| Synopsis
(from MTI)
ACT ONE
Mark, a filmmaker and the show's narrator, is spending a cold
Christmas Eve in the Lower East Side industrial loft he shares
with his roommate Roger, a musician. They receive several
phone calls ("Tune Up/Voice Mail #1"). The first is
from Mark's mother consoling him over the loss of his
girlfriend Maureen, a performance artist, to JoAnne, a Harvard
Law School graduate. The second is from their friend Tom
Collins who is detained by muggers. The last is from their
landlord Benny demanding the rent. The power blows and so do
Roger and Mark's tops ("Rent").
Outside, Collins is reeling from the mugging. He is comforted
by Angel, a street musician, who offers him a helping hand
("You Okay Honey?"). Both HIV+, Angel and Collins
head out for a night on the town and a life support meeting.
In response to a call for help, Mark sets out for the lot
where Maureen is performing a protest against Benny's eviction
of the homeless from a nearby lot. He urges Roger to come
along but he refuses. As Mark reports, Roger has not left the
apartment in six months. He is still reeling from the suicide
of his girlfriend, who slashed her wrists upon learning that
she had AIDS. Roger tries to write a song but the only melody
he finds is "Musetta's Waltz" from Puccini's La
Boheme ("One Song Glory").
Mimi, an S&M dancer who lives below Mark and Roger, knocks
with a request: "Light My Candle." The attraction
between she and Roger is immediate, but Roger shies away and
shows her the door. Mimi knocks again. She has lost her stash.
Roger helps her look and Mimi eventually finds it- in Roger's
back pocket.
As Joanne wrangles with the sound equipment for Maureen's
performance, her parents leave her "Voice Mail #2,"
pleading with her to come to her mother's confirmation
hearings in Washington. Collins arrives at the loft with a bag
full of goodies. This includes Angel, transvested into Angel
Dumott Shunard and gloriously arrayed in his Christmas finest-
wig, glitter, and platform pumps. In "Today 4 U,"
Angel explains how he earned $1,000: a wealthy woman hired him
to play the drums until her neighbor's yappy Akita barked
itself to death.
Benny enters with a proposal ("You'll See"): if Mark
and Roger stop Maureen's protest, he will forgo the rent. He
entices them with plans for Cyber Arts, a state-of-the-art,
multimedia studio that will realize all of their dreams.
Unsuccessful, Benny leaves. Mark, Collins and Angel try to
coax Roger into coming to the life support meeting with them
but he refuses.
Mark finally reaches the lot where Maureen will perform her
protest. He encounters Joanne, still struggling with the sound
equipment and the many demands Maureen makes upon her. Mark
offers help. Though they dreaded meeting, they have a lot in
common ("Tango: Maureen"). Once he finishes, Mark
joins Angel and Collins at the "Life Support"
meeting.
In her apartment, Mimi dresses and appeals to an imaginary
Roger to take her "Out Tonight." She barges into his
apartment and continues her appeal to Roger himself but after
a passionate kiss he vehemently rejects her. They fight, her
words blending with the affirmation of the support group that
emphasizes the importance of living the moment ("Another
Day"). A young man from the support group asks quietly
"Will I lose my dignity/Will someone care?"
("Will I?"). His thoughts and fears are echoed by
each member of the community. The thoughts are Roger's too,
and he decides to go outside.
After the meeting, Mark, Angel and Collins roam the lot and
rescue a homeless woman from the taunts and nightsticks of the
neighborhood cops ("On the Street"). Discouraged by
life in New York, the three dream of opening up a restaurant
in "Santa Fe." Alone at last, Angel and Collins
finally express their love for each other ("I'll Cover
You"). Joanne, meanwhile has her hands full juggling
work, parents, and the ever-demanding Maureen...all over the
phone("We're Okay").
The scene changes to St. Mark's Place where vendors hawk their
wares to the bohemians of the East Village ("Christmas
Bells"). Angel buys a new coat for Collins. Mark finds
Roger who spots Mimi looking for drugs. Roger apologizes and
asks her to dinner. Just as the snow begins to fall, Maureen
finally appears on her motorcycle to perform her protest,
"Over the Moon."
Following the protest, all convene at the Life Café,
including Benny who announces that Bohemia is dead. Thus
ensues a makeshift mock-wake that quickly segues into a
celebration of "La Vie Boheme." During the song,
Benny confronts Mimi and threatens to reveal their past affair
to Roger. Beepers go off to remind the revelers to take their
AZT. Roger and Mimi each discover that the other is HIV+.
Frightened, excited, they vow to be together ("I Should
Tell You").
Joanne has been sent back to the lot by Maureen several times
to check on the equipment. She finally rebels, telling Maureen
that their relationship is over and announcing a riot in the
lot: Benny has padlocked the building and called the cops but
the homeless are standing their ground. And mooing. The
artists rejoice, the riot continues, and Roger and Mimi share
a small, lovely kiss.
ACT TWO
The second act begins with the company posing the question,
"How do you measure a year in the life?"
("Seasons of Love"). It is one week later, New
Year's Eve, and Mark, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Joanne, Angel and
Collins are having a breaking-back-into-the-building party
("Happy New Year"). Once inside, Mark listens to one
more phone message from his mother in Scarsdale as well as one
from Alexi Darling, a tabloid TV producer salivating over his
footage of the riot ("Voice Mail #3"). Benny crashes
the party, angering Roger and alienating Roger from Mimi.
Dejected, Mimi wanders outside and into the welcoming arms of
her drug dealer.
Mark fast forwards to Valentine's Day. Roger and Mimi are
still together. Angel and Collins could be anywhere. Maureen
and Joanne are still rehearsing another show, but it is not
going well ("Take Me or Leave Me").
The company reprises "Seasons of Love" and time
marches forward again, to spring. Roger and Mimi have a fight
and Roger walks out. Alone, Mimi reflects on what life would
be like without Roger ("Without You"). At the same
time, Collins nurses a sick Angel; Maureen and Joanne
reconcile; as do Mimi and Roger.
At the end of the summer, Alexi is still courting Mark for her
TV show ("Voice Mail #4"). Roger and Mimi,
unsatisfied by love's complications, break up, as do Maureen
and Joanne. Angel dies ("Contact"). At a memorial
service, his friends remember his spirit. Collins remembers
his love ("I'll Cover You: Reprise").
Outside the church, Mark phones Alexi to accept the job. Mark
ponders how life has changed since last year as he recalls the
joys of that one night last Christmas ("Halloween").
As the mourners leave the church, Mimi confirms that Roger has
sold his guitar and is leaving town. Roger confirms that Mimi
is now with Benny. A fight erupts among Roger, Mimi, Maureen,
Benny, and Joanne Collins interrupts them with the sorrowful
reality that the family is breaking up. Joanne and Maureen
reunite. Mimi and Benny leave.
Mark tries to convince Roger to stay in New York and face his
pain and the fact that Mimi is very sick. Roger attacks Mark,
accusing him of hiding from his feelings. Mimi enters, having
overheard the entire angry exchange, and bids Roger farewell
("Goodbye, Love"). Roger leaves town. Mimi turns to
Mark for help. Benny offers one helping hand to Mimi and
extends the other to Collins to help him pay Angel's funeral
expenses. Mimi refuses the help and flees. Collins accepts and
he and Benny go out for a drink.
Mark considers the events and faces the last year, as does
Roger, who is on his way to Santa Fe. Roger begins to discover
his own song and Mark turns down the television job to finish
his own film ("What You Own").
Roger's mom, Mark's mom, Mimi's mom, and JoAnne's father all
wonder where their children are ("Voice Mail #5").
Back at the loft, Mark tells us again it's Christmas and he
now has a rough version of his film, which he's going to show
tonight. Roger has returned, has written his song, but cannot
find Mimi. Collins enters with money he has gotten from an ATM
rewired to give money to anyone with a special code. The
password? Angel.
Maureen and Joanne suddenly arrive holding Mimi, whom they
found collapsed and near death in the park. Roger begs her not
to die and sings for her the song it has taken him all year to
write, "Your Eyes." Mimi dies as Roger wails her
name over a blast of Puccini's music. Suddenly Mimi awakens,
it seems that a guardian Angel was watching over her.
The company joins in a reprise of the affirmation that love is
all and that there is "no day but today"
("Finale").
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