Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Anthony Rapp reminisces on love and loss in his heartfelt theatrical memoir WITHOUT YOU

• By drediman
• February 12, 2023
• No Comments

This past week at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages, I had a chance to catch up with Anthony Rapp’s Without You. Adapted from his memoir of the same name, Rapp’s immensely heartfelt solo show reminisces on love and loss around the time of his involvement in the development of Jonathan Larson’s Rent, the landmark Pulitzer Prize-winning rock opera which updates Puccini’s La bohème from 1830s Paris to 1990s East Village (Rapp played the angsty filmmaker Mark in the original production). 

In his show, Rapp parallels the tragic and untimely loss of Larson on the eve of the first public performance of the musical’s Off-Broadway run at New York Theatre Workshop with the death of his mother in Illinois shortly thereafter. By juxtaposing loss and joy, he brings the highs and lows of this pivotal time in his life into sharp focus. These heightened emotional states are made all the more palpable in the memoir’s theatrical manifestation, especially given actor’s open-hearted stage persona and the incorporation of music in the storytelling. Indeed, music plays a central role in Rapp’s onstage account, affectingly transposing Rent‘s message of living every moment to the fullest – sans fear and with utmost love – onto his personal travails, and vice versa.

The production at New World Stages has been directed by Steven Maler, who beautifully accents but mainly stays clear of Rapp’s deeply personal storytelling. Throughout, he skillfully portrays various people from his past, lovingly willing them back to life. Backed by an excellent five-piece band, much of the show’s iconic score has been brought thoughtfully back to life (additional musical arrangements courtesy of Tom Kitt). As a former “Rent-head” myself, I couldn’t help but get a little misty-eyed each time Rapp’s distinctively emotive voice wrapped itself around Larson’s charged songs.

RECOMMENDED

WITHOUT YOU
Off-Broadway, Play
New World Stages
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through April 30