by Diane Windeler
San Antonio Express News
December 5, 1998

Christian Mena, shown in a 'Rent' scene with Julia Santana, plays Roger - a makeover of the 'La Boheme' character Rodolfo.

When we think of starving artists, most of us picture the impoverished, fun-loving young people known as Bohemians who defied all manner of conventions to live in drafty garrets on Paris' Left Bank while they indulged in creative expression.

Novelist Henri Murger immortalized them in his 1845 short story collection, "Scenes de la vie de Boheme," and Puccini cemented the notion with his opera "La Boheme," which is based on that book. When composer- librettist Jonathan Larson decided to base his pop-rock musical "Rent" on "La Boheme," the logical setting was Manhattan's Lower East Side, which abounds with contemporary Bohemians. There, the familiar characters become struggling young artists making every day count in a world of indigence, drugs, alternative lifestyles and AIDS.

In "Rent," which comes to San Antonio on Tuesday, Rodolfo the poet becomes Roger, an HIV-positive rock musician. Mimi, the seamstress with TB, is a drug-addicted nightclub dancer with HIV. Marcello the painter becomes Mark, a documentary filmmaker and narrator of the piece. Flirtatious Musetta is a performance artist, and Benoit the landlord becomes Benny, an upscale slumlord.

The Puccini opera premiered on Feb. 1, 1896. On Jan. 26, 1996 — almost exactly a century later — "Rent" opened in an off-Broadway theater. That is only one of a disturbing collection of life-meets-art ironies surrounding the award-winning show.

Theater buffs know that the most staggering of these is the unexpected death of the 35-year-old Larson from a heart aneurysm within hours of attending the final dress rehearsal. The premise of the entire show hangs on living life to its fullest, of finding a goal and working toward it, no matter what.

Larson had done just that, spending almost seven years on the project while living in a run-down SoHo apartment and working as a waiter in a diner. That he did not live to see "Rent" become a phenomenal success, including winning a posthumous Pulitzer Prize, is unspeakably sad.

"This was a man who knew how to live, who knew exactly what he wanted," said Christian Mena, who portrays Roger in the touring production of the show coming to the Majestic Theater. "When he was on the dawn of achieving it, he died."

Those in the original cast have said the tragedy forced them to work harder to do justice to Larson's script. The words, the motivations behind them made more sense than ever. The music, incidentally, runs the gamut from rock to blues to salsa and various contemporary styles.

Two months after the off-Broadway opening, the show moved to Broadway and became a sensation. Critics repeatedly compared it to "Hair" and "A Chorus Line" for its energy and ground- breaking subject matter. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize for drama, it won four Tonys, six Drama Desk awards, three Obies and numerous others.

When it was time to form an American touring company, Mena's agent arranged an audition. The 27-year-old musician was born in Chile but now lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He already was making his mark as a singer and leader of the hot Latino- reggae dance band Maracujah, but had no theatrical experience.

By phone from Tucson, Ariz., Mena admitted he knew virtually nothing about the show when he went to the audition. He had listened to a CD of excerpts, but that was it.

"I was one of those people who only had to audition once, so I was really lucky," Mena said. "In one day I saw the producers, the musical director, everyone. I was lucky in another way, because I didn't have a clue about what I was getting into. I guess my attitude reflected that. I was like, 'Whatever, just get it over with, I've got stuff to do.' I hadn't seen the show, didn't even know what it was."

Mena said he went with the intention of auditioning for Angel, the drag queen, but he ended up singing a Stevie Wonder song, "Signed, Sealed and Delivered."

Obviously, his four-octave vocal range — which he said he developed by imitating Sting and Stevie Wonder as a kid — impressed them. He was asked to sing "One Song Glory," Roger's wistful ballad about writing a legacy, one song to leave behind.

"I went off for about four hours and learned it," Mena said. "I sang it for them, and the next day they called me and told me I had the job. I knew it was a big deal, but at the same time, it was causing real trouble in my life because of my band. I would have to make plans or put it on hold immediately. I had three months to get things together."

During the rehearsal process in La Jolla, Calif., Mena said, Larson's family and friends met with the company. These sessions intensified the irony of the piece: "He lived his whole life with purpose. We saw how this man affected everyone he knew — his best friend, Matt, his girlfriend — the aura he carried was amazing. As a result, the original company was very tightly knit."

The show opened in July 1997 in La Jolla, then took to the road. Ten months later, Mena injured his knee leaping from a table during a first-act dance routine and was forced to leave the company.

Following surgery and a lengthy recuperation, Mena returned to the show last month. After his seven-month hiatus, he said, he is much more comfortable with the role than before, and is approaching it differently.

"This show is so strong," Mena said. "It does address a lot of the issues that people don't like to talk about or accept: HIV, homosexuals, street people. Never mind the central issue, that so many take life for granted and just kinda float from day to day. They are not living life to its potential, which I think is the most important message in the show. Don't put things off, because you might not have tomorrow."

He said he sees evidence at the end of each performance that the message is getting through: "We can see the first couple of rows from the stage, and many of the people are visibly moved."