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 theirbuilding 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 worldbefore he dies of AIDS. Roger is interrupted by Mimi Márquez, 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 toAngel, 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 forthe 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 wonderif 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 (OverThe Moon and Over The Moon Playoff). The protest results in a riot that Mark catches on camera. Afterward, the group goes to the Life Café, 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 caférise up and celebrate the Bohemian lifestyle, paying tribute to everything they love, driv-ing Mr. Grey and Benny from the café.Mimi confronts Roger about ignoring her during dinner. Roger tries to explain that he has baggage, but Mimi isn't fazed. Then, as Mimi'sbeeper 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 asBenny 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'sDay, 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
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