Personality Test: Anthony Rapp
City Theatre audiences already know film and stage actor Anthony Rapp for his performances in 2003′s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” and in his playwright brother Adam Rapp’s drama “Gompers” in 2004. Rapp returns to City Theatre on the South Side through Sept. 21 with a one-man show that he wrote and performs — “Without You.”
Rapp and a four-piece rock band weave the landmark songs of “Rent” through his heartfelt reminiscences of the emotional ups and downs he experienced while performing as Mark Cohen in the original production.
The show contains additional songs by Rapp, John Keaney, David Matos and Joe Pisapia and material about Rapp’s life that is drawn from his published memoir “Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical ‘Rent.’”
The star who would play me in the movie version of my life:
If he were younger, I’d say Ed Begley Jr., ’cause there are so few actors out there who are quite as pale as I am.
Choose one:
A. Andrew Lloyd Webber
B. Richard Rodgers
C. Stephen Sondheim
D. John Kander
C, Sondheim, because there’s nothing like getting to sing songs that are so rich in character and language and ideas. Richard Rodgers is a close second when he’s at his best, for the beauty of his melodies.
If the TV is on at 2 a.m., I’m watching:
“Baseball Tonight” or the World Series of Poker.
After a long day, I like to relax with a:
A. Martini
B. Cold beer
C. Cabernet
D. Herbal tea
C, Cabernet.
My quirkiest inherited trait:
Well, it’s quirky in that there’s no one in my family who is remotely as fair-haired or fair-skinned as I am, so it’s a mystery as to where the hell that came from.
The first play I saw:
“The Sound of Music,” when I was around 4, so that makes it around 1975, on tour in Chicago at the Arie Crown Theatre. My mom told me the ushers warned her not to bring someone as young as I was into the theater, but I watched the whole thing, mesmerized by it.
One word your mother would use to describe you:
Talented. Or stubborn.
My required snack in a movie theater is:
Traditional, but true: popcorn.
When I was 10, I wanted to be:
What I am, an actor and writer.
If I had to give up theater, I would:
Teach, and on my off time play poker to supplement my income.
The play I never tire of seeing:
“Angels in America.”
The first band I saw in concert:
Wham! In 1987 or so, at the Alpine Valley Amphitheatre outside Chicago.
TV marathon you could watch all day and why:
The World Series of Poker, because it’s endlessly fascinating to watch how different people approach the complexities of the game. A close second is “Project Runway.”
The person I’m most often mistaken for:
Alan Tudyk — and vice versa for him, as well. When his film “28 Days” was about to come out a few years ago, I got several congratulatory e-mails from people who had seen the preview.
Choose one:
A. Dogs
B. Cats
B, Cats. I have three. I love dogs, too, but it’s just too hard to have a dog with my traveling schedule.
Opening nights are:
Hopefully thrilling.
I own 10 pairs of shoes. My favorites are:
My laceless Varvatos Converse.
Pick one:
A. Boxers
B. Briefs
The good old amalgam, a boxer-brief.
In high school, I was:
Involved in a million activities — theatre, choir, school paper, yearbook, speech team.
The most famous person I ever became friends with:
Andy Dick. I’ve known him since I was 11 and in the local high school production of “Oliver!” He played Dr. Grimwig. We’ve been friends ever since.
Choose one:
A. John
B. Paul
C. George
D. Ringo
A, John, because of the edge he brought to Paul. But it’s hard to really separate those two, because they just complemented the other’s strengths so incredibly well.
The last book I read:
“Y: The Last Man,” a graphic novel about what happens when all the men in the world suddenly die, except one. Fascinating, funny, exciting and ultimately really moving.
It’s not pizza without:
Mushrooms and garlic.
My favorite Web site:
Lately, it’s been Andrew Sullivan’s blog on the Atlantic.com site. He’s a fascinating mixture of all sorts of factors: gay, British, conservative, HIV-positive, anti-Bush, pro-Obama, and always interesting.
Pick a Bond:
A. Sean Connery
B. Timothy Dalton
C. Pierce Brosnan
D. Daniel Craig
D, Daniel Craig. Fierce and human and dashing and tough and a wonderful actor.
My first job:
A member of the children’s chorus in “Evita” in Chicago in 1981.
My worst job:
A small role that turned out to be nothing more than a glorified extra in “Twister.”
Pick one:
A. Ketchup
B. Mustard
B, Mustard. I like strong flavors more than sweetness.
My favorite cable channel:
MLB Extra Innings, so I can watch whatever baseball games I want to — especially the Cubs games.
The song that always gets me out on the dance floor and why:
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” by Michael Jackson, because of its incredibly propulsive beat, and all that Mama Say Mama Sa Ma Mankusa or whatever it is they say at the end.
If I could tour with any two bands, they would be:
Coldplay, because they seem like genuinely good guys and when I saw them in concert seemed to be loving every minute of it, and Superchunk, my favorite band.
I never travel without my:
iPhone — I’d be lost, I tell you, lost!
People would be surprised to know that I:
Am a pretty successful, profitable part-time poker player.
Originally published by The Tribune-Review.
(c) 2008 Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.