PS Classics co-founder Tommy Krasker told Playbill.com that Rapp and his musicians assembled in a London studio Sept. 17 to begin recording the album. PS Classics co-founder Philip Chaffin and engineer Bart Migal were on hand for the recordings.
The album of Without You follows a recent London engagement of the one-man musical that played the Menier Chocolate Factory. The musical features songs by Larson and R.E.M. Rapp is accompanied by a five-piece band. Rapp originated the role of Mark in the original Off-Broadway, Broadway and London productions of Rent.
Rapp told Playbill.com, "The Chocolate Factory production of Without You was the most fully realized version yet, and I'm thrilled that we got the chance to carry that momentum into the recording studio. Many people in London asked me if there was a recording available, and now, as we go forward with new productions, we can happily tell them yes, there is."
Without You has musical direction by Dan Weiss, with additional arrangements by Tom Kitt. The Menier Chocolate Factory's David Babani serves as executive producer.
Without You is billed as "a stunning one-man show about grief, hope and triumph. It begins in 1994, with Rapp, then working at Starbucks, about to audition for a new musical called Rent. From there, Rapp movingly intertwines two stories: his experience as part of the original production of Rent (in which he created the role of Mark Cohen) – his audition, the casting process, rehearsals and the shared grief when its young composer Jonathan Larson died suddenly the night before the musical’s off-Broadway premiere – and Rapp's achingly beautiful relationship with his mother, who was battling cancer during this turbulent time." Rapp's Broadway credits include the revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and John Guare's Six Degrees of Separation. His Broadway debut was in Precious Sons with Judith Ivey and Ed Harris, for which he received an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama Desk nomination.
The album is currently available for pre-order at PSClassics.com.
