Anthony Rapp Tickets

Anthony Rapp in Concert

Having created an iconic role in workshops with playwright Jonathan Larson, actor Anthony Rapp will forever be identified with Mark Cohen, the struggling filmmaker in Rent. And when he performs onstage, either alone or with his Rent costar and friend Adam Kantor, the show remains a potent touchstone for both singer-songwriters.

Rapp was part of the original Off-Broadway cast of Rent in 1996 and remained in the show through its award-winning Broadway run and subsequent film adaptation. He went on to play the title role in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and portrayed the first openly gay character in the Star Trek television series: Lieutenant Commander Paul Stamets on Star Trek: Discovery.

In 2000, Rapp released his solo debut album, Look Around. It established his bona fides as a credible singer-songwriter with a rocker's passion and a pop stylist's sensitivity. It paved the way for Rapp's one-man stage show based on his 2006 memoir Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical Rent. His book dealt with the deaths of Jonathan Larson — who died of a heart condition the morning of the musical's first preview performance — and Rapp's mother, who died of cancer in 1997.

Born and raised in Illinois, the diehard Chicago Cubs fan credits among his musical influences R.E.M., whose "Losing My Religion" he performed as his Rent audition. The song remains a constant in his stage performances alongside "Seasons of Love," "Without You," and other famous songs from Rent as well as quirky originals like "Wild Bill."

During intimate unplugged shows with Adam Kantor billed as "Acoustically Speaking – A 20-Year Friendship," the close friends share solo sets touching on the other great Broadway work they've done before returning to where it all began. In Rent, the two performers helped blend rock and musical theater into something fresh and new on Broadway — just hear Rapp sing "Origin of Love" from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, in which he has also starred.

As half of what the New York Times called a "revelatory" show, or alone with his own band, Anthony Rapp continues to blur the line between pop and musical theater.