Theater People - Robin de Jesus

Patrick brings us another spectacular episode of Theater People.  This week's guest is Robin de Jesus, a movie and theater actor whom you may have seen in the 2003 movie Camp (which also starred Anna Kendrick) or remember from his amazing portrayal of Sonny in In the Heights.  

He started his Broadway career as an understudy/replacement in Rent, and went on to star as Sonny in the 2008 Broadway production of In the Heights and as Jacob in La Cage aux Folles receiving Tony nominations for both roles.  He can be seen in the New York Music Theater Festival's production of Mother Jones and the Children's Crusade.

I don't want to spoil why Mother Jones and the Children's Crusade is so special because no one can tell the story as well as he can, and it is an amazing story! The show is about Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, a turn of the century crusader working to end child labor.

His experience with Camp, the audition process, and what the movie meant for him is a great story and worth the listen! It is a great movie and worth the watch! I also love the way that Patrick brings in his own theatre camp experiences and takes the audience's connection with the story one step further.

Robin de Jesus and Joanna Chilcoat in Camp

After quitting his job at Bubba Gump's, and on a recommendation from his friend, he got a reading for In the Heights after the producers and creative team had seen Camp.  He was supposed to go to college a month later, but when his loans didn't go through and a few months later the same producers from In the Heights were doing Rent and cast him in the show. And while he was in Rent, they workshopped In the Heights.

Directors, especially those who had seen Camp, would only consider him for gay roles.  As an actor he wanted to play a larger multitude of roles and be seen as more than one dimensional/avoid typcasting, something that is hard for young actors to achieve.  As a result, he turned down a lot of roles, and has made a name for himself that is known for more versatile roles.  The take away from his experiences is that you can  be in control of your own career; which parts you choose and your work ethic are the only things you can control, so control them well because so many things are not in your power.

He shares an in-depth look at his experience with In the Heights which began in 2005.  It begins with the experience of building a show and the changes the script goes through to Karen Olivo almost punching a guy out to defend Robin at a restaurant. It is a must listen (and you won't want to miss the laughing attack that it sends Patrick into).

Robin goes on to discuss the Tony nomination that sent him to therapy, and  The Secret and vision boards that helped get the show to Broadway.  He finally had everything he wanted, but it was overwhelming and there was a lot of pressure  that he put on himself.  He needed to figure out why he was unhappy and work on it in therapy to find his happiness which he was able to do.

He also gives a detailed account of his experience with La Cage aux Folles.  He had quit In the Heights without having another job.  It is a wonderful story about being cast, being at a place in his life where he could turn down a Broadway show, working with Kelsey Grammar, being nominated for a Tony award.

The show ends with him talking about how Caroline, or Change impacted his life. He saw the show in previews and it hit home and you must listen to him discuss how Tonya Pinkins' role in the show changed his life and led him to understand what kind of theater he wanted to do!

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Robin de Jesus: Twitter

Theater People: Anthony Rapp

Patrick brings us another phenomenal episode! This week’s guest is the amazing Anthony Rapp! Aside from being a phenomenally successful Broadway star, Anthony has starred in many well-known movies (Adventures in Babysitting, Dazed and Confused) and had numerous TV spots (Psych the Musical, Law and Order: SVU).  He is also one of a small number of actors who was able to successfully transition from child star to adult.

One of the best things about this interview is the way that it begins.  Patrick’s passion for theatre is apparent in every interview, but the way he tells the story at the beginning of the podcast, a story of the first time he saw Rent on Broadway and what it meant to him, was moving.  It is such an iconic musical and the way he describes every detail of that night, it is simply phenomenal!

Patrick delves right into the interview, asking Anthony about his current starring role as Lucas in the musical If/Then.  He stars alongside his former Rent co-star Idina Menzel in a musical which he says “can be very moving for people, and it’s also very entertaining.  It is unusual in so many ways, and one of the ways in which it is unusual is the way it feels very personal and relevant to people’s real lives that they really live in the real world in ways that you don’t always feel when you go to see a musical theatre piece.”  They also discuss the ambitious nature of the musical as an original piece and the form it takes in terms of jumping between timelines, and the talented and hardworking creative team and crew who have worked to make it a success. And of course there was discussion of the talent and powerhouse that is Idina Menzel.

A great question posed by Patrick was how the New York presented in each show (Rent and If/Then) felt different to Anthony.  He answers by discussing how New York has changed and evolved from the city that took center stage in Rent to the place that is alive today and serves as the setting of If/Then.

Getting back to basics, Patrick and Anthony discuss how a kid from Joliet, IL was able to make his Broadway debut at ten years old.  His work in community theatre eventually led to his Broadway debut in a show that never officially opened, and then a part in the tour of The King and I.  He did eight shows a week as a kid and even became emancipated in high school so that he could continue to work.

Anthony discusses his experience of doing John Guare’s Six Degrees of Separation as an eighteen year old.  He goes on to discuss the shows and movies he completed in his career between Six Degrees and Rent which includes many wonderful productions, some with impressively big names attached to them.

Rent was a huge success and changed the lives of all of the cast members.  Its reputation as a phenomenal piece has stood the test of time and continues to resonate with fans.  As such, Anthony has been asked a multitude of questions over the years about his experience in the show, but Patrick asks a new one: where would Mark be now? Anthony says he hopes that Mark’s film would have been good and that he would have continued to make meaningful pieces.  Further discussion about Rent includes: the formation of the show in the workshop and working with Jonathan Larson, his first encounters with some the songs from the show, his process of writing his book Without You. 

Make the 44 minutes to listen to the podcast; you won’t regret it! It is great and Anthony is a great actor with an amazing career and story!

Go see Anthony (and Idina) in If/Then at the Richard Rogers Theatre!

Follow Anthony on Twitter and Tumblr.

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