Without You written by Anthony Rapp

Five hundred twenty- five thousand six hundred minutes...how do measure, measure a year? … Seasons of love. . . measure your life in love… 

         All right all you Rentheads out there this book is for you if love the Broadway musical Rent, allow me recommend a book to you from the guy who played the original Mark Cohen, the main lead in the musical.  

That’s right Anthony Rapp wrote his memoir titled Without You all about his life, which includes, being the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent. Having to see his mother battling with bone cancer for several years before she passed away. Besides seeing his mother struggling with cancer, Anthony Rapp mentions intimate stories of times when was battling with his sexuality before coming out as bisexual.

For those who don’t know Anthony Rapp, he was the original Mark Cohen in the musical Rent. He first acted as Mark Cohen while the musical was in the production studio. Next, he continued to act as Mark Cohen through workshop all the way to Broadway and then went on to touring shows. Eventually, Anthony played Mark Cohen in the movie version of Rent. How long did Mr. Anthony Rapp act as Mark Cohen in Rent you ask? The answer: ten years!

         Next, not only does Anthony Rapp talk about his life being on the Broadway and touring shows acting as Mark Cohen, he also mentions about what Rent was like at the very beginning stage of Rent before it was a smash hit musical on Broadway. Therefore Rentheads this could be the only book telling us how the lyrics were originally written before they hit on Broadway! Next question, have you ever wanted to know how the original cast and crewmembers reacted when they heard the news that Jonathan Larson died? For those who do not know Jonathan Larson, he was the creator of Rent. On January 24, 1995 Jonathan Larson passed away from an aortic aneurysm, the night before Rent was open to the public at the New York Theatre Workshop. What really shocked everyone was that Jonathan was only thirty-five years old and the last people who saw him were Anthony Rapp and the rest of the cast and crew when they were doing their final dress rehearsal. 

         Besides describing the loss of Jonathan, Anthony did mention three interesting facts about Rent in his memoir. First, Jonathan Larson wrote Rent based on another musical (opera) called La Bohème. The characters in Rent are also based on the characters in  La Bohèm. Second, the scene Life Support that Johnathan Larson wrote was based on an organization called Friends In Deed. Friends In Deed helps people with life threatening illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, by giving them free counsieling services. Jonathan had friends who were HIV-postivie so he went to some Friends In Deed meetings with them. Anyways, Jonathan wanted to write about his experiences attending Friends In Deed through the Life Support scene. Last Rent fact, you know one of the popular song What You Own, right? The reason why Jonathan Larson wrote that song was because he had Anthony Rapp’s voice in mind. 
        In concluding, if you or know someone who is a Renthead then I would recommend Without You a memior that is written by the original Mark Cohen himself, Anthony Rapp.

Trivia Questions: 
1) What song did Anthony Rapp sing in his first audition for Rent?

2) How did the Rent saying, "Thank you Jonathan Larson!" start?


3) What did the Rent cast do the next day when they heard the news about Jonathan Larson's death? 


Rapp, Anthony. Without You: A Memoir Of Love, Loss, And The Musical Rent. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. Print.
Rapp, Anthony , Daphne Rubin-Vega, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel, perfs. Seasons Of Love . Rent . Jonathan Larson, 1996. CD.