Without You by Anthony Rapp

As I mentioned in a previous post, Anthony Rapp's memoir has been adapted into a one-man show. Select performances have been running as part of the NY Musical Theatre Festival. I got to see it on Wednesday night, and I have to say it was spectacular. The musical proved to be a great adaptation of the book. The focus was more on Rapp getting the lead in Rent, the effect of Larson's death, and his mother's illness. There is very little mention of the other relationships discussed in the book, but that works best for this play. Now, I've never been to a one-man show before, but Rapp did a fantastic job with all the parts. He effectively conveys all of the characters and makes it easy to tell who he is representing in each moment. My personal favorites were his conversations with his mother and his representation of Jonathan Larson. Besides Rapp, the only other people on stage were the musicians. The music blended with the story very well and combined with Rapp's performance to make for an experience packed with lots of emotion. It was hard to hold back tears in some parts. To conclude - Without You is a touching story of love, life, and family. You'll laugh. You'll cry. And hopefully when you leave you'll be inspired to live.