, so I'm hoping to stir the pot a little bit. And just because I'm a great rock singer doesn't mean that I'm not also a great singer in other ways, and I like to play with that idea."

When Pascal auditioned for the original workshop production of Rent in 1995, all his energies up to that point had been in establishing himself as a rock performer. The role of Roger, an aspiring rocker with AIDS, was a good fit musically, and Pascal has become part of the mythology surrounding the musical. But, in concert, he limits his selections from Rent to a single song: "One Song Glory."

"That's really the character's signature song," he explained. "He doesn't have another solo song. I mean, he sings 'Your Eyes' at the end, but that's not a particularly good song taken out of context. So there's nothing else to sing, and Rent isn't the only show I've ever been in, and so people may want to hear other stuff from Rent, but tough titties."

Pascal's second Broadway show was Disney's Aida, but he hasn't yet added a song from that score to his repertoire. His third and final Broadway gig to date was as the emcee in Cabaret during the final months of the revival's run. It was a role he lobbied to play, and it proved to be a confidence booster.

When Pascal does sing "One Song Glory" from Rent, at least in one of the clips posted on YouTube, the sound of screaming girls can be overwhelming — but not off-putting, at least not to Pascal.

"I have a great rapport with my audiences. I like to talk to them, and I like for them to talk to me. So if they're that excited, let em scream. Look, every rock band that ever achieved any amount of success or staying power has started with the young girls. That's your fan base. They act crazy, and I'm glad they're there."

In a review of a recent concert at Northern Kentucky University, he was quoted as saying, "I'm glad to see that even in Kentucky, I have my usual fans of girls and gay guys."

"That's my little joke that I generally make at every show," he said. "I would say it's 95% girls, but also gay guys who know me through theater. Look, the stereotype of gay men loving the musical theater is a stereotype because it's true. And I'm thrilled and flattered that they're fans of mine as well."

Pascal doesn't dispute the notion that some of his girl/gay fan base is tied up with his good looks. He's a "Broadway heartthrob," according to promotional material.

"I'm extremely lucky," he said. "I feel comfortable in my abilities so I can sort of be self-deprecating about anything else, but I think if all I was was attractive, it would be a little difficult to have gotten to the place I'm at now."

But there have been setbacks. With wife Cybele and their two children, Pascal moved from New York to Los Angeles in expectation that the movie of Rent would jumpstart a screen-acting career. But the movie was not a box-office success, and he acknowledged there haven't been many offers as far as TV and the movies are concerned. In another interview, Pascal said the disappointment sent him into therapy.

"That was a joke," he said. "I was in therapy way before that."

In the movie Rent, Pascal hardly looked like himself, forgoing his trademark bleached and close-cropped hairstyle for a shaggy do on screen. "I wanted something a little more earthy looking and natural for the film, and if you think about it logically, this is somebody who's been keeping himself shut away for months, so the likelihood of him keeping his hair short and freshly bleached I always thought was a little far-fetched."

And his hair these days? "Short and freshly bleached. I think I just generally look better as a blond."

Adam Pascal will perform Oct. 27 and 28 at the Post Street Theatre. Tickets are $35-$85. Call 771-6900 or go to www.poststreettheatre.com.


10/19/2006

Bay Area Reporter

[EponineAmneris]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 12:49pm

Thank you for posting this! Adam rocks

And that picture *huge fangirl dreamy sigh*

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 12:49 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 12:55pm

Awww. This is a good article; they really got him talking, it seems.

I LOVE that this addresses his hair. However, I must say, Adam. Honey. You look so, so much better as a brunette. Please step away from the bleach.

Pascal moved from New York to Los Angeles in expectation that the movie of Rent would jumpstart a screen-acting career.

This I don't quite get; he moved months after the film had already pretty much flopped.

Anyway, SF-dwellers, go see him. :)

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 12:55 PM

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 2:50pm

"The world of musical theater is kind of boring"

Adaam...

"Rent isn't the only show I've ever been in, and so people may want to hear other stuff from Rent, but tough titties."

HAHAHA. Okay, this quote is so great it makes up for the other one. It would have been hysterical if that's what he actually said at the concert when people were screaming for Rent.

[mabel]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:01pm

$85?!?!? Is he crazy?!?! I haven't been following him/his career at all lately, but is this typical for his recent shows? Is this some sort of benefit or something? A typo? There must be something I'm missing. If not...I'm sorry, but that's just insane.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:07pm

He doesn't set the ticket prices, the venue does.

Good article. Glad the person seemed to be more informed about his career than just asking him a bunch of questions about Rent.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:13pm

Ticket prices are $85, $45 and $35. The $85 are the prime seats in Rows D & E. Most of the tickets are actually $45, except for rear balcony which is $35.

[mabel]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:22pm

Fine then, are the people at the Post Street Theatre insane? Are people actually shelling out $85 to see Adam Pascal (yes, I realize there are cheaper seats, too). I didn't pay $85 to see Coldplay, U2, Paul McCartney, or The Rolling Stones over the past year (and even his lower tier tix are about what I paid, or even a bit more, to see The Strokes, Counting Crows, and Alanis Morisette). Besides, what does he put on, a 60-70 minute show?

I'll be honest, I don't know anything about concert touring, etc, but would an artist get paid a flat rate and it's then up to an individual venue to charge as much as they think they can get away with and keep the rest? Like I said before, has this been standard issue with his other concerts lately, or have they been in the $20 range, with this being an oddity??

I'm sorry for the rant, but just when I thought ticket pricing for big-name acts was beyond control, you throw out someone who (and really, let's be honest) I'd imagine isn't exactly on the radar of the general public is charging close to triple-digits, I find it rather mind-boggling.

ETA: Thanks for the price break-down. While I still think even that's a bit much, at least it's not as crazy as having the vast majority of the orchestra set at $85.

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 03:22 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:36pm

I think some other people questioned the ticket price as well, and the answer "official" was that those were "premium seats," or whatever, but that you can get perfectly decent ones for the other two price levels. It's the same philosophy as paying $300 for a Broadway show when everybody around you paid $100 or less; the people who shell out more are just suckers.

Moving on, I can see why he says the world of musical theater is boring; he's not expressing his distaste for musical theater, period, but as it is now. He's said this in one form or another many times over the past few years, and he's basically just... pissed off about the current state of things. I think there are two things going on in that statement; firstly, his personal opinion is just that most of the stuff on Broadway now... isn't that great, which I would certainly beg to differ, but whatever floats your boat. Secondly, looking at it from the standpoint of someone who's trying to make some pretty big career choices right now (he's not exactly 25 anymore), there's not much out there for someone like him at this point -- hence, it's probably pretty boring for him, as an industry professional and not just a spectator; this obviously comes from someone who would listen to him sing jibberish, but I think the nature of his vocal tone does place limitations upon the kinds of roles he can play or would be cast in. It's not a severe limitation, as we saw with Cabaret (certainly not a pop/rock score), but I'm definitely hard-pressed to figure out what currently running or upcoming shows I'd stick him in. He knows that, and also knows that at least for the time being, he needs to deviate from the musical theater path a little bit. That statement is absolutely loaded, and not just all about the fact that he's not head-over-heels for West Side Story or doesn't subscribe to the ideal taste in classic musical theater.

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 03:36 PM

[alliez92092]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:39pm

Hahahaha, tough titties. I love Adam. Great interview.

You know, I really do hope he finds something from Aida that he can add. It's one of my favorites.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:39pm

If this shows up on GoldStar, I'm there.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:41pm

I really do hope he finds something from Aida that he can add. It's one of my favorites.

In an interview that went with the first leg of this tour, he said he's working on an arrangement of Easy as Life. I don't know if it's still in the works, but I hope it is, if out of nothing other than curiousity.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:42pm

I've expressed the same sentiment on other threads, but realistically speaking, if people are willing to pay $45/$35 for most seats, the artist, booking agency, and theatre IS going to charge that much. When his Long Island show was announced, people complained about the ticket prices, but the entire venue sold out at $50 per seat. Granted, I don't know if his San Francisco shows are doing quite as well, so maybe they are overcharging in that neck of the woods, but it's really a case of simple supply and demand. And even though Adam is probably not the main negotiator as far as ticket prices go, he probably wants to make as much as he can considering he's not exactly doing anything else at the moment and has a family to support.

As for the two concerts I attended, the "95% girls" figure is WAY off, but maybe that holds true for the college shows. And wickedrentq, I'm pretty sure no one screamed for more Rent, at least at the shows I attended. Yes, everyone went a bit crazy when he sang Glory, but I didn't hear any requests for "Your Eyes" or for him and Larry to burst into the title song.

[alliez92092]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:43pm

Ohhh, I hope it is too! That would be fantastic!

[MotorTink]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:43pm

If people are willing to pay, they will continue outrageously charging people for tickets. I saw his show, and loved it, but would never have paid that price, but if people do pay that, good for Adam, shows a dedicated fan base.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:46pm

for him and Larry to burst into the title song.

There's an image.

Typically, venues have set standards for breakdown of income and things like that, which is where I suspect the jump comes from. If you think about that the venue sets that they keep a certain percentage, plus the fact that the booking agency has a set minimum asking price which it needs to be assured, I think that has a lot to do with where the numbers are coming from. And, it's just possible that the venue out there, for whatever reason, is asking to keep more of the profits than were some of the colleges and whatever else.

It should also be noted, though, that the tickets to see him on Long Island, yes, were $50; they were $35 in NYC, both for the show in Queens and the ones in Manhattan by the time you factored in drink minimums and tips. So aside from the $85 premium seats, not all that much has changed.

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 03:46 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:48pm

If people are willing to pay, they will continue outrageously charging people for tickets.

Well, yeah. It's a business. Granted, there are non-clear cut limitations on when it becomes truly outrageous (see: A Chorus Line), but if he can sell the tickets, I hardly think $45/$35 for most seats is totally insane.

[mabel]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 3:55pm

You're certainly right. If people are willing to pay, then it's not at all surprising to see prices creep up. I honestly don't think one of his concerts would be worth much more than $35, but to each his/her own. It's really just one more example of how freakishly over-priced events are getting. Because really, at a club gig, the ticket price may be $35, but by the time you tack on service fees if you're buying through ticketmaster, and the drink minimum, you're up to/over $50.

[MotorTink]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:08pm

At the Metropilitan Room, my final total was $90 (w/out tip) for two admissions, 2 coffees, and 2 Bud Lights. I was like ????? But it is what it is. We had a good time, the show was good, so it's all good. If the show sucked I would've been upset. So the $30 admission wasn't bad, just the outrageous drink costs.

[orangeskittles]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:08pm

mabel, you mention huge acts like The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, etc. and say you didn't pay $85, but were you sitting front row center or were you in the nosebleed section? It's not exactly a fair comparison.

Eh, I'm with him on not loving WSS. I loved the Sharks, so I was always pissed off being told I had to give a sh*t about Tony, Maria and the Jets.

[Anna_Elizabeth]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:08pm

$35-$45 is the average price in SF.
Examples of full price venues:
The Plush Room - $30-$35 plus a 2 drink minimum
The BAC shows at Marine's Memorial - $40-$45

Besides renting out the theatre, you also have to pay for the house staff. I don't know what the cost would be to rent out The Post Street, but whatever is left over is what the artist gets, who then pays everyone else that they have to.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:14pm

Places like that (The Metropolitan Room, The Cutting Room, Joe's Pub) charge that much for drinks other than soda and water pretty much just because they can; and if they can, when they're getting all of that money, why wouldn't they? Drink minimums are in place because it's money that goes straight to the venue, and isn't split with the artist. I had two sodas at the Metrpolitan Room gig, and it only cost me an additional ten bucks. If you want anything else, you'd better be willing to pay an overpriced cost.

Edited because I wasn't paying attention.

Updated On: 10/19/06 at 04:14 PM

[Mother's Younger Brother]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:14pm

Well, I'm proud to say that my boyfriend and I will be among the VERY happy 5% of gay men there on Saturday night. But just a note to all of you screaming teenage girls...

...do NOT squeal and giggle the entire time OR sing along in my ear. We're all there to see Adam. So shut up and listen to him. Or just sit quietly and drooooool. I know I will be.

[mabel]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:18pm

And two sodas for $20 isn't over-priced? Not that it's at all surprising or unexpected to pay through the nose for drinks (of any kind) at a gig, but if I'm paying $10 for a soda, I'd sure as hell rather spend another couple bucks to have a little extra kick in there!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 10/19/06 at 4:21pm

The people behind me sang along, squealed and screamed through the entire. concert. I wanted to stab them; I wasn't paying to hear them sing and have my ears hurt.

My favorite was the girl behind me; it was her birthday, and she was really, really excited.... which, okay, I was excited, too. But she did not stop doing this awful high-pitched, ear-piercing screaming thing for the entire hour and change. She kept saying to her friend "I'm 19 years old, I shouldn't be acting this way!!!" and I wanted to turn around and be like "well, then don't." I'm 20. I learned how to control my excitement by the time I was 16.