by Jim Knippenberg
Cincinnati Enquirer
April 7, 1998

One last thought on Rent, and what had to be one of the most schizoid moments in the cast's life.

That would be Friday evening, when a new local improv troupe, Area 51, was performing in the Aronoff's small Black Box theater. Rent, meanwhile, was playing the Aronoff's big room. (The show closed Sunday.)

So anyway, says Rodger Pille of Area 51, the group's opening skit was a Rent parody in full New York Bohemian grunge just like the Rent cast costumes.

Fine. So it's just a tad before the opening curtain and the 51 troupe is backstage in full costume, when who should wander by? The Rent cast, also in full costume and awaiting opening curtain, but now also wondering about this mirror image of them.

A right friendly cast, those Rent folk, they sauntered over and asked what gives. The 51 gang explained the skit, Pille says, and "then they goaded us into doing it for them. We did, and they loved it, thank God."

Everyone exited, to do their shows.

Later that evening, while the Area 51 cast was having a celebration cocktail or two at Carol's on Main, the Rent cast came in, as they have done a zillion or so times times during their stay here, and gushed all over the skit again.