UP&COMER: JIM POULOS

Rent fans cherish the distinctive Mark Cohen look: long striped scarf, ribbed sweater, tiny specs, and punky blond hair. That last element was the most challenging for Jim Poulos, who's giving a terrific performance these days in the Broadway company. "In a 10-week period, my hair went from brown to yellow to Billy Idol white to gray and back to white," he says, pausing for breath. "Then it went to red -- not redhead red, but the color red. Finally, we settled on a blond that looks natural growing out, so I don't look like an albino. There are lots of blond people running around backstage."

The California-born Poulos is thrilled to be making his Broadway debut in a role that's not as flashy -- but just as important -- as the other Rent leads. "I like the fact that Mark connects with the audience so directly," the actor says. "He has to take great leaps in holding things together after Angel dies; he kind of grows on you."

Poulos was on stage playing Steve and the squeegee man during Anthony Rapp's final performance as Mark last winter. That's when the enormity of replacing such a popular actor hit home: "Anthony got a standing ovation at the top of the show," Poulos recalls. "My parents and my fiancée were there; it was an overwhelming show of support. That was intimidating, but the fans have been very accepting of me. I feel that I've come into my own in the role."

Having studied at Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts, Poulos says, "I wanted to hone my craft in the theater. Live performance is so exciting, both for the actors and the audience. It's a very visceral experience." Poulos and his fiancée, actress Melissa Rain Anderson, are having a great time in New York. "She's thrilled that this job brought me here," he notes. "This is my first musical, and it's great to play to an audience with such a broad age range. The images and the music stay with people after they walk out of the theater, and I love that."

--Kathy Henderson

**photo by Joan Marcus