“Will you light my candle?” was the song I sang for years throughout my college days.  I had the incredible opportunity to see Rent on Broadway the first year it opened – with the original cast.  And it was amazing.  So when ZACH Theatre announced that 2 of Rent’s original cast members were coming to Austin, I was thrilled.

A part of the ZACH Theatre TOP Concert Series, ADAM & DAPHNE IN CONCERT is Tuesday, February 18, 2014 for 2 concerts – 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm. Broadway stars Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega – the original “Roger” and “Mimi” from Broadway’s RENT- come together for a concert performing fresh takes on classic Broadway shows and the music they originated in RENT.

In the years since the pair first met and performed together in the ground-breaking Broadway sensation RENT, Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega have become two of the most well-respected and well-loved performers in musical theatre. Now, they join forces on ZACH Karen Kuykendall Stage for a stunning concert experience that draws from their collective past while moving forward together and showcasing their amazing, expressive voices and commanding, charismatic stage presence.

Pascal and Rubin-Vega first met during the iconic, groundbreaking Tony and Pulitzer Prize winning play RENT, handpicked by the late Jonathan Larson for the roles of “Roger Davis” and “Mimi Márquez,” respectively. The Bronx-born Pascal went on to star in the Elton John and Tim Rice musical Aida, in addition to starring roles in Cabaret and Chess, and has also acted in major films School Of Rock and Temptation. He has released CDs Model Prisoner, Civilian, and Blinding Light, in addition to developing a stage version of Queensryche’s Operation: Mindcrime. Pascal recently starred on Broadway in the Tony Award winning Memphis as well as Chicago.

Rubin-Vega is perhaps best known for the roles she originated, specifically “Mimi” in RENT and “Conchita” in Anna in the Tropics, both Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway shows for which she was nominated for the Tony Award.  She also originated the roles of “Rahmi” in Gum and Sofia in Two Sisters and a Piano, as well as starred in the Broadway revivals of The Rocky Horror Show and Les Misérables, and most recently, she played Stella in the Broadway revival of A Streetcar Named Desire. Her film credits include Wild Things, Skeleton Woman (NY Independent Film Award), Sex and the City, Rachel Getting Married, Life on the Ledge, Virgin, Justice and I Like It Like That.

In possession of possibly the most powerful pipes of any genre, Pascal routinely raises ovations mid-song with his soaring, emotional delivery. Rubin-Vega was a member of the girl group Pajama Party, whose single “Yo No Se” was number One on the Billboard Dance Charts, and has since contributed to various musical projects, including her notorious version of “Feliz Navidad” for Broadway Cares and her club smash cover of “Rocketman”.

Not just offering two solo sets, the ADAM & DAPHNE IN CONCERT experience will feature the pair interacting and singing in each other’s sets, and thrilling the fans with not only Jonathon Larson’s timeless RENT songs, but also performing a mash-up of Broadway songs, hits by classic rock bands and their own compositions.

I was super excited to also hear that Andrew Cannata, star of ZACH’s production of RENT, will also perform in a special appearance with Pascal and Rubin-Vega!

VIP tickets for the 9:30pm performance include a Champagne meet and greet with Adam Pascal and Daphne Rubin-Vega in ZACH’s Serra Lounge.

Tickets, starting at $40, are available on-line at www.zachtheatre.org, by phone at 512-476-0541 ext. 1, or in person at the ZACH Theatre Box Office, in the Topfer Theatre, 202 South Lamar Blvd. (corner of Riverside Drive and South Lamar Blvd.) Monday through Saturday, 12 noon – 8 pm.

Join me in hearing these amazing artists in person!  You will leave singing, “525,600 minutes…..”