RENT the first act of the show takes place on Christmas Eve The show begins as Mark Cohen a filmmaker and the narrator of the show begins shooting an unscripted documentary in his loft He turns the camera on his roommate and best friend Roger Davis tuning his guitar Roger is a reformed junkie who became a recluse after his girlfriend committed suicide after learning they had contracted HIV Mark s mother interrupts the filming with a phone call she reassures Mark about his performance artist ex girlfriend Maureen Johnson dumping him for a woman Roger and Mark s friend Tom Collins arrives at their building but is mugged before he can enter Meanwhile Roger and Mark receive a call from former friend and roommate Benjamin Benny Coffin III Benny bought Mark and Roger s apartment building as well as the lot next door He tells them the rent is due despite his promise to let them live there for free Mark and Roger refuse to pay their rent Rent Meanwhile Joanne Jefferson Maureen s new girlfriend is setting up for Maureen s performance protesting Benny s plan to develop the lot where many home less people are currently living When the sound system blows Maureen calls Mark who agrees to help against his better judgment Back on the street Angel Dumott Schu nard a street drummer and drag queen spots Collins injured and comes to his aid They are instantly attracted to one another and quickly discover that they both have AIDS Back at the loft Mark tries to get Roger out of the apartment before reminding him to take his AZT Roger attempts to write a great song to make his mark on the world before he dies of AIDS Roger is interrupted by Mimi M rquez a beautiful stranger knocking on his door to ask him for a match to light her candle There is mutual attrac tion while Roger learns that she is a nineteen year old exotic dancer and junkie who lives in the apartment downstairs Joanne s parents call her wondering why she is stage managing and reminding her that she has to attend her mother s confirmation hearings Meanwhile Collins arrives at the apartment and introduces Mark and Roger to Angel who describes how he earned 3 000 Benny arrives with an offer if they con vince Maureen to cancel her protest he ll let them live in his new studio project rent free However the two rebuff his offer After Benny leaves Angel and Collins invite Mark and Roger to attend Life Support a local HIV support meeting Mark meets Joanne at the lot While fixing the sound equipment Mark tells Joanne of how Maureen flirted and cheated with other men while he dated her At the Life Support meeting the group talks about living with AIDS Mimi dances up the fire escape to Roger s apartment and asks Roger to take her out for the night Roger rejects her telling her he cannot love again and demands that she leaves Focus is then set on the Life Support meeting as people from the group wonder if they will lose their dignity because they have AIDS On their way to the show Collins Mark and Angel meet a peddler who gets angry with Mark for making a name for him self filming their lives but not really aiding them Collins talks about his dream of escap ing New York and opening up a restaurant Soon after Collins and Angel confess their love for each other Joanne then speaks like crazy on the phone getting everything ready for the protest Roger intercepts Mimi on her way to buy drugs inviting her to come to the protest and dinner with them instead to which she agrees Meanwhile peo ple from the streets protest for not having a place to spend Christmas Maureen arrives and begins her performance A thinly veiled criticism of Benny through a metaphor in volving a cow and a bulldog culminating in her urging the crowd to moo with her Over The Moon and Over The Moon Playoff The protest results in a riot that Mark catches on camera Afterward the group goes to the Life Caf where they run into Benny and his investor and father in law Mr Grey Benny criticizes the protest and the group s Bo hemian lifestyle declaring that Bohemia is dead Mark and all the bohemians in the caf rise up and celebrate the Bohemian lifestyle paying tribute to everything they love driv ing Mr Grey and Benny from the caf Mimi confronts Roger about ignoring her during dinner Roger tries to explain that he has baggage but Mimi isn t fazed Then as Mimi s beeper goes off reminding her to take her AZT she and Roger each discover that the other is HIV positive They talk openly for the first time and finally start a relationship whilst the group continue to celebrate Bohemia New Years Eve Mimi Mark and Roger attempt to break into their building which has been padlocked by Benny in response to Maureen s protest Mimi makes a resolution to give up her vices and go back to school Joanne and Maureen also decide to try a relationship again Happy New Year A Collins and Angel arrive bearing a blowtorch As the others work on the door Mark Joanne and Maureen climb the fire escape into the loft and find a message from Alexi Darling on the answering machine as Buzzline a tabloid magazine wants to hire Mark after having seen his footage of the riot The others finally break through the door just as Benny arrives He says he s there to call a truce but the group doesn t trust him He re veals that Mimi a former girlfriend of his came onto him This revelation upsets Roger and he briefly rebuffs Mimi before Angel settles everyone down Roger and Mimi both apologize but Mimi remains upset and turns to the drug dealer for a fix On Valentine s Day Maureen and Joanne have a fight giving each other relationship ultimatums Mau reen s flirtatious ways and Joanne s controlling behavior are too much to take so they break up The company sings a reprise of Seasons of Love as time passes and sea sons change By spring Roger and Mimi s relationship becomes strained Roger keeps talking about moving out of town Mimi comes home late again causing Roger to be lieve that she is cheating on him with Benny Roger jealously storms out Mimi stops him and tries to tell him the truth that she is not cheating and that she is still using drugs but can t get the words out and Roger leaves her Collins continues nursing An gel who is very sick as AIDS begins to overtake him Mark continues to receive calls from Buzzline Eventually Roger and Mimi and Joanne and Maureen reconcile They then break up just as quickly They are frustrated in their relationships because they cannot trust and fully commit to one another Contact At the same time
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