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I got this book the other day. It's such an AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG book! Everyone should get it. It’s worth the money. If you don’t have it, you’re in for a treat… I wrote out the whole part on RENT. I found it to be VERY interesting!
Memorable Fan Letter: We get the deepest fan mail. One 16 year old girl wrote us an incredible letter saying she had attempted suicide twice, but after her parents had sent her to Rent, it completely changed her life perspective. She didn’t want to end her life anymore. It gave her some bit of hope.
Anniversary Gifts: When the show first opened it was such a success they gave $5,000 checks to every actor, including my sister Yassmin Alers, who was the original understudy for Mimi and Maureen. Now, we get small gifts each Christmas. One year we got robes; another year we got wallets; another year we got candles.
“Gypsy of the Year” Sketch: “Womyn in Three” by Caren Lyn Manuel.
“Carols of a Cure” Carol: “What Child Is This?”
Backstage Rituals: There is a wooden plaque with Jonathan Larson’s picture and name right above the sign-in sheet. Everyone has to pass it on the way to the places. Everyone rubs Jonathan’s name for luck just before we go on stage. I have my own personal ritual too. Just before I go on to do “Out Tonight,” I have a moment with Jonathan. I say, “Thank you for writing this and for believing in me. This one’s for you.” And then the music starts.
Favorite Moment: During “Will I,” there is a moment where everyone is on stage at once, all at different places. It’s such a pensive, thoughtful moment, a moment when you can think about your character, but also about yourself.”
In-Theatre Gathering Places: For most of us, it’s the Green Room. There’s also the hair room, where the boys like to play poker.
Favorite Off-Site Hangout: We get together at Bar 41, which is right next to the theatre. They recognize us and give us half-off on drinks.
Favorite Snack Foods: When we need a sugar rush, we dig into a big candy jar in the stage management office. They have Reese’s peanut butter cups, Tootsie Rolls, Butterfingers and all kinds of things.
Favorite Therapy: Emergen-C and Herbal Resistance. We call it “The wellness formula”
Memorable Ad-Lib: Sherie Rene Scott had a great one. When she was playing Maureen she blanked during the performance piece and just said, “Oh fuck me up the ass.” She got a note from the Stage Management saying: “Don’t ever say that again,” but it was so in-character the audience just went along with it. Jacques Smith had just come back from vacation when he blanked during the fight scene. He didn’t try to make anything up. All he could say was, ‘I’m losing my mind!”
Cell phone Rings: I don’t think we’ve ever had more than one or two, but they always seem to happen during the quiet, beautiful songs.
Strangest Stage Door Fan Encounter: We had one guy who snuck in with a group and went and sat in one of the girl’s dressing rooms. Everyone thought he was with someone else, but finally the stage mangager had to go up there and say, “You have to leave.” He didn’t hurt anyone, but it was certainly strange.
Busiest Day at the Box Office: In the early days of the run, of course, people would line up for hours. Some would bring tents and hook up small TV sets to car batteries. Throughout the run, New Years Eve has rountinely been the biggest. When Joey Fatone joined the cast, we had a couple days when it was crazy, like a rock concert.
Heaviest/Hottest Costume: Angel wears three layers during “Today For You”
Who wears the least: Mayumi Ando, who wears a pink, fuzzy bra
Catchphrases: We picked up something from The Color Purple that we always say to each other. There’s a scene where Celine tells Mister, “Everything you ever done to me, already been done to you.” She holds up three fingers to him when she says it. Well, we used that whenever we wanted to say, “I’m going to get you back for that.” Now we just hold up three fingers, and everybody knows what it means.”
Sweethearts: We’ve had a lot of backstage romances. The most famous is Taye Diggs and India Menzel, who met here and got married. There was also Christina Fadale and Chad Richardson, and Mayumi Ando and Cary Shields. We’ve had some pretty dramatic breakups too!
Famous Directoral Note: Michael Greif loves to use the word “goosh” as in, “You’ve got to go goosh,” and we’re suppose to understand what that means from his body language.
Company Legends: Taye Diggs used to run through the building naked right before places. He’d open the door to the girls dressing room and show his beautiful naked body. Right after one of the terrorist attacks, Manley Pope heard a loud pop coming from outside the theatre during the opening number, and he ran right off the stage to the stage mangager.
Tales from the Put-In: Erica Munoz was going on for Mimi and had a series of diasters. During her rehearsal with Nobert Leo Butz, the candle set her hair on fire. Then, in the same scene, she brought her head up suddenly and cracked Nobert’s tooth. Then, that night, in the performance, when she was coming out of the door to do “Out Tonight,” she fell over the bar and nearly fell off the stage. She had to hang on and then climb back up onto the platform. This all happened in a single day.
Musician who plays the most instruments: Boko Suzuki plays keyboard, bass and guitar.
Correspondent: Karmine Alers “Mimi”
I got this book the other day. It's such an AMAZINGGGGGGGGGGGG book! Everyone should get it. It’s worth the money. If you don’t have it, you’re in for a treat… I wrote out the whole part on RENT. I found it to be VERY interesting!
Memorable Fan Letter: We get the deepest fan mail. One 16 year old girl wrote us an incredible letter saying she had attempted suicide twice, but after her parents had sent her to Rent, it completely changed her life perspective. She didn’t want to end her life anymore. It gave her some bit of hope.
Anniversary Gifts: When the show first opened it was such a success they gave $5,000 checks to every actor, including my sister Yassmin Alers, who was the original understudy for Mimi and Maureen. Now, we get small gifts each Christmas. One year we got robes; another year we got wallets; another year we got candles.
“Gypsy of the Year” Sketch: “Womyn in Three” by Caren Lyn Manuel.
“Carols of a Cure” Carol: “What Child Is This?”
Backstage Rituals: There is a wooden plaque with Jonathan Larson’s picture and name right above the sign-in sheet. Everyone has to pass it on the way to the places. Everyone rubs Jonathan’s name for luck just before we go on stage. I have my own personal ritual too. Just before I go on to do “Out Tonight,” I have a moment with Jonathan. I say, “Thank you for writing this and for believing in me. This one’s for you.” And then the music starts.
Favorite Moment: During “Will I,” there is a moment where everyone is on stage at once, all at different places. It’s such a pensive, thoughtful moment, a moment when you can think about your character, but also about yourself.”
In-Theatre Gathering Places: For most of us, it’s the Green Room. There’s also the hair room, where the boys like to play poker.
Favorite Off-Site Hangout: We get together at Bar 41, which is right next to the theatre. They recognize us and give us half-off on drinks.
Favorite Snack Foods: When we need a sugar rush, we dig into a big candy jar in the stage management office. They have Reese’s peanut butter cups, Tootsie Rolls, Butterfingers and all kinds of things.
Favorite Therapy: Emergen-C and Herbal Resistance. We call it “The wellness formula”
Memorable Ad-Lib: Sherie Rene Scott had a great one. When she was playing Maureen she blanked during the performance piece and just said, “Oh fuck me up the ass.” She got a note from the Stage Management saying: “Don’t ever say that again,” but it was so in-character the audience just went along with it. Jacques Smith had just come back from vacation when he blanked during the fight scene. He didn’t try to make anything up. All he could say was, ‘I’m losing my mind!”
Cell phone Rings: I don’t think we’ve ever had more than one or two, but they always seem to happen during the quiet, beautiful songs.
Strangest Stage Door Fan Encounter: We had one guy who snuck in with a group and went and sat in one of the girl’s dressing rooms. Everyone thought he was with someone else, but finally the stage mangager had to go up there and say, “You have to leave.” He didn’t hurt anyone, but it was certainly strange.
Busiest Day at the Box Office: In the early days of the run, of course, people would line up for hours. Some would bring tents and hook up small TV sets to car batteries. Throughout the run, New Years Eve has rountinely been the biggest. When Joey Fatone joined the cast, we had a couple days when it was crazy, like a rock concert.
Heaviest/Hottest Costume: Angel wears three layers during “Today For You”
Who wears the least: Mayumi Ando, who wears a pink, fuzzy bra
Catchphrases: We picked up something from The Color Purple that we always say to each other. There’s a scene where Celine tells Mister, “Everything you ever done to me, already been done to you.” She holds up three fingers to him when she says it. Well, we used that whenever we wanted to say, “I’m going to get you back for that.” Now we just hold up three fingers, and everybody knows what it means.”
Sweethearts: We’ve had a lot of backstage romances. The most famous is Taye Diggs and India Menzel, who met here and got married. There was also Christina Fadale and Chad Richardson, and Mayumi Ando and Cary Shields. We’ve had some pretty dramatic breakups too!
Famous Directoral Note: Michael Greif loves to use the word “goosh” as in, “You’ve got to go goosh,” and we’re suppose to understand what that means from his body language.
Company Legends: Taye Diggs used to run through the building naked right before places. He’d open the door to the girls dressing room and show his beautiful naked body. Right after one of the terrorist attacks, Manley Pope heard a loud pop coming from outside the theatre during the opening number, and he ran right off the stage to the stage mangager.
Tales from the Put-In: Erica Munoz was going on for Mimi and had a series of diasters. During her rehearsal with Nobert Leo Butz, the candle set her hair on fire. Then, in the same scene, she brought her head up suddenly and cracked Nobert’s tooth. Then, that night, in the performance, when she was coming out of the door to do “Out Tonight,” she fell over the bar and nearly fell off the stage. She had to hang on and then climb back up onto the platform. This all happened in a single day.
Musician who plays the most instruments: Boko Suzuki plays keyboard, bass and guitar.
Correspondent: Karmine Alers “Mimi”