Rent Page #2

COLLINS:

Getting dizzy

(He collapses.)

MARK & ROGER

How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

How we gonna pay

Last year's rent

(MARK and ROGER stoke the fire. Crosscut to BENNY's Range Rover)

BENNY:

(On cellular phone)

Alison baby -- you sound sad

I don't believe those two after everything I've done

Ever since our wedding I'm dirt -- They'll see

I can help them all out in the long run

(Three locales:
JOANNE at the pay phone, MARK and ROGER in their

loft, and COLLINS on the ground. The following is sung simultaneously)

BENNY:

Forces are gathering

Forces are gathering

Can't turn away

Forces are gathering

COLLINS:

Ughhhhh--

Ughhhhh--

Ughhhhh-- I can't think

Ughhhhh--

Ughhhhh--

Ughhhhh-- I need a drink

MARK (reading from a script page)

"The music ignites the night with passionate fire"

JOANNE:

Maureen -- I'm not a theatre person

ROGER:

"The narration crackles and pops with incendiary wit"

JOANNE:

Could never be a theatre person

MARK:

Zoom in as they burn the past to the ground

JOANNE (realizing she's been cut off)

Hello?

MARK & ROGER

And feel the heat of the future's glow

JOANNE:

Hello?

(The phone rings in the loft. MARK picks it up)

MARK:

(On phone)

Hello? Maureen?

--Your equipment won't work?

Okay, all right, I'll go!

MARK & HALF THE COMPANY

How do you leave the past behind

When it keeps finding ways to get to your heart

It reaches way down deep and tears you inside out

Till you're torn apart

Rent!

ROGER & OTHER HALF OF COMPANY

How can you connect in an age

Where strangers, landlords, lovers

Your own blood cells betray

ALL:

What binds the fabric together

When the raging, shifting winds of change

Keep ripping away

BENNY:

Draw a line in the sand

And then make a stand

ROGER:

Use your camera to spar

MARK:

Use your guitar

ALL:

When they act tough - you call their bluff

MARK & ROGER

We're not gonna pay

MARK & ROGER W/HALF THE COMPANY

We're not gonna pay

MARK & ROGER W/OTHER HALF OF COMPANY

We're not gonna pay

ALL:

Last year's rent

This year's rent

Next year's rent

Rent rent rent rent rent

We're not gonna pay rent

ROGER & MARK

'Cause everything is rent

"YOU OKAY HONEY? (The street)"

(The street in front of the pay phone. A HOMELESS MAN appears above

on the right. Across the stage, ANGEL DUMOTT SCHUNARD is seated

on the Christmas tree sculpture, with a plastic pickle tub balanced like a

drum between his knees)

A HOMELESS MAN:

Christmas bells are ringing

Christmas bells are ringing

Christmas bells are ringing

Somewhere else!

Not here

(The HOMELESS MAN exits. ANGEL gets a good beat going on the tub,

but is interrupted by a moan. He starts to drum again and sees COLLINS

limp to downstage-left proscenium)

ANGEL:

You okay honey?

COLLINS:

I'm afraid so

ANGEL:

They get any money?

COLLINS:

No

Had none to get

But they purloined my coat

Well you missed a sleeve! - Thanks

ANGEL:

Hell, it's Christmas Eve

I'm Angel

COLLINS:

Angel..? Indeed

An angel of the first degree

Friends call me Collins - Tom Collins

Nice tree..

ANGEL:

Let's get a band-aid for your knee

I'll change, there's a "Life Support" meeting at nine-thirty

Yes this body provides a comfortable home

For the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome

COLLINS:

As does mine

ANGEL:

We'll get along fine

Get you a coat, have a bite

Make a night I'm flush

COLLINS:

My friends are waiting

ANGEL:

You're cute when you blush

The more the merri ho ho ho

And I do not take no

(ANGEL and COLLINS walk off stage right.)

"TUNE UP #3 (The loft)"

(Lights come up on loft)

ROGER:

Where are you going?

MARK:

Maureen calls.

ROGER:

You're such a sucker!

MARK:

I don't suppose you'd like to see her show in the lot tonight?

(ROGER shrugs)

Or come to dinner?

ROGER:

Zoom in on my empty wallet

MARK:

Touche. Take your AZT

Close on Roger

His girlfriend April

Left a note saying "We've got AIDS"

Before slitting her wrists in the bathroom

I'll check up on you later - Change your mind. You have to get out of the

house.

(He exits)

ROGER:

I'm writing one great song before I.

"ONE SONG GLORY"

One song

Glory

One song

Before I go

Glory

One song to leave behind

Find one song

One last refrain

Glory

From the pretty boy front man

Who wasted opportunity

One song

He had the world at his feet

Glory

In the eyes of a young girl

A young girl

Find glory

Beyond the cheap colored lights

One song

Before the sun sets

Glory - on another empty life

Time flies - time dies

Glory - One blaze of glory

One blaze of glory - glory

Find

Glory

In a song that rings true

Truth like a blazing fire

An eternal flame

Find

One song

A song about love

Glory

From the soul of a young man

A young man

Find

The one song

Before the virus takes hold

Glory

Like a sunset

One song

To redeem this empty life

Time flies

And then - no need to endure anymore

Time dies

(ROGER is interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. It is MIMI

MARQUEZ, a beautiful stranger from downstairs)

The door

(ROGER crosses to the door)

"LIGHT MY CANDLE"

ROGER:

What'd you forget?

(MIMI enters, holding a candle and looking for a match; her electricity is

down, too)

MIMI:

Got a light?

ROGER:

I know you? You're

You're shivering

MIMI:

It's nothing

They turned off my heat

And I'm just a little

Weak on my feet

Would you light my candle?

What are you staring at?

ROGER:

Nothing

Your hair in the moonlight

You look familiar

(He lights her candle. MIMI starts to leave, but stumbles)

Can you make it?

MIMI:

Just haven't eaten much today

At least the room stopped spinning

Anyway, What?

ROGER:

Nothing

Your smile reminded me of

MIMI:

I always remind people of who is she?

ROGER:

She died, Her name was April

(MIMI discreetly blows out the candle)

MIMI:

It's out again

Sorry about your friend

Would you light my candle?

(ROGER lights the candle. They linger, awkwardly)

ROGER:

Well-

MIMI:

Yeah. Ow!

ROGER:

Oh, the wax it's --

MIMI:

Dripping! I like it -- between my --

ROGER:

Fingers. I figured...

Oh, well. Goodnight

(MIMI exits. ROGER heads back toward his guitar on the table. There is

another knock, which he answers)

It blew out again?

MIMI:

No - I think that I dropped my stash

ROGER:

I know I've seen you out and about

When I used to go out

Your candle's out

MIMI:

I'm illin'

I had it when I walked in the door

It was pure

Is it on the floor?

ROGER:

The floor?

(MIMI gets down on all fours and starts searching the floor for her stash.

She looks back at ROGER, who is staring at her again)

MIMI:

They say I have the best ass below 14th street

Is it true?

ROGER:

What?

MIMI:

You're staring again

ROGER:

Oh no

I mean you do - have a nice-

I mean , You look familiar

MIMI:

Like your dead girlfriend?

ROGER:

Only when you smile

But I'm sure I've seen you somewhere else

MIMI:

Do you go to the Cat Scratch Club?

That's where I work - I dance - help me look

ROGER:

Yes!

They used to tie you up-

MIMI:

It's a living

(MIMI douses the flame again)

ROGER:

I didn't recognize you

Without the handcuffs

MIMI:

We could light the candle

Oh won't you light the candle?

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