No day was more important than January 25, 1996, to 35-year-old Johnathan Larson. After years of hard work, Larson’s dream was about to come true: his new musical, Rent, was about to premiere at the New York Theatre Workshop. The artist notably struggled with a sense of wasting his life, and at many points, he reconsidered if he could actually make it big as a composer; on this very day, the past 15 years of doubt seemed to fade away. Larson was proud of his new musical, not just because of its quality, but also because Rent tackled important and underrepresented issues at the time. It showcased the AIDS crisis in a sensitive and empathetic light that had never been seen before. Rent is a tragic story, and at the end of the show, a beloved character named Angel, who brings everyone around them together, passes away. When Johnathan was writing the show, he had no way of knowing that his own life would parallel Angel’s, as on the very day Rent was about to premier off-broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, Larson unexpectedly passed away due to an undiagnosed illness, demonstrating a tragic case of life imitating art.

Everyone working on the production was devastated, as just like Angel, Jonathan cultivated a special community. One company member, Anthony Rapp, who played the lead role of Mark, was particularly struck by the loss. The musical continued to have a successful Broadway run, and Rapp later moved on to larger projects, although his friend’s death continued to follow him. Ten years after Larson’s death, Rapp decided to publish a memoir entitled Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent; here, Rapp explored his grappling with Larson’s death as well as the death of his mother to breast cancer. The book struck chords with many readers, as the grief that followed Rapp was so identifiable and relatable. The memoir’s success led Rapp to create a staged musical adaptation of his book with songs from Rent, his own original pieces, and a select number of extraneous songs.

The staged adaptation of Without You recorded and released its soundtrack in 2012. Since then, Rapp has taken the show worldwide to share his story and his newfound understanding of loss and grief. This year, Without You premiered off-broadway at New World Stages, opening on January 25, 2023, exactly 27 years after Johnathan’s passing and Rent’s premiere off-broadway. The show has received positive reviews, and many have applauded Rapp’s acting and vocal performance, as well as the intimacy and sincerity of the story. The music is powerful and familiar, and in this new context, it almost takes on another layer of meaning from what Johnathan originally wrote. 

Without You closes on April 30th, and I highly recommend everyone see it while they can. Whether you’re a Rent fan or not, you will get something from this show, and you will most certainly be moved (most likely to tears). Without You is simultaneously a celebration of and a tribute to Johnathan Larson while also exploring Rapp’s highly developed ideas surrounding grief and loss. Johnathan Larson managed to create a community around him wherever he was, and it feels like that’s what Rapp is trying to accomplish with this show. Without You continues Larson’s legacy in a tangible way, bringing an audience together every night like Rent did: on the basis of death, loss, grief, and how we continue on without our loved ones.

Feature image via https://withoutyoumusical.com/rush-and-lottery/