WITHOUT YOU A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT

One of the original cast members of RENT, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical, tracks the production from beginning to end, with intimate details of his own life--loves, loss of friends to AIDS, and the death of his mother. Although Rapp spends too much time whining about his relationship with a cruel lover and depicting his vigil at his mother’s bedside, he delves deeply, with real emotion, into the making of a blockbuster show, providing details that any show-biz buff will adore. No matter the flaws, the climax is an unabashed tearjerker. What’s missing is the music. Rapp recites lyrics from RENT, but this audio experience would have been greatly enhanced by hearing the show’s music. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]