by Jim Knippenberg
Cincinnati Enquirer
April 5, 1998

Well fine, if you don't want to believe reviewers, take it from a real expert: Cincinnati's production of Rent is spectacular.

That from Tina Olson, who has seen it 42 times, including four at the Aronoff, since July of '97.

Tina, a 16-year-old high school junior from Irvine, Calif., is a ''Renthead,'' one of many around the country so addicted to Rent they follow it to new cities, as featured in a March 22 Psst! column.

She flew in last Friday, saw the show twice Saturday and twice Sunday, then spent Monday at Rent Angels (a cast benefit for AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, Stonewall and Broadway Cares).

''Oh yes, I still love it,'' she said after four shows in two days. ''There are new cast members since I saw it in Tempe (Ariz.), so it was like a new show, and I thought that was great.''

''My friend Stacy came in from Detroit. I don't know her last name, we're Internet friends, and she went four times, too. She agreed: great.''

One surprise: ''I didn't know Cincinnati was so conservative. There were people leaving at intermission and subscribers who didn't show. I overheard people talking, too - so many didn't get it.

''But I love it here. I want to stay as long as possible.''

But she couldn't. She and dad left Tuesday; school, you know.