More Theater Monday - Without You

We were given complimentary tickets to Without You for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Without You

Where:  New World Stages

              340 W. 50th St.

              New York. NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

When: Through April 30, 2023 

Me - Without You is a one-man musical starring Anthony Rapp based on his memoir of the same name. It centers around a few years in his life in the 90s, as he secures his life-changing role of Mark Cohen in the musical, Rent while also grappling with his mother's losing battle with cancer. I'm a big fan of Anthony Rapp and Rent so I was very excited about this show from the moment I first heard about it. I'm happy to say that it did not disappoint. 

Without You is very emotional and can be triggering especially if you are currently struggling with grief. However, ultimately it is a story of love and hope. 

The soundtrack to the show primarily consists of snippets of songs from Rent, along with a radio cover or two, and a few originals written for this show. For someone like me, who's loved Rent for years but never got to see it live, let alone with the original cast, getting to hear Anthony Rapp sing excerpts from What You Own, La Vie Boheme, the title song from Rent, and more in person and in such a small, intimate setting was an incredible experience. Overall, if you're a fan of Anthony Rapp. Rent, theater, memoirs or just moving stories about love and loss I would highly recommend seeing this show.

Mom - Attending Anthony Rapp's one-man show at New World Stages feels like visiting a friend especially if you are a big fan of Anthony's and/or the musical Rent. The small intimate theater makes it feel like you are sitting in his living room listening to his story and not a theater full of people.

If you are in the throes of intense grief, you might not be ready to handle this show as much of it deals with the death of Anthony's mother as well as that of Rent creator, Jonathan Larson. However, the show is definitely not wall-to-wall depressing from start to finish. There are plenty of joyous moments as well including when he talks about getting his role in Rent and how life-changing the show was. Besides, having the opportunity to hear Anthony sing parts of several songs from Rent live is worth the price of admission to this show especially if you didn't have the opportunity to see him when he was in Rent either on or off Broadway. Even if you saw him in the film version of the show, it is not the same as seeing him right there in front of you and hearing him sing these songs live.

There are other songs in the show as well. They are deeply personal songs written by Anthony himself. Only by seeing this show, can you understand the true meaning behind these songs.

Anthony's story was originally told in a memoir with the same title as the show. While you can always just read the book, it is not the same as hearing his story from his own mouth. It is an experience you won't want to miss especially if you're a fan of Anthony and/or the musical Rent.

And that's our view. For more about Without You or to purchase tickets, visit withoutyoumusical.com.

Photo credits: 

All Without You production photos by Russ Rowland