PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Rittenhouse Grill is bringing Broadway stars to Philadelphia in an intimate setting for its Broadway Cabaret series.
First up for the fall season is Tony nominee Adam Pascal, who is best known for originating the role of Roger in “RENT.” He’s also appeared in musicals including “Aida,” “Cabaret,” “Memphis,” “Chicago,” “Something Rotten!” and “Pretty Woman,” as well as movies including “School of Rock,” “Tick, Tick… Boom!” and the film adaptation of “RENT.”
For the cabaret, he’s stripping away the spectacle of Broadway and the rock bands he’s performed with and putting on an intimate show, just him with his guitar and a piano player.
“It combines my live music performing history with my Broadway musical history,” Pascal said. “And so basically, I take the audience through my history of how I started doing musical theater … and basically through up until the moment I'm standing on stage in front of them.”
He’ll share stories from his career, all the way back to his first-ever theater audition for “RENT,” which came unexpectedly for him.
“I grew up on Long Island, and down the street from me was a friend of mine who I've known my whole life … Idina Menzel,” he said. “And so Idina was cast in the show first, and she and her boyfriend at the time, Glenn, we all went to high school together. They called me up and said, ‘Hey, you know, Idina is doing this show, and they're having a hard time casting this particular role, and so she thought of you because he's a rock singer, and she recommended you. Would you want to audition for that?’”
The success of “RENT” catapulted Pascal’s career in a new direction.
“I kept having to go down paths that I had never been down before and never considered going down,” he said, “but you know, I think that's part of what life is about. And if it could be at all inspiring to anybody, I hope that it's that you should take chances.”
Rittenhouse Grill, located in the Warwick Hotel, has been hosting the Broadway Cabaret since December 2023. Producer Randy Swartz wanted to bring back a form of performance that he felt Philadelphia had been missing for a while.
“Philadelphia once had a vibrant cabaret scene,” Swartz said, “primarily downtown, at the Prince Theater, and even at the Bellevue. There had been sort of a series of top-notch cabaret people, and I thought that Philadelphia needed that again. It had been a 15-year gap.”
He found the perfect venue in Rittenhouse Grill, where the audience can experience an up-close and personal performance alongside a three-course dinner.
“There are people who will literally be six feet away from Adam when he performs,” Swartz said, “and a lot of the artists walk around the room, and sometimes, you know, have conversations with the audience.”
Rittenhouse Grill’s owner, Garth Weldon, was happy to jump on board.
“A lot of our reviews over the years have described our atmosphere and setting as a kind of a retro New York Manhattan supper club from the 40s,” Weldon said. “It is a perfect marriage of the concept and the setting.”
He remembers when new musicals would come to Philadelphia before hitting Broadway. “Philadelphia used to be the try–out town, before the shows went to New York. So Philadelphia had a very vibrant musical theater history, and our proximity to New York is what makes this possible.”
Pascal is performing two nights, Sept. 29 and 30. Later in the season, the series will feature Darius de Haas, the voice of Shy Baldwin on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” two-time Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole, and a Christmas performance by Mark Nadler and Stephanie Pope.
Tickets are available on Rittenhouse Grill’s website for the show plus a dinner, or backstage seating for just the show at a lower cost. You can find more information on the series and the performers on the Broadway Cabaret website.