Anthony Rapp’s Echoes of His Younger Self

Anthony Rapp first met RENT’s Mark Cohen in 1994, when both were in their early 20s, in aworkshop production of a musical that was destined for Broadway. At the time,Rapp and Cohen lived essentially rent-free in apartments in New York, though for completely differentreasons. Things have changed considerably. Fifteen years later, Rapp has madenumerous appearances in television shows and movies, recorded an album,performed onstage with a band and, as he’s currently doing, toured with RENT. Cohen, still in his early 20s andone of the lead characters of the hit musical, hasn’t changed much since Rappfirst portrayed him in 1994.

Rapp says that Cohen represents aspects of his life,mostly as a part of his past. Though Rapp notes that he currently has a lessintimate relationship with the character than he did in the mid-’90s, he refersto Cohen and the challenges that the character faces in every performance as“echoes of my younger self.”

Rapp remains happy to revisit those aspects of hislife onstage nearly 15 years after being introduced to the character during alull in his career. But as much as Rapp loves being Cohen, he seems ready to endhis long-term relationship with the musical. After this tour, he doesn’t intendto play the character again.

Of course, the musical will always be a part of hislife. And he admits that the person he was 15 years ago represents a fairamount of his career. Beyond the tour, future projects for Rapp include Without You, a one-man show he’sperformed in limited runs in the past. He intends to work on a new productionof Without You, his recollections onlife during that period in the early ’90s, when his mother passed away and hefirst met the part of himself that became Mark Cohen, a filmmaker squatting ina derelict building in New York.He refers to it as a “defining, formative time” in his life.

The touring Broadway production of RENT comes to Milwaukee Nov. 24-29 at the Marcus Centerfor the Performing Arts.