• City Theatre has added a special engagement of "Without You," a new one-man, autobiographical show written and performed by Anthony Rapp, who originated the role of Mark in "Rent" and played it in the movie, too. Featuring a four-piece band, it will run on City's mainstage, Aug. 28-Sept. 21. Adapted from Rapp's book, "Without You: a Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical 'Rent,' " the show begins in 1994, when Rapp was working at Starbucks and auditioned for Jonathan Larson's new rock opera.

Taking the audience from that audition to the tribute performance the night after Larson's tragic death, it also interweaves, the press release says, Rapp's "achingly beautiful relationship with his mother during this turbulent time. Featuring his own lyrics and melodies, stories adapted from his memoir, and the landmark songs of 'Rent,' 'Without You' is a valentine to the groundbreaking musical and celebrates all of our seasons of love."

Anthony Rapp has performed at City before, in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch." He's not to be confused with another City regular, his brother, playwright Adam Rapp.

Washington theater

• I've had more response than usual to Sunday's survey of theater in D.C. Dakin Matthews, who just played King Lear for Pittsburgh Irish & Classical, wrote: "I was just there myself and marveled at the amount of theatre going on. Of course, it's no Pittsburgh." (Yes, he's joking.) And former PG actor of the year Doug Rees wrote to say that this fall he'll play Sir Wilfull in William Congreve's immortal (my adjective) "The Way of the World" at Washington's Shakespeare Theatre, along with former Pittsburgher Colleen Casey (nee Delany), who "has been burning up the boards there for the last 10 years or so -- quite a fixture on the scene."

Playhouse list

• Many thanks to the several readers who responded to my request for an alphabetized version of Richard Rauh's list of performers and designers who worked at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, 1934-73, which we published online May 22. I'll get the alphabetized version online as soon as possible, the better to facilitate those who might have names to add.

Cast lists

• In response to last week's note about the order of cast lists, Patrick Jordan (barebones) wrote to say that his "Take Me Out" program list and bios were both alphabetical. "I never realized that anyone outside of the cast and crew paid close attention to that," he says. Obviously some of us do. I'd say alphabetical works well for the bios, but I'd prefer order of appearance for the cast list, because it sometimes helps you figure out who's who.

More Lenora

• Barbara Cloud sent a link to an effusive July 4 Playbill.com interview by Andrew Gans with Lenora Nemetz, who's in "Gypsy" on Broadway. Here's the link to the longer version of the story.

• The indefatigable Ron Necheff sent another Playbill.com Lenora reference. In a July 8 "CUE & A," Hunter Bell, co-star and co-creator of the new Broadway musical "[title of show]" (that's its title), describes his special skills: "I learned to spin a rope when I was doing 'Oklahoma!' in summer stock, and I do a pretty good Gwen Verdon impersonation (which also means I can do Ann Reinking and Lenora Nemetz too)."

Young local talent

• Last week's PG South had a column about four South area children appearing in CLO shows this summer: Mt. Lebanon's Danny Cinski (Young Patrick) and Upper St. Clair's Nathan Steinbauer, in "Mame," and Upper St. Clair's Ben Nadler and Mt. Lebanon's Michelle Corben, in "Annie Get Your Gun."

I had an anonymous email complaining about the omission of Bethel Park's Joseph Serafini (Michael in "Peter Pan"), so I thought I'd fill out the whole list. Local kids featured in the CLO this summer also include Belle Vernon's Brian Brazon (John) and Brookline's Rehima Jordan, both in "Peter Pan," and Washington's Sidney Popielarcheck (Nellie Oakley) in "Annie Get Your Gun." It's just more evidence of how deep the talent grows around here.

The Call Board

• John Morogiello's "Stonewall's Bust," a new farce about a man who breaks a priceless statue at a Confederate Heritage Museum and tries to cover it up, has its world premiere at Jennerstown's Mountain Playhouse, July 22-Aug. 3. It won the 2007 Mountain Playhouse International Comedy Playwriting Contest and was the second such winner to be produced there. The winner of the 2008 contest, chosen from 148 entries, will be announced July 22.

Ever since the initial play reading last September, Morogiello has worked with producer Teresa Stoughton Marafino and director Daniel Gidron to launch the new show, even sitting in on the New York auditions. The cast is Robert Rokicki, Seana Hollingsworth, Kippy Goldfarb, Susan J. Jacks, Eliza Chetlin, Frederick Heringes, Nick Ruggeri and Matt Marafino. Chetlin, a former standout in the Public Theater's Shakespeare Monologue and Scene Contest, has just earned her Equity card.

• For the second reading in its "Friday Night 'Wrights" series, Terra Nova Theatre of Washington, Pa., and Pittsburgh Playworks offer William Cameron's "Cheating History," a comic take on burnout in academia. Cameron (who's also head of Terra Nova) draws on his years of experience as a professor of theatre and communication at W&J. The reading is at 8 p.m. Friday at Wash Arts' Inspiration Cafe, 243 S. Main St., Washington, Pa.; 724-413-0650 or www.terranova theatregroup.org. The reading series continues each Friday through Aug. 8.

• "Urinetown" runs tonight through July 27 at Stage 62 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie. Leon Zionts, who's playing Cladwell, the villain, sent a note ending "Hail Malthus! (See the show, do the research, get the reference!)."

• Jude and Shirley Pohl are considering making their Perry Como Theatre in Canonsburg available on certain weekends for performers who would like a showcase. They'll consider any type of act, as long as it's suitable for a family audience. Contact them at 724-746-1178.

The bottom line

• Paid admissions at city's pro theaters for the week ending July 13: