"Without You" - by Anthony Rapp - ATG Colonial Theatre at the BCA (Boston, MA.) - REVIEW
(Cover Photo: ANTHONY RAPP in a moment from his one-man show, "WITHOUT YOU" now playing at the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. through April 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland)
By Kevin T. Baldwin
METRMAG Reviewer
# 774-242-6724
“How do you document real life, when real life's getting more like fiction each day?"
- ("Mark" from "RENT") / Jonathan D. Larson
ATG Colonial Theatre
Presents Anthony Rapp's
"WITHOUT YOU"
A Limited Two-Week Engagement April 2-14, 2024.
Tickets on sale now!
Starring ANTHONY RAPP
Music & Lyrics - Jonathan Larson, David Matos & Joe Pisapia
Directed by Steven Maler
Musical Director & Orchestration by Daniel A. Weiss
Additional Orchestration by Tom Kitt
Additional Creative Team:
Scenic Design/Lighting Design - Eric Southern; Costume Design - Angela Vesco; Sound Design - Brian Ronan; Projection Design - David Bengali; Production Stage Manager - Denise Savas; Assistant Stage Manager - Mariko Takizawa; Production Management - Intuitive Production Management; Digital Marketing - Andrew Drachenberg; Promotions/Sponsorships - Red Rising; General Management - LDK Productions; Publicity - JT Public Relations; Creative Producer - Chris Henry.
Produced by: Lisa Dozier, Royal Family Productions, Cue To Cue Productions, Ryohei Otani & Motoko Kimura, Brian J. Heck/Harish Karthikeyan, Jason Turchin/Shimmy Braun, Charlotte Cohn, Abigail E. Disney
Performances:
April 2, 2024 through April 14, 2024
(Contact Box Office for Exact Times)
Wimberly Theatre, at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston’s South End
TICKETS:
Tickets may be purchased online at www.BostonTheatreScene.com or by calling # 617-933-8600. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Calderwood Pavilion Box Office at 527 Tremont Street (open Tuesday through Friday from 12pm to 6pm). Online and phone ticket purchases are subject to standard service fees.
Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.
The BCA/Calderwood Pavilion welcomes Anthony Rapp live in performance as the actor regales us with stories and songs based on his intimate recollections taken from his New York Times bestselling memoir, "WITHOUT YOU."
"WITHOUT YOU" presented by ATG Colonial Theatre is a grand night out but, a word of warning - it will also definitely not be what a number of people might expect.
This is not a "cabaret performance" where the artist simply goes from humorous anecdote-to-song, fond memory recollect-to-song, rinse-and-repeat, etc. etc.
No, "WITHOUT YOU" is far more than that.
In fact, the odyssey recalled by Rapp weaves disproportionately in and out of memorable songs with many of his own thoughts and memories.
The show does this so much so that, by the time the audience begins to get a smile on its collective face from hearing a familiar musical favorite, Rapp abruptly weaves out to speak on other thoughts or memories, which might absolutely infuriate a few who came more for the music than the talking.
That said, it is still a marvelously intimate 90 minutes (no intermission) which has previously played over 100 performances at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages, where it received praise from audiences and critics alike.
(Photo: ANTHONY RAPP in a moment from his one-man show, "WITHOUT YOU" now playing at the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. through April 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland)
As advertised, this is an autobiographical musical that tells us a story of Rapp who personally experiences love, loss, and the phenomenon that was - and still is the musical "RENT."
"WITHOUT YOU" is also a visual treat with projected images peppered throughout the show, and Rapp is backed by a solid band of superb musicians.
Directed by Steven Maler, "WITHOUT YOU" features music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson, David Matos and Joe Pisapia, with musical direction and orchestrations by Daniel A. Weiss (with additional orchestration by Tom Kitt). Weiss also conducts and plays keys.
"WITHOUT YOU" begins in 1994.
Rapp was only 22 years old, out of money and working at a Starbucks.
In 1994, Rapp meets young writer Jonathan Larson and auditions for Larson's new musical based on the opera "La Vie Boheme."
Larson would later also become known for creating the musical, "Tick, Tick... Boom!"
(Photo: ANTHONY RAPP in a moment from his one-man show, "WITHOUT YOU" now playing at the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. through April 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland)
Not only does Rapp recall his auditions for the workshop and previews that took place years before the premiere of musical juggernaut "RENT," he vacillates in and out of various voices of those he encountered along the way, including Larson, and imitates friends and family, as well.
How accurate those impressions are is ultimately subjective, of course, but Rapp differentiates between the characters so well, we instantly recognize who they are as the story progresses.
To science-fiction fans, Rapp plays "Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets" on the streaming Paramount+ television series "Star Trek: Discovery," now in its fifth and final season.
Rapp is also known for playing the title character of "Charlie Brown" in the 1999 Broadway revival of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and "Lucas" in the 2014 musical "If/Then."
"WITHOUT YOU" recently finished a six-month run Off Broadway at New World Stages where The New York Times raved “you would have to be made of stone to NOT be moved” and The Wall Street Journal called it “nostalgic, gripping, and moving.”
(Photo: ANTHONY RAPP in a moment from his one-man show, "WITHOUT YOU" now playing at the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. through April 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland)
There is a lot of great music included and some of it is NOT Broadway fare, such as R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" which seems quite suited for Rapp's vocal style.
We also hear a plethora of assorted excerpts from "RENT" sung solo by Rapp including "Seasons of Love," "La Vie Boheme," "What You Own" and the title opening number "RENT."
But the story of "WITHOUT YOU" really centers on two of Rapp's most significant relationships:
The first being with Larson, who altered the trajectory of Rapp's career path by practically giving him a trajectory (at least as far as musical theatre goes).
The second being with Rapp's mother who, spoiler alert, passed away just around the time she would see her son ultimately hit the Broadway stage as "Mark Cohen" in "RENT."
(Photo: ANTHONY RAPP in a moment from his one-man show, "WITHOUT YOU" now playing at the BCA/Calderwood Pavilion in Boston, MA. through April 14, 2024. Photo Credit: Russ Rowland)
Anyone who has lost a beloved parent (such as this reviewer did just two years ago with the passing of his own mother) cannot help but feel the genuine emotional impact Rapp conveys during his performance.
Our familial losses may not parallel, but the overall emotion Rapp exudes certainly does which, as it did for me, may leave some in the audience requiring a handkerchief by the end.
Everyone's experience is different but here, in beautiful fashion, Rapp acknowledges the influence and love by - and for - these two people in what comes across as a continuous genuine, open and honest reflection of love...and loss.
Rapp's bond with these two people is not only cemented in the words and music of "WITHOUT YOU" - it is obviously cemented in love.
Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission
Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)
@MetrmagReviews
@Theatre_Critics
ABOUT THE SHOW
Based on Anthony Rapp’s New York Times bestselling memoir, "WITHOUT YOU" previously played over 100 performances at Off-Broadway’s New World Stages, where it received praise from audiences and critics alike.
This autobiographical musical is a story of love, loss, and the phenomenon that is "RENT" – told by the man who was there from the start.
"WITHOUT YOU" recently finished a six-month run Off Broadway at New World Stages where The New York Times raved “you would have to be made of stone to NOT be moved” and The Wall Street Journal called it “nostalgic, gripping, and moving.”
In 1994, Rapp was 22, out of money and working at a Starbucks, about to audition for a new musical by a young writer named Johnathan Larson.
That musical was the global phenomenon "RENT."
This is where the story of "WITHOUT YOU" begins.
Based on The New York Times bestseller of the same name and backed by a 5-piece rock band, Rapp shares his unimaginable real-life story of the early years of "RENT" in this intimate evening of unsurpassed joy and unspeakable loss.
“I’m thrilled to return to Boston – where the earliest incarnations of this show were honed – to share this personal and emotional story.” says Rapp. "'WITHOUT YOU' honors the life and legacy of two greats: Jonathan Larson and my mother. This show and its message changed my life, and I hope Boston audiences will leave 'WITHOUT YOU' with a new sense of hope and joy.”
"WITHOUT YOU" is written and performed by Rapp and directed by Steven Maler (artistic director of Boston’s Commonwealth Shakespeare Company) with musical direction by Daniel A. Weiss.
The production will feature the music of Jonathan Larson's "RENT" along with original songs and compositions by Anthony Rapp, David Matos, and Joe Pisapia; orchestration, original compositions, and musical direction by Daniel A. Weiss, with additional arrangements by Tom Kitt.
The creative team includes: Eric Southern (Lighting and Scene Design), Angela Vesco (Costume Design), Elisabeth Weidner (Sound Design), and David Bengali (Projection Design).
Lisa Dozier Shacket is the producer, produced in association with Royal Family Productions.
"WITHOUT YOU" will run for two weeks only from April 2-14, 2024 at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA in Boston’s South End (located at 527 Tremont Street) for a total of 16 performances.
The show runs 90 minutes without an intermission.
ABOUT THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE
In its storied history, THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE has debuted such seminal Broadway shows as Anything Goes, Porgy and Bess, Oklahoma!, Born Yesterday, Follies, A Little Night Music, Grand Hotel and La Cage aux Folles, among others. Reviving a great theatrical tradition, Boston’s newly restored EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE officially re-opened its doors in July 2018 with the pre-Broadway World Premiere of Moulin Rouge! The Musical. THE EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE, which opened in 1900 with a production of Ben-Hur, is the oldest continuously operated theater in Boston; as well as being amongst the most magnificent, having retained most of its original period details. A theatre for the community, EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE will once again contribute to the rich cultural landscape of Boston, with a new and varied program of Broadway shows, live music, comedy and events.
106 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
