March 2, 1998
by Megan Halverson
Houston Sidewalk

Jonathon Larson's musical "Rent" created its own personal drama when Larson died just before the show opened last year, at 35. It's hard to say how much fashionable pathos led to "Rent'"s acclaim: Winning both the Pulitzer and a Tony, the play earned a literary and then professional shot in the arm. Despite that, the musical has had slightly less success with its touring companies, despite its fresh young cast and its popular music score.

The touring casts were assembled from a cache of unknowns — the same formula that worked on Broadway — and one of the three companies is finally on its way to Houston next weekend. Sidewalk recently talked with Christian Mena, a 27-year-old musician with a Latin-pop CD to his credit, who has a hot leading role in the show — the songwriter named Roger.

Jonathon Larson's musical "Rent" created its own personal drama when Larson died just before the show opened last year, at 35. It's hard to say how much fashionable pathos led to "Rent'"s acclaim: Winning both the Pulitzer and a Tony, the play earned a literary and then professional shot in the arm. Despite that, the musical has had slightly less success with its touring companies, despite its fresh young cast and its popular music score.

It's a big, young cast — many of whom are unknowns

The touring casts were assembled from a cache of unknowns — the same formula that worked on Broadway — and one of the three companies is finally on its way to Houston next weekend. Sidewalk recently talked with Christian Mena, a 27-year-old musician with a Latin-pop CD to his credit, who has a hot leading role in the show — the songwriter named Roger.

SW: What has it been like to go from performing in a band to performing in a theater?

CM: It's totally different, and at first, I didn't think they had anything to do with each other. I still don't think they have much to do with each other. Acting requires you to live the moment, and when I first started, that was really hard because I took all of the show's emotion home with me. I was living the part.

SW: One of the criticisms frequently launched at "Rent" is that the music is mediocre pop stuff. Coming to the show as a musician, what did you think of it?

CM: It's a rock opera and it's based on contemporary music, so of course it's going to be different than what people are used to seeing in musicals. There are so many styles [Jonathon] Larson uses to set the mood — each piece of music comments on the play and creates emotion. The patterns of music are incredibly intricate: We could sing this show sitting in chairs and people would still get the message.

CM: No. My interest in acting was mostly for film. I'd seen a bit of musical theater: "Hair" and "Jesus Christ Superstar," mostly plays, though. And I'm Canadian so I really didn't understand the hype about the musical when I auditioned.

SW: You've got two budding careers going: one in music and one in theater. Which do you prefer?

CM: If you'd asked me that in the first few months after I started "Rent," I would have said music. Now it's harder because I've grown to love acting, and it's an extension of myself in a different way than my music is. I still write songs every day, though.

SW: Had you seen much theater before you were cast?

SW: Has "Rent" affected your own songwriting?

CM: I'm very influenced by it, yes. The way Larson used music to set scenes is so textured — I'd like to be able to do that. I've been working on a new demo with "Rent"'s music director, and I've actually gotten away to perform with my band a couple of times since I've been on tour.

SW: You've been on tour eight months now. What's a typical performing day look like?

CM: I get up around 11. If it's a Saturday or Sunday, I eat breakfast and perform all day, because we have matinees. If it's a weekday, I write songs on my computer and then go out and see the sights, because the best part of touring is getting to see all these cities.

Kenna Ramsey and Leigh Hetherington as earnest young lesbians in "Rent."

SW: So much of "Rent" revolves around the community of characters: lovers, friends and fellow artists. Has the cast connected in the same way?

CM: The way they pulled us together was smart. We started the tour in La Jolla, and no one in the cast was from there, or even from San Diego. We stayed in a big apartment complex, and because nobody knew anybody else, and nobody knew anyone in town, we did things together as a huge group. So it would be 21 people going to the movies or 21 people going to the beach. And then Jonathon Larson's family came in and took us out to dinner and showed us videotapes of Jonathon, so we could learn more about him. At that point, "Rent" became more than a paycheck. And the cast is real close, like a family.

SW: What's next?

CM: I'm on this tour until September 1998. I just had a dream about that, actually. I'd like to do the London show — they start in May.

SW: You're from Edmonton, Canada. Has there been a lot of "local boy done good" coverage of your role in the musical?

CM: Yeah. Everytime I've managed to get home, they do three hours of interviews. It's kind of funny, because when I tried out for the show in Canada, I had no idea how big it was.

"Rent" plays through Sunday, March 15, at Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana. For more information, call (713) 227-3974.