2008 Woodie Awards
Students listen to words of experience
'Rent' star speaks about life
Britany Price
Issue date: 2/1/07 Section: News
Anthony Rapp, best known for his role as Mark Cohen in the musical "Rent," came to speak about his experiences and career struggles before being cast for the musical at the Edgerton Center for Performing Arts on Monday.
"Anthony has a way of making things real. He is very down to earth and I think that's because of all the experiences he has had to deal with in his life," said Shaun Mitchell, junior, Cresskill, N.J. "The parts about his mother's illness were very touching because I am really close to my mother and couldn't imagine going through something like that, especially when my career is just taking off."
Rapp spoke poignantly about the death of his mother and of Jonathan Larsen, composer of "Rent" whose sudden death was caused by an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm.
"To lose two close people in such a short distance from each other is devastating and he did a phenomenal job getting through it and reliving it for the lecture," said Mitchell.
"What we were doing on stage is what we were living at that moment, and that was people coming together in the face of it all," said Rapp.
"On the night that Jonathan had died we were singing our hearts out to all these things that we loved. The reality and the fiction of the play were one," said Rapp explaining that certain songs were difficult to get through the night Larsen died.
"We didn't need Jonathan to die to feel as strongly as we did for the show," he said.
Rapp also added a little colloquial touch lacing the lecture with jokes.
Mitchell said the thought Rapp was "funny in an offbeat sort of way."
"He wasn't Ellen Degeneres funny, but he was funny because he kept a cool attitude," said Mitchell.
Rapp also spoke about getting the call that notified him he was chosen to be a part of the cast.
"To get the congratulations call is a great feeling because usually you get the call saying they went with somebody taller, or they went with somebody less pale," he said.
"Anthony has a way of making things real. He is very down to earth and I think that's because of all the experiences he has had to deal with in his life," said Shaun Mitchell, junior, Cresskill, N.J. "The parts about his mother's illness were very touching because I am really close to my mother and couldn't imagine going through something like that, especially when my career is just taking off."
Rapp spoke poignantly about the death of his mother and of Jonathan Larsen, composer of "Rent" whose sudden death was caused by an undiagnosed aortic aneurysm.
"To lose two close people in such a short distance from each other is devastating and he did a phenomenal job getting through it and reliving it for the lecture," said Mitchell.
"What we were doing on stage is what we were living at that moment, and that was people coming together in the face of it all," said Rapp.
"On the night that Jonathan had died we were singing our hearts out to all these things that we loved. The reality and the fiction of the play were one," said Rapp explaining that certain songs were difficult to get through the night Larsen died.
"We didn't need Jonathan to die to feel as strongly as we did for the show," he said.
Rapp also added a little colloquial touch lacing the lecture with jokes.
Mitchell said the thought Rapp was "funny in an offbeat sort of way."
"He wasn't Ellen Degeneres funny, but he was funny because he kept a cool attitude," said Mitchell.
Rapp also spoke about getting the call that notified him he was chosen to be a part of the cast.
"To get the congratulations call is a great feeling because usually you get the call saying they went with somebody taller, or they went with somebody less pale," he said.
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