Rent Page #5

MIMI:

The heart may freeze or it can burn

The pain will ease if I can learn

There is no future

There is no past

I live this moment as my last

There's only us

There's only this

Forget regret

Or life is yours to miss

No other road

No other way

No day but today

ROGER:

Excuse me if I'm off track

But if you're so wise

Then tell me why do you need smack?

Take your needle

Take your fancy prayer

And don't forget

Get the moonlight out of your hair

Long ago you might've lit up my heart

But the fire's dead ain't never ever gonna start

Another time another place

The words would only rhyme

We'd be in outer space

It'd be another song

We'd sing another way

You wanna prove me wrong?

Come back another day

Another day

MIMI:

There's only yes

Only tonight

We must let go

To know what's right

No other course

No other way

No day but today

(Lights slowly fade up on the Life Support group)

MIMI & OTHERS

I can't control

My destiny

I trust my soul

My only goal is just

To be

There's only now

There's only here

Give in to love

Or live in fear

No other path

No other way

No day but today

ROGER:

Control your temper

She doesn't see

Who says that there's a soul?

Just let me be

Who do you think you are?

Barging in on me and my guitar

Little girl, hey

The door is that way

The fire's out anyway

ALL:

No day but today

No day but today

No day but today

No day but today

No day but today

ROGER:

Take your powder, take your candle

Take your brown eyes, your pretty smile, your silhouette

Another time, another place

Another rhyme, a warm embrace

Another dance, another way

Another chance, another day

(MIMI and the Life Support group members exit. One person, STEVE,

remains at stage right, above)

WILL I?

(Various locations)

STEVE:

Will I lose my dignity

Will someone care

Will I wake tomorrow

From this nightmare?

GROUP #1

Will I lose my dignity

Will someone care

Will I wake tomorrow

From this nightmare?

GROUP #2

Will I lose my dignity

Will someone care

Will I wake tomorrow

From this nightmare?

GROUP #3

Will I lose my dignity

Will someone care

Will I wake tomorrow

From this nightmare?

GROUP #4

Will I lose my dignity

Will someone care

Will I wake tomorrow

From this nightmare?

(ROGER puts on his jacket and exits the loft)

ON THE STREET:

THREE HOMELESS PEOPLE

Christmas bells are ringing

Christmas bells are ringing

Christmas bells are ringing

Out of town

Santa Fe

SQUEEGEEMAN:

Honest living, man

(He recoils as though he's almost been run over by a car)

Feliz Navidad

(Three POLICE OFFICERS, in full riot gear, enter and approach

sleeping BLANKET PERSON - The FIRST OFFICER pokes her with a

nightstick)

HOMELESS PERSON:

Evening, officers

(Without answering, the FIRST OFFICER raises his nightstick again)

MARK (pointing his camera)

Smile for Ted Koppel, Officer Martin

(The FIRST OFFICER lowers his stick)

HOMELESS PERSON:

And a Merry Christmas to your family

POLICE OFFICERS:

Right

(The POLICE OFFICERS stride offstage. MARK continues to film

BLANKET PERSON)

BLANKET PERSON (To MARK)

Who the f*** do you think you are?

I don't need no goddamn help

From some bleeding heart cameraman

My life's not for you to

Make a name for yourself on

ANGEL:

Easy, sugar, easy

He was just trying to

BLANKET PERSON:

Just trying to use me to kill his guilt

It's not that kind of movie, honey

Let's go this lot is full of

Motherfucking artists

Hey artist

You gotta dollar?

I thought not

(BLANKET PERSON crosses to downstage left with another

HOMELESS PERSON)

SANTA FE:

(The Street)

ANGEL:

New York City

MARK:

Uh huh

ANGEL:

Center of the universe

COLLINS:

Sing it girl-

ANGEL:

Times are shitty

But I'm pretty sure they can't get worse

MARK:

I hear you

ANGEL:

It's a comfort to know

When you're singing the hit-the-road blues

That anywhere else you could possibly go

After New York would be a pleasure cruise

COLLINS:

Now you're talking

Well, I'm thwarted by a metaphysic puzzle

And I'm sick of grading papers that I know

And I'm shouting in my sleep, I need a muzzle

All this misery pays no salary, so

Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

Oh sunny Santa Fe would be nice

Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

And leave this to the roaches and mice

Oh-oh

ALL:

Oh

ANGEL:

You teach?

COLLINS:

I teach , Computer Age Philosophy

But my students would rather watch TV

ANGEL:

America

ALL:

America

COLLINS:

You're a sensitive aesthete

Brush the sauce onto the meat

You could make the menu sparkle with rhyme

You could drum a gentle drum

I could seat guests as they come

Chatting not about Heidegger, but wine

(with HOMELESS PEOPLE in the shadows)

Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

Our labors would reap financial gains

ALL:

Gains, gains, gains

COLLINS:

We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

And save from devastation our brains

HOMELESS:

Save our brains

ALL:

We'll pack up all our junk and fly so far away

Devote ourselves to projects that sell

We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe

Forget this cold Bohemian hell

Oh

Oh

COLLINS:

Do you know the way to Santa Fe?

You know, tumbleweeds...prairie dogs...

Yeah

I'LL COVER YOU

MARK:

I'll meet you at the show

I'll try and convince Roger to go

(MARK exits)

ANGEL:

Alone at last

COLLINS:

He'll be back, I guarantee

ANGEL:

I've been hearing violins all night

COLLINS:

Anything to do with me? Are we a thing?

ANGEL:

Darling... we're everything!

Live in my house

I'll be your shelter

Just pay me back

With one thousand kisses

Be my lover I'll cover you

COLLINS:

Open your door

I'll be your tenant

Don't got much baggage

To lay at your feet

But sweet kisses I've got to spare

I'll be there- I'll cover you

BOTH:

I think they meant it

When they said you can't buy love

Now I know you can rent it

A new lease you are, my love,

On life be my life

(They do a short dance)

Just slip me on

I'll be your tenant

Wherever whatever I'll be your coat

ANGEL:

You'll be my king

And I'll be your castle

COLLINS:

No you'll be my queen

And I'll be your moat

BOTH:

I think they meant it

When they said you can't buy love

Now I know you can rent it

A new lease you are, my love,

On life all my life

I've longed to discover

Something as true as this is

COLLINS:

So with a thousand sweet kisses

I'll cover you

With a thousand sweet kisses

I'll cover you

ANGEL:

If you're cold

And you're lonely

You've got one nickel only

With a thousand sweet kisses

I'll cover you

With a thousand sweet kisses

I'll cover you

COLLINS:

When you're worn out

And tired

When your heart has expired

BOTH:

Oh lover I'll cover you

Oh lover I'll cover you

WE'RE OKAY

JOANNE:

(on cellular phone)

Steve Joanne

The Murget case?

A dismissal

Good work counselor

(The pay phone rings. JOANNE answers it and begins a conversation

with MAUREEN simultaneously juggling two other calls on her cellular

phone)

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