Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent

Anthony Rapp captures the passion and grit unique to the theater world as he recounts his life-changing experience in the original cast of the Pulitzer Prize–winning musical Rent.

Anthony Rapp had a special feeling about Jonathan Larson's rock musical Rent as early as his first audition, which won him a starring role as the video artist Mark Cohen. And when the show opened to thunderous acclaim off Broadway, Rapp knew that something truly extraordinary had taken shape. But even as people celebrated Rent's success, they were also mourning the sudden death of Jonathan Larson, the show's creator.

When Anthony's mom began to lose her battle with cancer, he struggled to balance his theater career with his responsibility to his family. Here, Anthony recounts both the show's huge success and his overwhelming loss. He also shares his experiences discovering his sexuality, the tension it created with his mother, and his struggle to gain her acceptance.