Actor Ian Pangilinan recently shared his personal connection to 9 Works Theatrical’s version of the hit musical ‘Rent,’ on March 12, describing it as a portrayal of misfits with whom he deeply relates.
First introduced to musicals like Stephen Sondheim’s, Pangilinan, somehow found ‘Rent’ relatable because of how it resonates with his generation.
“When ‘Rent’ came along, it was like grungy, parang misfits, and I think parang as a young person, I really identified with the whole misfit thing,” he shared during the media roundtable at the Mirror Theater Studio in Makati City.
“Kasi parang as a young person, you are kind of rebellious, you are parang ‘I hate the system!’ you know what I mean,” he added.
Joining him in the cast are Anthony Rosaldo, Molly Langley, Thea Astley, Reb Atadero, Justine Peña, Jasmine Fitzgerald, Garrett Bolden, Adrian Lindayag, Lance Reblando, Mica Fajardo, Fay Castro, Markki Stroem, Kai Banson, Misha Fabian, and Guji Lorenzana.
Pangilinan alternates with Atadero in portraying Mark Cohen, a struggling Jewish-American documentary filmmaker, who also serves as the show’s narrator.
In his role, the actor learned that each cast member has a sense of individuality in playing their respective characters.
“Kasi parang no two alternates are like having the same attack on things. Parang they all go through the same things the character goes through pero how they interpret that into their life is very very different,” he told the press.
‘Rent’ is a musical by Jonathan Larson about a group of struggling young people who had to survive in Manhattan in the ‘90s amid HIV/AIDS. The rock musical won four 10 Tony Awards in 1996 and was one of the longest-running shows on Broadway.
9 Works Theatrical’s version is set to captivate the audience this April until June at the RCBC Plaza, Makati.
