by Julia Kennedy
Bakersfield Californian
March 2, 2000

From young, die-hard "Rentheads" to older people who couldn't understand all the words, the house was almost full for the opening night of the musical "Rent" at the Bakersfield Convention Center Wednesday night.

By intermission, Jonathan Larson's fast-paced, controversial musical had wowed some audience members, left others shaking their heads and made a handful of people walk out, according to one audience member.

However, others said they were thrilled shows like "Rent" have finally made it to Bakersfield.

"I think it's good for Bakersfield actually," said Cathy Ruenzel, 50. "I think it's good to have musicals and shows of different types. We need to grow. We need to broaden our views."

"Rent" takes place in New York City. The opening scene is Christmas Eve, in the run-down apartment inhabited by Roger and Mark. Benny, the owner of the apartment and former roommate of the two, has decided to sell the vacant lot next to the apartment to build a "high-tech, cyber-arts studio."

He plans to evict all homeless people from the lot and all tenants from the building — including Roger and Mark. After a protest, a riot erupts and by the end of Act I, the tenants are locked out of the building.

The cast of characters in Act I dances and sings to the sounds of rock music and techno in a stark, industrial setting. The ensemble includes a drag queen who strikes up a romance with a shy philosophy professor; a heroin junkie who dances at a night club; and the theme of how AIDS affects peoples lives.

Bakersfield residents at all curious about the show might consider how easy it is to get tickets here; a former New York resident and audience member who recently visited his hometown said the show was sold out for more than a year in advance.

"Rentheads," or people who see the show multiple times, may do so to understand all the action; the songs are fast and the lyrics are intricately woven.

"Maybe it's just as well we can't hear a lot of what they're saying," said Grace Thompson, 66, who went to the show with her husband Jesse, 72. The couple won tickets to the show by donating to PBS, and despite being a little overwhelmed by it, planned to stay until the end.

Others said they loved the sense of freedom and energy radiated on stage — even though many of the characters are struggling to survive.

"Only one of them (the characters) really seems to feel sorry for himself," said Jim Lynch, 34, who was seeing "Rent" for the first time. "The rest are saying ‘We're powerful, we're here.' "

To a few young women who camped outside the Convention Center for cheap tickets Wednesday afternoon, the show's message is enough to make them come back again and again.

"I connected with the show itself," said Katie Hess, 19, "because it is about love and life and living each moment for what it is and not wasting time."

Hess, from Visalia and a student at College of the Sequoias, has seen "Rent" about 18 times in different parts of the state.

The "Rent" management saves a number of $20 tickets in the front row for every show, and sell them two hours before the performance. They do this to make the show accessible to the people it's about — artists, intellectuals, students, poor people.

"I lived in New York and I was a college student in New York," said Leanna Harris, 21, of Bakersfield, who has seen "Rent" six times. "There's no way I could afford to go unless I did this."