letters to the editors - Rochestermn.com

22 EXPOSED October, 2007
Who:
Sarah Shonyo talking with
JED RESNICK
(stars as Mark Cohen in RENT)
Location:
Jed was in New York and
Sarah Shonyo was sitting at
her desk at home in her PJs
(phone interview)
E: So, do you ever google yourself
JR: I’ve been known to submit to the guiltiness of selfgoogling.
And do you know what I’ve discovered There are
people with the same name as me! At least 2 that I know of
– one’s an improv comedian. Seriously, I can’t believe there
are other people named Jed Resnick.
E: Wow. I was totally expecting you to deny it.
JR: Oh. You’re right. Can I change my answer
E: Given the number of complimentary comments regarding
your performance as Mark Cohen, is it safe to assume
that you have some groupies out there
JR: (laughs) RENT definitely has a lot of groupies but I’m
not sure if any of them specifically follow me. At least, I
don’t have anyone around for the sole purpose of carrying
my bags.
E: Anthony Rapp is Broadway’s original Mark Cohen. Do
you feel pressure to fill his shoes
JR: Anthony Rapp’s performance is iconic. Ultimately
I realized that I can’t recreate what he did for RENT, but
to create my own Mark by bringing out the truth in the
character and text. Anthony is amazing, though.
E: Can you tell me the names of his 3 cats
JR: Oh my God. Should I know this
E: I hate to tell you, but none of them are named Jed.
The names are Emma, Sebastian and Spike.
JR: Sebastian Like the crab from the Little Mermaid
E: Yeah, sure. So, have you ever been to Rochester Or will
the performance in October be your first time
JR: Nope. Never been to Rochester. What’s the name of the
college there Carlton, right
E: Actually, it’s Rochester Community and Technical College.
But close enough. Do you know the name of the worldfamous
clinic here
JR: I should know this. Can you give me a hint
E: Think of a condiment.
JUST ASKING
JR: Heinz!
E: You’re bad at this game. It’s Mayo. Speaking of, what do
you dip your french fries in
JR: Ketchup. Definitely ketchup.
E: Wrong answer. Try again.
JR: Honey. I like dipping my fries in honey, too.
E: The correct response was barbecue sauce. On a slightly
less important note, you just graduated from Brown. What
was your major
JR: Actually, I was a double major.
E: Good idea. Something to fall back on in case the whole
singing thing doesn’t work out
JR: Well, my degrees are in Theater and Classics. I love the
study of ancient cultures and the Latin language.
E: So you’re really banking on this theater thing working out,
then
JR: (laughs) Or I could rake in the big bucks by becoming a
Latin tutor.
E: You have a twin brother. Is his name Ned Fred Ted
JR: Micah.
E: Oh. Who’s older
JR: He is by one minute. We are fraternal twins, we look
nothing alike. Well, maybe we look like brothers.
E: Does he sing as well as you
JR: He probably sings as much as I do… Loudly and in
several different keys… but he always has a song in his
heart.
E: So he’s really bad
JR: (pause) He’s got his own talents.
E: How are your karaoke skills
JR: Terrible! I get really nervous. I know that doesn’t make
any sense.
E: You need to get over that. I have big plans to enter you
into some karaoke competitions. You’d sing songs from
RENT, of course. We’d make a killing.
JR: That’s not a bad idea.
E: Finally, I have to ask: Daylights, sunsets, midnights, cups
of coffee, inches, miles, laughter or strife. How do you measure
a year
JR: Love, of course.
E: That’s touching. But love wasn’t an option.
JR: Oh, right. Cups of diet coke
E: (silence)
JR: Ok, fine. Laughter. Laughter is really important.
E: Good job. Did you like that RENT reference I could be
a groupie.
The national tour of RENT starring Jed Resnick as
Mark Cohen will be performing at the Mayo Civic
Center on Thursday, October 25th.
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