One of Broadway’s brightest lights is showing up at Mississippi State today when Anthony Rapp, one of the original cast members of “RENT,” is bringing his experiences and talents to campus.
In addition to discussing his work on and off The Great White Way, Rapp will also talk about his new book, “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the musical ‘Rent.'” He will be giving a seminar open to public at 7 p.m. in the McComas Hall Theatre.
Rent, which won the 1996 Tony for Best Musical, has developed a following in its 10 years of existence, one that has grown since last year’s release of the motion picture of the same name.
The musical won acclaim for its stark portrayal of a group of New York City friends facing evictions, loss, uncertainty and AIDS. Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen, a young filmmaker struggling to pay the bills in the Big Apple.
Nancy McCarley, head of the Judy and Bobby shackels Honors College, said she wanted to have Rapp come to MSU as a gift to all of her students who have made her time at State memorable. She also wanted to bring in a speaker who will talk about both the research and creative endeavor aspects of a career. But McCarley mentioned that Rapp’s discussions on campus will be interesting to a variety of students who are not familiar with the musical as well.
Lindsey Tew, a graduate assistant for the Honors College, said the idea to ask Rapp to campus was brought up by McCarley, who knew several students on campus who loved “RENT.”
“I’m very excited about seeing Anthony,” Tew said. “I first saw the play in Birmingham when I was in the 10th grade and have loved it every since.”
Tew described the extent of her devotion to “RENT” when she said she needs to buy another copy of the soundtrack after listening to her original CD so much she scratched the disk.
One of Broadway’s brightest lights is showing up at Mississippi State today when Anthony Rapp, one of the original cast members of “RENT,” is bringing his experiences and talents to campus.
In addition to discussing his work on and off The Great White Way, Rapp will also talk about his new book, “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the musical ‘Rent.'” He will be giving a seminar open to public at 7 p.m. in the McComas Hall Theatre.
Rent, which won the 1996 Tony for Best Musical, has developed a following in its 10 years of existence, one that has grown since last year’s release of the motion picture of the same name.
The musical won acclaim for its stark portrayal of a group of New York City friends facing evictions, loss, uncertainty and AIDS. Rapp originated the role of Mark Cohen, a young filmmaker struggling to pay the bills in the Big Apple.
Nancy McCarley, head of the Judy and Bobby shackels Honors College, said she wanted to have Rapp come to MSU as a gift to all of her students who have made her time at State memorable. She also wanted to bring in a speaker who will talk about both the research and creative endeavor aspects of a career. But McCarley mentioned that Rapp’s discussions on campus will be interesting to a variety of students who are not familiar with the musical as well.