In 2008 Adam Kantor was the final actor to play Mark Cohen when Jonathan Larson's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent ended its lengthy run at Broadway's Nederlander Theatre.

A decade-and-a-half after those final performances were preserved for Sony Pictures' live Rent film, the New York native is playing a character based on Larson's life in the late composer's tick, tick… BOOM!, currently running through December 8 at Miami's Actors' Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre. Directed by Rent's Andy Señor Jr. and choreographed by Emmy winner Karla Puno Garcia, the three-person cast features Kantor as Jon with María Bilbao as Susan and Nate Promkul as Michael.

Kantor, whose beautiful rendition of "Answer Me" was one of the highlights of the Tony-winning The Band's Visit, has also been seen on Broadway in the 2015 revival of Fiddler on the Roof and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal. His Off-Broadway credits include The Last Five Years, Falling for Eve, Avenue Q, and Darling Grenadine, the latter earning the actor an Outer Critics Circle honor. He was also recently nominated for an LA Drama Critics Circle Award for his work in The Inheritance at The Geffen Playhouse.

In the interview below for the Playbill series How Did I Get Here—spotlighting not only actors, but directors, designers, musicians, and others who work on and off the stage to create the magic that is live theatre—Kantor shares how a college production of a Michael Friedman-Rinne Groff musical led to his Rent casting and why his current role feels like a homecoming.

Where did you train/study?
Adam Kantor: It all started locally on Long Island, where I grew up. I did shows at Great Neck North Middle and High School. On weekends, I’d take the LIRR into NYC to take classes and rush whatever shows I could. My high school drama teacher, Laura Stern, recommended I spend a summer at Stella Adler Conservatory, which was probably my first shot at formal training. I then majored in theatre at Northwestern University (devouring as much as possible in Chicago), and spent a semester focusing on Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy in England.

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
In high school I had a teacher named Jeff Gilden, who remains a close friend and mentor today. Jeff created and led a program at my high school called Stages, in which students collaborate on developing an original musical from scratch. It spanned one-third of the day throughout senior year. Students would spend the first half of the year learning about what it takes to create the book, music, and lyrics for a musical; analyzing the greats—particularly Sondheim. (My first exposure to Sunday in the Park With George was through Jeff and that class. I think of it when I perform “Sunday” in tick, tick… BOOM!)

The second half of the year was devoted to writing the original piece, starting with pitching ideas, all the way to creating and producing the musical (replete with sets, costumes, etc.) and performing it in the school auditorium. Jeff and that program primed me for the thrill and rigor of developing new works—and collaborating with a team. He has flown all over the country to see me perform (including to Miami to see me in tick, tick… BOOM!). I feel so blessed to have grown up with such committed and supportive teachers like Jeff.

You played Mark in the final cast of the original Broadway production of Jonathan Larson's Rent, and now you're playing a role based on his life. How do you think your experience in the former affects your current performance?
When I played Mark in Rent, I got to know Jonathan’s family—his mom Nan, his dad Al, his sister Julie. They felt like my family. A lot of people who knew Jonathan would say I reminded them of him. Maybe it was the New York Jewish theatre nerd thing. I grew to feel a real deep spiritual connection with Jonathan; through the stories, the deep mutual friends and collaborators, the energy of that show, that great hall of spirits that was the pre-renovated Nederlander Theatre, and of course, through playing Mark (the role that is—in many ways—very much “Jonathan”).

It’s also strange (and fitting) how, while playing Jon in tick, tick… BOOM!, I feel myself in a very déjà vu energy. I hear myself saying certain lines, I feel the way I’m singing certain notes, and I’m right back on 41st Street in 2008. And, of course, I’m being directed by my dear friend Andy Señor Jr., who played Angel on Broadway and has directed Rent and tick, tick… BOOM! all over the world. This whole thing feels like a homecoming.

Want to hear something wild? Jonathan’s best friend from childhood, Matt O’Grady (the inspiration for the character of Michael in tick, tick… BOOM!), actually lives in the apartment directly next door to my grandma (my “Savta”) in Miami. He came to our opening night, along with the wonderful Victoria Leacock, who was incredibly close with Jonathan and brought some deeply meaningful objects for us—including Jonathan’s tank top.

Why do you think Larson's work remains so powerful and engaging?
In reading J. Collis’ book Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson, I’m reminded of how fiercely political Jonathan’s body of work is; perhaps even more pointedly so in some of his lesser-known shows. I think if he were alive now, he’d have an absolute field day with the current political state of our country. He also had a deep passion, reverence, and understanding of both musical theatre and rock 'n' roll (just as Lin-Manuel Miranda does of hip hop and musical theatre). It pains me to think of the great works Jonathan could have written in a world in which he were still alive today. His tragically limited time, and perhaps even his deep awareness of how limited all of our time really is (in the grand scheme of things), imbues Rent and tick, tick… BOOM! with a certain urgency and presence that makes them undeniable.

Can you share a favorite memory—backstage and/or onstage—from working on the Tony-winning The Band's Visit?
Oh wow. Too many. That experience was strangely very “Zen” for me. I did spend most of the time staring at a payphone, after all. I had to really learn stillness. For me, doing that show was to be part of something I felt was truly great—something that Itamar Moses said to me that I think is spot-on: It’s “greater than the sum of its parts.” From early readings with Hal Prince, to workshopping it with David Cromer, and seeing it [Off-Broadway] at the Atlantic, I loved it so deeply, loved that team so deeply…I just wanted to be part of it however I could. And getting to sing “Answer Me” …I mean…come on. That show and that company have such a special place in my heart.

Do you have a dream stage role or roles or any role you'd love to revisit?
Whatever it is, it hasn’t been produced yet. Maybe it’s being written right now. It’s something new, something original, and maybe even something that might push a boundary or two.

What do you consider your big break?
It was definitely Rent. I have one person to thank for that, and it’s Michael Greif. I met him when he came to Northwestern to direct an original musical by the late, great Michael Friedman and Rinne Groff called In the Bubble. Shortly after that show, during the fall semester of my senior year, the role became available on Broadway. I flew back from Chicago to audition for it on a Friday. That Sunday, I went to see a preview of Next to Normal at Second Stage. At intermission of that show, Michael called me over to meet Anthony Rapp. Having seen Anthony as the original Mark, and having worn out that cast album in high school, I was a bit starstruck. But it was in that moment that I got the news that I booked the role. I found out I’d be the final Mark while meeting the original.

Tell me about a job/opportunity you really wanted but didn’t get. How did you get over that disappointment?
Shortly before booking Rent, I was in many rounds of callbacks for Spring Awakening. I wanted it…so. damn. badly. I was heartbroken when I didn’t get it. And as Sheryl Crow sings, “The first cut is the deepest.” I got over it by just continuing to “keep on keeping on.”

Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
I’ve had the good fortune of working with some wonderful actors who are wonderful humans. Two who particularly stand out to me are my “mama and papa” from Fiddler on the Roof—Jessica Hecht and Danny Burstein. I’m not sure you can find two individuals who are such consummate artists and also the most compassionate and gracious humans. I aspire to show up like they do—in process and in the world.

What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
You are enough. It may sound cheesy, but it’s so true. Your weirdness, your quirks, and perhaps even your greatest sources of shame are deeply worthy of excavation and celebration.

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Photos: Tick, Tick... BOOM! at the Actor's Playhouse

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