Broadway Rewind: Adam Kantor Takes BroadwayWorld Backstage at RENT

There's only this

There's only this. Forget, regret. All life is... Hey, Broadwayworld.com

We are at the famous alleyway behind the Neander Theater at The Rent Play

And if you see along these walls, you have signatures and little messages written over the past 12 years of the history of the show

Everything from you gotta moo with the green witch to no day but today, it's amazing

So sometimes before the show we hang out here and just, you know, absorb in the atmosphere and just chill out

It's a great little space that we're fortunate enough to have, and it'll definitely be one of the things that I'll miss about rents

And if you follow me, you'll see, We'll see the stage door right over here

Here's one of my favorite autographs, James L. Jones came to rent

And then if we open it up, we're backstage at the Needilander

And if you follow me, this is where I sign in. Adam Cantor, A.K., you know, AK

We see who's on tonight for who. Oh, this, this is really cool

This we touch before we go on stage every night. Just a little tribute to Jonathan Larson

And actually his, I think his uncle, John who makes these for all the company Jonathan uncle makes these for all of the rent companies around the country around the world And so each rent company has one of these

And if you see it sort of faded on the bottom here, because all the cast members, you know, swipe it as they go

So that's 12 years of bacteria. Okay. Well, we just finished Act 1, just finished Love, Love, U.M

Sean Earl, how'd you feel about that act? That was exhilarating. How to go for you. What is that

It was so curfrey. I was kicking, I was stretching, and popping

I had such a good time. I don't know. What's the next

We're about to go on for seasons of love. How are we, okay

We are feeling the love. And we're feeling the love tonight, aren't we

Oh yeah, yeah. Feeling the love, rock on. Justin doesn't feel like showing the love

He feels it, but he doesn't, he wants to say before the audience

That's where you have to really spread. So you should come see Rent. Yeah. Okay. Just finished the show

Sean, how is your act two? How is it, how to go? Compared to act one, how to go

I told myself, I was going to cry. It's just something that you have to experience on your own

But it was fantastic. Yeah. It was fantastic. Good night. I hope you can come see his life

It's a great experience. Well, it's another Saturday matinee at the Neederlander

Niederlander and I just Guess what happened? You'll never believe me. I just opened my my bedhead to you know to quaff my hair and

Look what was naturally formed. I swear to God. I did not do that. It's because it's Anthony rap smiley face

It unbelievable It almost as great like will as the original cast Oh wow Show him how you warm up will Oh somehow warm up Let see the Will Chase vocal warm up Hey Hey

What about one of those? Tonight Oh Oh You're singing the face

Stick my view And I wonder if you ever think of me Oh

525,600,600 minutes. It's 2 p.m. We're about to start the matinee. How are you feeling today, Trace

It's not 2 p.m. Oh, it is. Yeah. I'm feeling... Ready for a show

Ready to rock. Ready to rock? Ready to rock. Rock and roll

I know you. I'd see you before. Stop following me. me. Gay, you ready to do a show

No, I'm not. Okay. Well, stage is looking good? Let's rock

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest here tonight. Marcus Paul James. Hello

Marcus Paul James is in two Broadway shows at once. Two, count them. Three. Okay

Who is it? Hi. Come in. Let me turn down Steve Perry

Really quickly, wait. Right down the line it's been you and me

That's how I prepare emotionally for what I'm about to do. It's the decade before the show that I'm in

but I feel like it really is the precursor for what happens in the 90s. Come in Well first before you do I want you to take another look at the names Eden S Pinos Ren Lee Goldsbury More love whenever you need it That what you get here I going to have to ask you to ignore the fierceness that coming in the room

And? Oh. And I'm also going to have to ask you to ignore the color purple

I think Tamara had it painted this way because she knew I was coming, and she knew that I was in the color purple

Whatever. Anyway, David's supposed to be doing my hair because we have like three minutes before I'm meeting me and I'm not ready

But I just think it's really important that I show you every crevice at this room. Come on, come on Adam, come on

This is the sink where we do our s bath before the show

This is the air conditioning that Eden uses to stop from sweating. This is a fan that we use if somebody has borrowed our bathroom

These are the clothes that we wear in the show. Come in, David

Excuse me, I was just paged. Yes. And I want you to understand that I just do not like to be paged

I just want you to know that I feel a little emotional

a little emotional about the fact that probably when I see this

we will no longer be a family like a company. We'll be friends that we're in a show together once

be, we won't be as close as we are right now. Remember it, we'll have this experience that always bonds us, but what we won't have is

the smell in this theater. We won't have the flies. We won't have the moments on stage when we're completely out of

character, laughing inappropriately. That doesn't happen. But we will always have this memory and this time together, and I'm glad you're recording

it at home. We love you. We love you guys