If you have seen Rent on Broadway in the past few years or Rent on Tour now, then you may have seen Telly Leung performing on stage. As a huge fan of Rent myself, I was so thrilled to be able to interview another cast member of Rent. Telly not only talks about Rent, but Wicked, Sweeney Todd, and more! Check it out.
Photo Credit: Chris Macke
Do you remember when you got asked to be part of the tour with Adam & Anthony?
I was lucky enough to be in the company when Adam and Anthony came back to Broadway a couple of years ago. I was a big fan of the show when I was in high school, and I remember vividly sitting in the front row, and watching the original company absolutely blow my mind back then. Ten years later, I’m sharing a stage with Adam and Anthony, and it seems almost surreal – like I’m living out a dream I’ve had over and over in my head! I am incredibly honored to be a part of RENT: The Broadway Tour. I know that they had a large number of RENT alums from the last 13 years on Broadway (and the numerous national / international tours) to choose from when it came time to cast the show – and to be offered a part of this experience is very humbling. I love this show so much – and I am so glad that RENT is being told this way, with THIS cast, all over the country. Every single cast member is giving 110% percent of themselves on the stage because we all LOVE and cherish this show so much. Because most of us are alums, we know that this show gives back to you as much as you put in as a performer – and we are truly giving it all we’ve got. “No Day But Today.” We have a few new additions to the RENT family this time around, and they are stellar. I watch them and say to myself, “You sure you haven’t done this show before?” We are all having an amazing time doing the show, and touring the country.
What was it like when the last few performances of Rent were filmed?
I am thrilled that RENT on Broadway has been preserved on DVD. Michael Warren (the director) and the folks at Sony / Radical did an amazing job capturing the raw energy of the stage production – and honoring Jonathan Larson’s show. I also think it’s great that Michael Greif and Marlies Yearby (our director and choreographer, respectively) have their work preserved in this way as well. I thought I was going to be very emotional on the closing night of RENT – but I personally didn’t really feel anything until the day after, when I had to go back to the empty Nederlander Theater to pick up my stuff. Because we were shooting on closing night, there was no time to let emotions take over. We had to tell the story, and tell it the best way we could – one last time – because it was going to be preserved for posterity. Usually, last shows on Broadway (especially after an epic run, like RENT) are more about the emotional goodbyes than it is about the show – but I think the RENT closing was very different (for me, anyway) because we had a task at hand. The ensemble energy was palpable, the story was well-told, and the show was very tight. Those closing night emotions didn’t really surface until the end, when the original company and final company came together on stage to sing “Seasons of Love.” Then, it really hit us all that RENT on Broadway was truly over.
Do you have a favorite memory from the closing night of Rent?
My favorite memory of closing night of RENT was looking out into the audience, looking up at the balcony, and seeing all of the RENT alums sitting there, cheering us on. I thought the company did a very good job of making sure that anyone who had done RENT on Broadway was able to get a ticket for the closing night. The RENT family is a very tight-knit group, and I could feel their energy and love pouring out from the stage.
What have you learned the most from Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal?
I am in awe of how Adam and Anthony keep this show so new and fresh. They are extremely playful on stage, and they have a sense of spontaneity in their performance that is so admirable, especially knowing how long they’ve been a part of this show. You would think that after doing the workshop production, opening the show on Broadway, being a part of the movie and returning to Broadway in their roles that they would tire or regress to stale acting choices. Instead, you watch them work, and it’s inspiring to watch how they keep it fresh night after night – even after 13 years.
What is the biggest challenge in touring?
The traveling schedule can be tricky. The changing of time zones, climates, and theaters can be challenging to the voice and body. We are playing a lot of one-week engagements, which means that our only day off (Monday) is spent packing, getting up early, and traveling.
How are the audiences reacting to this touring cast?
We’ve had the best audiences all over the country on this tour. I do a video blog for the tour and in North Carolina, I took some footage of the stage door after the show. The out-pouring of love and affection from audiences during and after the show has been overwhelming – and it’s consistently like that in EVERY city we play. It’s interesting watching parents bring their kids to the show – and exposing a whole new generation to RENT.
What was it like performing at the Tony’s last year with the original cast?
Performing on the Tony Awards was a dream come true – and getting to do it with RENT was so special. Of course, I’d love to return to the Tony Awards in the future with a nominated new show or Broadway revival.
Many celebrities have seen Rent on Broadway, so who was your favorite celebrity visit?
When Tamyra Gray was in the show, we got to meet Kelly Clarkson. That was pretty cool. Her new album just came out, and I told her my favorite track on it was this song called, “Sober”, which she admitted to me was her favorite, too.
Do you have any memories that you want to share with the fans when you were Boq in Wicked?
Getting to play Boq was such a surprise. I had auditioned for the first national tour of WICKED, and didn’t think I did so well, since I didn’t hear anything from casting. Then, I get an offer (out of the blue) to originate the role of Boq in the Chicago company of WICKED. I later found out from Joe Mantello that he had seen me in the Broadway revival of Sondheim’s PACIFIC OVERTURES, and thought of me for Boq. Just goes to show that even when you aren’t auditioning, you are auditioning. That company of WICKED was such a fantastic group. Our leading witches, Ana Gasteyer and Kate Reinders, had an incredible chemistry together. Steven Skybell (who played Dillamond) was my dressing room neighbor and we shared many laughs. I had the best scene partner in the world in Heidi Kettinring, who played Nessa Rose, and I got to work with some stellar Chicago-based actors as the Wizard and Morrible (Gene Weygandt and Rondi Reed respectively). We liked each other so much that we’d often NOT go out between shows and order in, and have a little picnic in the big Elphaba dressing room… just so we’d get to hang out more.
When RENT performed on the Tony Awards last year, I was getting ready to be pre-set backstage at Radio City, and I saw Rondi Reed only moments after she won the Tony for AUGUST OSAGE COUNTY. We shared a beautiful moment together, hugging and jumping up and down (and making way too much joyful noise backstage). In the madness of Tony night, I didn’t think I was going to get to congratulate her in person that night – so I was thrilled I got to congratulate her in person.
Where did you hang out in Chicago?
The cast sometimes had dinner across the street at Petterino’s between shows – especially if we had family or close friends in town. It’s kind of like the Sardi’s of Chicago, and the staff always treated the WICKED cast so well. I also loved going to a wine bar called BIN 66 after the show, which had amazing wine and cheese. As a New Yorker, I’m so used to walking – and I didn’t have a car in Chicago. I loved exploring neighborhoods like Lakeview and Greek Town by foot. I also got a bike when I was there, and did a lot of biking along the lake in the summer time.
You were also in Sweeney Todd a few years ago. Which film do you prefer (original or remake)?
I’m a big SWEENEY fan, and I love both versions. In my opinion, you can’t really compare them because they are different – just like you can’t really compare RENT (the movie) and RENT: FILMED LIVE ON BROADWAY. So many edits and cuts were made to the stage version for the feature film versions of both SWEENEY and RENT to fulfill the change of medium.
Of all of the theatre work that you have done, what role has been the most like you and the least like you?
The role that was the MOST like me would probably be the “boy in the tree” in PACIFIC OVERTURES. He observes the world around him meticulously with fresh eyes, and is always discovering something new – and, as Telly, I think I try to do the same in my life.
The most challenging role I’ve done, which was truly a stretch, was Song Liling in M. BUTTERFLY. To play a Chinese spy in Communist China who fools a man into thinking he’s a woman for 20 years was something VERY difficult for me to wrap my head around. But, with lots of rehearsal, and actors homework, I tried to find as many ways I could to relate to Song’s wants and needs on a human level in order to make that role my own.
Of all of the theatre work that you have done, which play or musical would you do again?
Well – I’ve done 2 productions of RENT now, and I think it’s a show that I can do over and over again. I perform the show, and I still discover new things about the show each time I do it. I will hear a line differently, or feel differently in a particular moment on stage that I’ve done hundreds of times – and it’ll teach me something new about my character’s life, or myself as an artist. I’d also love to tackle the role of SONG in M. BUTTERFLY again. I think that I can do a better job at it – now that I’ve got one under my belt.
What was it like shooting the ABC pilot, Limelight?
I had an amazing experience working on “Limelight.” I am a graduate of a performing arts college (Carnegie Mellon University) just like my character, Kevin, and I know too well the emotional highs and lows of going to school in such a unique, high energy, competitive environment. I felt like it was such a new, fresh, interesting show – with real, believable, sympathetic characters that everyone can relate to – whether they understood the world of performing arts or not. Unfortunately, ABC did not pick up the show for the fall (“that’s showbiz!”), but I am incredibly proud of the work that we all did on the show, and I have a very special place in my heart for the project – and all involved. It was my first real venture working in Los Angeles, and I met some amazing people in the TV community. Our director / executive producer, David Semel, is such a great guy. He is brilliant at his job, and really put his heart and soul in to the project. I had been a fan of his work for a long time (he is responsible for the pilot of one of my favorite shows – “Heroes”). Our other executive producer / writer (K.J. Steinberg, of “Gossip Girl”) also was very passionate about “Limelight” – and both of their collective energies proved contagious for all involved in the project. I have done a ton of theater, but this was my first TV project, starting from scratch – and everyone was so wonderful and patient with me. I learned a lot about the world of TV, and myself as an actor, through working on “Limelight”.
Can we expect another EP from you soon or a full album soon?
I am always writing whenever inspiration hits – and when I have enough to put together an album, I’d love to do that. Perhaps when the tour is over, I’ll put something together.
What can we expect from you in the future outside of acting and singing?
I’ve actually begun doing a fair bit of teaching, and I really enjoy it. I like working with young people who love theater. They are the next generation of musical theater. I am so thankful for the teachers I’ve had and what they’ve given me. I’d love to give it back somehow.