Rent script

Contents
Act I
Tune Up #1
Voice Mail #1
Tune Up #2
Rent
You Okay Honey
Tune Up #3
One Song Glory
Light My Candle
Voice Mail #2
Today 4 U
You'll See
Tango: Maureen
Life Support
Out Tonight
Another Day
Santa Fe
I'll Cover You
We're Okay
Christmas Bells
Overthe Moon
La Vie Boheme
I Should Tell You
La Vie Boheme B
Act II
Seasons of Love
Happy New Year
Voice Mail #3
Happy New Year B
Take Me or Leave Me
Seasons of Love B
Without You
Voice Mail #4
Contact
I'll Cover You (Reprise)
Halloween
Goodbye Love
What You Own
Voice Mail #5Finale
Your Eyes
Finale B
[pic]
Act I
(The audience enters in the theatre to discover a stage bare of curtains. At stage left looms a metal sculpture intended to represent: [a] a totem pole/Christmas tree that stands in an abandoned lot, [b] a wood burning stove with a snaky chimney that is at the center of MARK and ROGER's loft apartment, and [c] in Act II, a church steeple. Onstage the five-musician band performs under a wooden platform surrounded by railing. The wooden platform has a staircase on the upstage side. Downstage left is a black, waist-high rail fence. Once the audience is in the theatre, CREW and BAND MEMBERS move about informally onstage in preparation for Act I.
ROGER DAVIS, carrying an electric guitar, enters upstage left and crosses to a guitar ampsitting on a chair at center stage. He casually plugs his guitar into the amp and adjusts levels, then crosses downstage and sits on the table.
After a few chords, the COMPANY, led by MARK COHEN, enters from all directions and fills the stage. MARK sets up a small tripod and a 16mm movie camera downstage center, aimed upstage. He addresses the audience.)
Intro
MARK
We begin on Christmas Eve withme, Mark, and my roommate, Roger. We live in an industrial loft on the corner of 11th street and Avenue B, the top floor of what was once a music publishing factory. Old rock 'n' roll posters hang on the walls. They have Roger's picture advertising gigs at CBGB's and the Pyramid Club. We have an illegal wood burning stove; its exhaust pipe crawls up to a skylight. All of our electrical appliancesare plugged into one thick extension cord which snakes its way out a window. Outside, a small tent city has sprung up in the lot next to our building. Inside, we are freezing because we have no heat.

(He turns the camera to ROGER)
Smile!
[pic]
TUNE UP #1
MARK
December 24th, Nine PM
Eastern Standard Time
From here on in
I shoot without a script
See if anything comes of it
Instead of myold shit
First shot -- Roger
Tuning the Fender guitar
He hasn't played in a year

ROGER
This won't tune

MARK
So we hear
He's just coming back
From half a year of withdrawal

ROGER
Are you talking to me?

MARK
Not at all
Are you ready? Hold that focus -- steady
Tell the folks at home what you're doing Roger ...

ROGER
I'm writing one great song --

MARK
The phone rings.ROGER
Saved!

MARK
We screen
Zoom in on the answering machine!

(An actor places a telephone on a chair and we see MARK'S MOM in a special light.)[pic]
VOICE MAIL #1
ROGER & MARK'S OUTGOING MESSAGE
"Speak" ... ("Beeeep!")

MOM
That was a very loud beep
I don't even know if this is working
Mark -- Mark -- are you there
Are you screening your calls --
It's mom
We wanted to call andsay we love you
And we'll miss you tomorrow
Cindy and the kids are here -- send their love
Oh, I hope you like the hot plate
Just don't leave it on, dear
When you leave the house
Oh, and Mark
We're sorry to hear that Maureen dumped you
I say c'est la vie
So let her be a lesbian...
There are other fishies in the sea
... Love Mom!

(Lights fade on MOM and answering machine.)
[pic]...