Anthony Rapp's Memoir Without You Reviewed

Broadway Rent Actor's Life, Sexuality And Backstage Drama Revealed

Jan 8, 2009

Anthony Rapp, originator of the Mark Cowen character in Rent, releases his memoir Without You detailing his loss, his loves and the making of a hit Broadway Musical.

Anthony Rapp, probably best known as the original Mark Cohen in the Broadway smash-hit Rent, published a personal memoir, Without You, to coincide with the film release of Rent in 2006, detailing his life and, perhaps most importantly to fans, the process through which he acquired the role and the experience of being a fundamental part of the Rent phenomenon.

In Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, Anthony Rapp surprises with his honesty, his clear and straightforward prose and the thoughtful way the memoir is put together, where events in his life bleed into past memories and inform current experiences.

Rapp is, at times, unflinchingly candid, revealing sides to his character which are somewhat ugly but then, at the same time, beautiful to read about as he details his mother’s decline in health due to cancer and his subsequent failure to go to her bedside because of a prevailing, paralysing fear.

Anthony Rapp also makes a fitting tribute to Rent creator Jonathan Larson in Without You, writing about their very first meeting to the aftermath of the man’s premature death, and the book itself is worth reading if only for this. In fact, the memoir begins with Rapp heading toward the theatre for his first Rent audition.

It is also entertaining to read about Rapp’s revelations of his bisexuality, his mother’s complete disinterest in the matter and her refusal to deal with it, as well as his brother’s nonchalance at finding Anthony in a clinch with a male lover. Add to this being childhood friends with comedian Andy Dick and there are quite a few things to have a reader chuckling along in Without You.

Without You is really best served, however, by Anthony Rapp’s refusal to close the shutters on the events of his mother’s death and, notably, the fights he and his once rather distant brother had about their mother’s decline. For this reason, the book easily transcends the usual sluice of celebrity biographies and is a fascinating read.

The obvious target audience for Anthony Rapp’s memoir Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent, is that of the musical theatre enthusiast, as well as anyone with an interest in the arts of acting and music.

However, even if, for instance, a reader has no specific interest in reading about a ‘queer’ lifestyle as Anthony Rapp labels himself, Without You is intensely personal, dramatically human and ultimately very uplifting as a story, with universal themes that every person could potentially identify with.

This is a story about a man who has lived a colourful, full and grounded life in the midst of being part of a phenomenon, and for this reason, Without You is a recommended read for anyone looking to be entertained, informed and captivated.

(Paperback: 320 pages. Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st Simon & Schuster paperback edition released October 31, 2006 ISBN-10: 0743269772 ISBN-13: 978-0743269773.)

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