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“A Korean dance instructor passed the Rent Audition”, MiRi Park will perform “Rent” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.
It is a big deal that a Korean will perform the Broadway musical “Rent” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa from October 20 to October 25 in a Korean community.
MiRi Park who lives in New York is that heroine. She is the only Korean among the Rent cast.
Rent, the eight-longest-running show in Broadway history, is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, based on Giacomo Puccini's opera "La Boheme.''
In 1994, Rent was first shown Off-Broadway in New York and the show opened at the Nederlander Theater in 1996. The show closed September 2008 after 5,124 performances and grossed more than $280 million US during its run.
MiRi Park is playing the role of Alexi Darling which is a quite important role in the show. She is also a dance instructor during rehearsals.
Original cast members of Rent Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp originated the roles of Roger Davis and Mark Cohen, reprise their roles in this national tour.
MiRi Park, a dance instructor at New York University, began to join the Rent national tour team in San Francisco, October 6th. Costa Mesa is the second city of the thirteen cities where Rent national tour team will visit until next February.
“She could join the Rent team by accident. Her former teacher who is a choreographer of Rent recommended her to audition for a role on Rent because she is good at dancing as well as singing” said her mother Sung-Ae Park, adding, “I was surprised that she became the part of Rent cast because she is good at singing but she has never received any vocal lessons. “
After Ms. Park joined the team, she said, “I have dreamed of becoming a musical actress and I have wished to perform Rent. But, I have never thought that I really could join this amazing work. I am so grateful to join the cast.”
Ms. Park was born in Seoul. Then, she came to New Jersey with her family when she was only 6 months. She studied dance and journalism at MIT. Also, she received her MA degree in American Studies from Columbia University.
